Hey, times are hard. Businesses everywhere are looking at how to reduce their expenses in every way possible. We’ve gotten a lot more calls from businesses wanting us to design or redesign the smallest, cheapest website possible. There is a better way!
The Smart Way to Reduce Your Web Design Costs
1. Be organized.
It sounds so simple doesn’t it? But when you’re a business owner, or just a manager saddled with the job of getting a new website, you have other work to do besides focus on organizing your website needs. However, without an organized list of what you want, you’ll end up designing as you go along. This will mean more revisions, more meetings, and many times it will result in additional charges or revised estimates. Remember, if you’re not organizing your ideas and content, you’re paying the web design firm to do it for you. Need a little help figuring out how to organize? Try our post on getting a website estimate for some handy tips.
2. Don’t Split Your Development Team
Your web programmer should be in the same office as your web designer. By using two separate businesses or freelancers, you’ll be paying double for their meeting time, phones calls and overhead. Trying to use multiple teams also creates an ineffective work arrangement that can lead to communication issues, reworking of design and re-programming to meet your goals.
3. Build in Phases
If your website will ultimately have or need a lot of functionality, consider adding the less vital functionality in phases. Phase one should be a breath-taking, content-packed, effective website. Then add some of the less essential elements later, when your budget allows. It’s far better to build a strong foundation for added features than try to skimp and cram everything into a budget that just can’t accommodate it.
4. Don’t Reinvent the Wheel
There are a lot of third-party applications that can be plugged into your website to give you added functionality without building it yourself. Think of Facebook for social plugins, Google for search capability, customizable shopping carts instead of a custom cart, and Twitter or Windows Messenger for interoffice chat.
5. Share Your Budget
By telling your designer what your budget is, they can be more creative when it comes to giving you what you want without breaking your budget. On the other hand, when you let your designer know you have a tight budget but you won’t tell them the number, you leave it to them to pare down the site’s functionality without offering more educated options.
We Build Websites
Since 1999 future-ink has been designing, developing, and maintaining websites that are built on-time and on-budget. Contact us today for a free estimate and initial consultation.
About the author: Jeune Ortiz is VP of Marketing and Creative Director at future-ink. With more than 20 years of experience in graphic design and marketing, Jeune brings extensive knowledge and creativity to each website and internet marketing solution to grow your business.
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