Producing a High-End Website on a Budget: What You Need to Know

Every company needs a high-end website that they can use to attract the business they need. However, in the early days, you may not have the budget you need to create the website you envision. Therefore, it is incredibly important that you build something that meets your needs. Here are some of the things you should think about when producing a high-end website for your business on a budget.

A Place to Host

Your hosting and domain name are going to be two of the most important components of the website. You need to ensure that both are in place long before you begin to focus on other aspects of the website. By getting cheap web hosting, you will have the space and platform you need to build the website of your dreams.

Most small companies do not need much in the way of webspace. Think carefully about what you are going to have on your site. If it is just a few webpages with a small number of images, you will not need much space. However, if you intend to have lots of instructional videos on your site and plenty of images, you also need to make sure you have the webspace to support it.

You also need to check that you can get the right domain name from the beginning. It can be incredibly difficult to get the domain you need if you are operating in a saturated market. More often than not, you need your domain name to match your company name. Try to get a close a match as possible to avoid any confusion further down the line.

A Solid Plan

A tight budget means that you might not have a lot of scope for revisions. Websites can be tricky things and you need to make sure that you have allocated enough budget so bugs can be ironed out by your web developer. With so many different widgets and plug-ins that can be put into a site, you need to make sure that you are always going to have some time and money put aside to ensure everything works as it should.

What you should not do is deviate from the plan you make with your developer. You have plenty of opportunities to develop your website before the project begins. Choosing to change something like the layout or the planned pages when you are halfway through building only means added costs for you. Though you might like the idea of a certain plug-in added to your website, you also might not be able to afford any fees currently associated with it. You can always expand and rebuild your website once you have grown your business and you have some more free revenue.

Usability

Who is going to be in charge of the website? If you are bringing a dedicated site manager onto your team then the back-end of the website can be as technical as you want it to be. You will be able to ensure that you are always able to have the site looking how you want it to. Any updates will be quick and easy to implement.

On the other hand, you might want to handle the website yourself. While major changes to the design or structure will be handled by a professional web designer as and when you need them, you might decide to be in charge of small changes like updating a blog or posting updates on the site. For this reason, you need to know how the back-end of the website works.

This can be a confusing mess of options for anyone, even if they are not the most computer-savvy. As a result, you need to make sure that you fully understand how the website works before controls are handed over to you. Whether you choose to take a course to bring you up to speed, or you take some tips from your web developer, make sure you know what is going on.

An Idea of Costings

One of the single most important things you need to know when setting up a website on a budget is the cost. This will help you to develop the website down the line as you will have a clear indicator of what you can afford now and later. 

In the early days of your website, it might be a better idea to design something simple but completely functional. Even if you are planning heavy e-commerce for your site, you might be able to make do with a simpler design at the start of your website’s life.

You also need to consider the industry you are in. If you work in a high-end environment, you might be able to get away with a more minimalist website. However, this might also be more expensive as you need to pour more attention into the function of the website in addition to aesthetics. There is always something that could change the cost of your website, so make sure you have a clear idea of what you want before you commit to it.

Take Your Time

Developing a website takes time and resources. Though you may only have a small area to get things right before you launch the site for the first time, you need to make sure that you get all these details right. This is especially important if you have a budget that cannot be negotiated. 

Take the time to finalize everything. When you have a budget controlling what you need from the website, every choice needs to be made with confidence and clarity. Take the time to fully develop your website and make sure it has everything you need so expensive revisions are not needed later. Before you know it, you could have a fully functioning website ready for launch. Once it is ready for customers to visit, it will all be worth it.