Planning to start your own business website but have a tight budget? We can feel you. It has become quite difficult to have a website of your own these days without paying a huge amount of dollars. You can find hundreds of web design companies out there to do the job for you. However, will it really fit your budget? The answer is, probably not. Web design companies allocate a number of expert resources to your project. This means that not one, not two, but more number of UI/UX designers and developers might be involved in building your website. This also means that the cost you will pay for building your website will be sufficient enough to pay all the resources for their part of the effort. However, if you are wondering whether budget-friendly websites are an option, the answer is, absolutely. Unlike former practices, building your website has now become quite easy for everyone. You can find web design monthly packages as well as pre-built website templates to go with. If you have decided to build your website and want to know how can you do it on a limited budget, we have got you covered with some useful tips to follow.
Build Your Budget-Friendly Website
By reading and understanding the below-listed tips, you can build your website in a limited budget. Let’s have a look.
Define Website Objective
The first thing you need to do is pick a notebook and write down the key objectives of your website. Try to list down questions like what do you want to do with your website? Do you want to sell products or services? Do you want to create a blog? Take time to figure out a road map for your website. If you want to use your website to sell your products and/or services, you need to follow a different direction. However, if your plan is to be a content creator, you may need to develop an entirely different strategy. Whatever your objectives might be, you need to be very sure about them before you take any step further. More often than not, people move ahead into designing their website while they are not completely sure about what they want to achieve out of it. This ends them up in a dead-end street. Regardless of the timeline that you are following, you need to take time to think and rethink your website goals clearly.
Pick a Ready-to-go Web Template
Have the idea but not the coding skills? No problem. You can opt for ready-to-go website templates. These templates are not only cheaper in cost but also save half the effort of your website building process. Now, it is very important for you to pick the right theme and layout for your website. When you review many templates at once, it becomes an overwhelming decision to make. However, you need to align your website’s overall look and feel with your key objectives. For example, if you are planning to start a healthcare website, you may not want to use a lot of funky graphics and blunt colors. Similarly, a plain white website design may not be too appealing for an online toy shop for kids. So, while you are on the verge of making a decision about your web template, you need to ensure if the theme aligns with your website’s objective or not. It is important to remember that choosing a website for its fancy color scheme may not always be a wise decision.
Work on Your Content
Already know what type of content you will be adding to your website? Start working on it. A lot of website owners tend to delay this process until the website is designed. However, we beg to differ. Content creation is one of the most important and time-taking tasks in the whole website building process. It is always a great idea to have your content ready to be published before your website gets clear of the design phase. You can also use this time to dig out suitable images, videos, or any other graphical content that you would want to add to your website. While this may be valid, you can also outsource the task to content writers. However, it will only cost you more. Working on your website’s content by yourself can not only save you money but also save you from any unnecessary back and forth.
Cut Down Unnecessary Features
Let’s get this straight, the more the features on your website, the more costly it will be. When you are running on a tight budget, it is important to analyze each part of your website critically. Although a website appears as one collective platform capable of performing multiple functions, it still consists of many additional features depending on the owner’s needs. For example, if you are planning to create a product blog, you may not need an eCommerce website. You can start with a simple web design template to cut down your additional costs. Moreover, if you need to add a shopping cart to your existing website later down the road, you can always have it (depending on your website template).
Managing CMS
One of the areas that you can definitely save your costs from is managing the website content management system. Most websites are developed in WordPress which is easy to navigate and manage. You can take some time to do a little research on how to manage content on your website through WordPress. This way, you can save a lot of money that you would otherwise pay to a website maintenance company. Please note that it is always a better idea to have a professional manage your website. While this may be true, if you are tight on budget and want to make it work, managing the CMS by yourself is not a bad idea. Moreover, you can also learn to perform all the content-related tasks via YouTube or Google. This way, you can take complete control of your website without having to pay anyone.
Keep a Tech Person in Loop
Are you a technical person? If yes, you can pretty much manage your website by yourself depending upon your coding skills. However, if technicalities freak you out, you are not alone. Many website owners do not have prior knowledge of managing a website efficiently. This is where a website management company comes in. They take care of your website inside out to keep it up-to-date. However, hiring a company may not be beneficial for your budget-friendly website. On the flip side, if you keep a tech person in the loop, it can help you stay on your budget. More often than not, friends or colleagues play an important role in the process to keep your website on track. You can also pay freelance resources to do the job as it will still cost you less than hiring a full-service company. We hope the above-mentioned tips can help you plan your roadmap to building your website on a limited budget. Please note that the listed steps can vary based on your website objectives and total budget
