You can get a website for nothing, which is very appealing to someone starting out on the web. And if you’re a big company, you may spend many tens of thousands, year after year.
But if your’s is a company in the middle, a company that’s serious about developing its business, but with limited funds – and that’s most of us – how do you set a budget for your next website build?
One way you could think about it is to compare this with hiring someone.
Imagine you’re hiring someone who will work tirelessly to promote your business, delivering your message to people all around the world, twenty four hours a day, all year long. They’ll handle all-comers efficiently and politely, ensuring that more people know about your company and their interest is developed until they become customers.
Now, how much would you pay such a worthwhile ambassador for your business? Are they going to deliver a top-notch performance for a salary of £500? Or £5000? Or more?
Could you afford to hire a poor performer as a colleague? Of course not.
So, thinking about your new website in the same frame of mind as hiring an employee not only helps you think about your budget, but also sets your expectation of what the website should be built to do – for what you can afford to pay.