Getting on the web is not cheap

There is an unfortunate rumour going around that getting a website up and running is cheap and that it will result in floods of new customers.

It is unfortunate because it is not true in the slightest, and it is very damaging for our industry when presumed expectations are dashed when a cheap website fails to bring anything in at all.

One of the main causes of this unhelpful reputation are the plethora of budget web designers which spring up all the time.

You see, creating a basic website is childsplay, literally. Children are taught it in school and any IT-minded child will create websites all the time.

It's not difficult.

But at the same time, printing out a Word Document is not difficult, but that doesn't make you an international magazine producer. The problem is that people who can metaphorically print out a Word Document think that this qualifies them to run an international magazine publishing house.

And the next train of thought that they go through is that they think if they can knock out websites for £50 to £200, the orders will come flooding in and they'll make a killing.

But there's so many of them already doing this that the orders don't come flooding in. And after 6 months and only 6 orders, they realise that they can't live off £200 a month so they close the business and stop answering the phone.

We know this first hand because we've taken over the managment of several websites created this way, where the client can no longer get hold of the web designer at all and we need to try to rescue as much as possible of their existing site.

The other crucial point to make is that creating a website is no more "just a matter of design" than running a magazine is "just a matter of design".

Yes, design is very important. But a beautiful billboard in the desert isn't going to help anyone. A beautiful stack of brochures isn't going to help your business if it's piled up in your warehouse. A beautiful shop isn't going to sell as much hidden away in an alleyway compared to a prominent high street position.

Creating a successful website that brings in new customers is a complex task that you can't get for £200.

OpenGlobal E-commerce can advise you on the cheapest realistic way to get a website up and running based on your requirements. But be under no illusions that spending a few hundred pounds is going to bring any customers in.

If you are content with this, then that's fine, but just don't have unreasonable expectations.

If you just want to have a simple website to use as a reference tool, or to make sure that when potential customers google you there is something for them to find, then that is great. Just don't get the two different types of website mixed up.

If design is completely unimportant to you, then there are a number of cheap or free website creation tools available. They won't bring in any new customers, and they might even reflect badly on your company's image if you're trying to maintain a good image. But to be honest, they could save you a few hundred pounds and a lot of trouble trying to track down a missing web designer.

Contact us now on 0845 269 9624 for an honest discussion about how you can get the most cost effective website, whatever your requirements and intentions.