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Why do I need a Website?

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If you own a small business there has never been a better or more important time to invest in a website. The days of potential customers searching through the yellow pages are gone. On average Google receives over 75,000 searches per second,. That's over 2.5 trillion searches a year and this is growing by between 10% and 15% every year. The average person makes between 3 - 4 Google searches every day and spends four hours on their device. Local searches account for nearly 50% of all Google searches.

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A website offers a wide variety of benefits for small businesses and most of these benefits increase in value exponentially year over year, just like the internet itself. Many businesses mistakenly think that having a social media account is enough, but your website is yours and yours alone. You control the information you want to appear on it and that your customers and potential customers will see. Your customers can also interact with you directly via your website in multiple ways. They can click on your phone number and be talking to you in seconds, send an e-mail, chat online, complete a contact form, make a booking all from their phone, tablet or computer. A recent survey suggests that 30% of consumers won't even consider using a business that doesn't have a website.

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What do I need to consider?

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Buying a website is a bit like buying a car and there are a few things to think about before you invest in one:

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Do you buy a ready built website or build your own? There are a multitude of online website builders out there who let you create your very own website (I'll be using WiX, one of the best, to build yours). It's cost effective and anyone can have a go. But if you want your website built by someone who has many years experience building working websites, has the time to design it as well as build it and will make sure that it's been fully tested before you drive it then that's where a website designer like me comes in.  

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How much will it cost?

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I want to keep things as simple as possible with no hidden costs. Sticking with the car buying analogy there is usually a fixed cost, maintenance costs and two annual running costs. 

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• Buying the website design (one off cost): Having a website designed, built and delivered by me costs from £400 depending on what model you want. This includes:

  • Discussing your requirements and giving you a fixed no obligation quote for your website.

  • Building and testing your website and sending you a link so that you can test drive it and make notes and comments for any tweaks or changes you would like me to make.

  • Making amendments and sending you a link for you to confirm that they have been made and you are happy with your website. 

  • Final sign off by yourself and go live with your website.

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For my full design and build price list click HERE.​

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• Buying your domain name (annual cost) The domain name is the address where people can find your website.  A domain name can be any combination of letters and numbers, and it can be used with various domain name extensions, such as .com .co.uk and many more. Your domain name must be registered before you can use it. Every domain name is completely unique. No two websites can have the same domain name. If someone types in www.yourdomain.com, it will go to your website and no one else's. The price of a domain name typically cost between £10 -£20 per year depending on the extension. Unlike your car tax domain names can be paid for on a one year, two year or three year basis and some can be purchased for up to ten years. I'll help and advise you on purchasing your domain name through WiX. If you already have a domain name this can usually be transferred to your new site. Transferring a domain name is usually free but I can check and advise on this for you. 

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• Web Hosting (annual or monthly cost) Think of a website like a house. A house needs to have an address and a piece of land where it sits. Your domain name is the house address that tells people where to find your website. Web hosting is the piece of land that you build your house on, the space on the internet where your website's files are stored. The cost of hosting with most hosts, including Wix, varies depending on the type of plan that you require. You usually get a better deal by paying up front for two or more years. For example this website and most of my clients websites (non e-commerce) cost approx. £75 a year for hosting for the first three years*. I'll make sure that you get the best deal at the time, help you choose the right plan and set it all up for you. 
  *This price includes a 50% discount from Wix and is only available if you pay the first three years up front - After three years prices may go up and the 50% discount may no longer be available.

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• Maintenance and support (either a set monthly cost or pay as you go)  This is something that you can either do completely on your own (I'll show you how as part of your design package inclusive support time ) or I can do it for you and you can pay by the hour or you can purchase  a pre-paid maintenance and support plan with me. The amount of time it takes to make changes or updates to your website during the year varies but most small business websites will need very minimum maintenance or support (a couple of hours each year) to update prices, change a picture or two. Hospitality websites usually need a bit more maintenance as menus may need to be updated seasonally. As seen recently there might also be a requirement to make changes to opening hours or advise your customers about changes to your business due to Covid 19 which could take a bit longer and makes pre-paying for a maintenance and support plan a good option. 

 

For my maintenance and support plans price list click HERE.

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To give you an example of ongoing costs here is a breakdown or how much the website you are currently looking at costs me to run.

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• Purchase of my domain name www.oakdigitalsoultions.co.uk: was £11.64 for the first 2 years and now costs me approximately £15 (including VAT)  a year.

• Website hosting via Wix costs me approx £75  (including VAT) per year (I pay for 3 years up front)

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All of these costs including the original design costs and any annual maintenance plans can be reclaimed as a business expense.

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What kind of website do I need?

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I try to keep things as simple as possible when it comes to designing a website. Clean and uncluttered websites work best. There are two main things that you need to think about when deciding what kind of website you would like me to build for you: Style and layout.

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Styles

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Brochure-Style Website

Most individuals and many small businesses don't need to have a website with loads of pages or sections. Just the core information that they want to get across to those viewing your website. A brochure-style website is perfect for this and usually includes:

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• Details about the service or product

• A bit of information about you

• Testimonials from your happy customers

• Your contact details

• Prices

• Links to social media accounts

 

Brochure-style websites tend to be more cost effective, easy to navigate and are browser and search engine friendly. They can be either a one page or a multi page layout and would usually contain between 3 - 5 sections or pages.

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Portfolio-Style Website

A portfolio-style website provides similar information to a brochure-style but also presents a showcase of an individual's or company's work. This could be a photographer's pictures or a woodworker's projects, usually in picture form.  Portfolio-style websites often work well when they incorporate blogs too. This will also usually include:

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• Details about the service or product

• Information about you

• Testimonials from happy customers

• Contact details

• Prices

• Links to social media accounts

 

This is more often a multi page layout and will usually contain between 3 - 5 sections or pages.

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Hospitality-Style Website

These are websites specifically designed for pubs, cafes, mobile caterers etc.  They will normally include similar information to brochure and portfolio style websites but with the edition of menus that can be amended or updated as required. ​

 

These are more often a multi page layout and will usually contain between 3 - 5 sections or pages.

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Layouts

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One Page Layout

This is a basic site with only one page and usually contains between 3 - 5 sections.

Why it's good:
If you're looking for something minimal, a one-page site could be a good fit for you. One-page sites help direct your customers' attention to what's most important in a central location. They can include anchor menus that viewers click to navigate to specific sections in the page. 

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What's usually included:
An introduction to your site with a clear welcome message.
Services or products section: A list of the services or products your business offers.
About section: Information about you.
Testimonials section: Customer reviews and experiences.
Contact section: An easy way for clients to get in touch.

Keep in mind:

Since a one-pager has no additional pages, you'll need to cover everything in a much smaller space.

 

 

Multi Page Layout

This is a multi-page site with a homepage and around 4 more pages.

Why it's good:
A multi-page site allows you to present a lot of information in an organised way.

What's usually included:
Homepage: An introduction to your site with a clear welcome message.
Services or products page: A list of the services or products your business offers.
About page: Information about you and your company, your store, mission and team.
Testimonials page: Customer reviews and experiences.
Contact page: An easy way for clients to get in touch.