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Webbed Feet UK, web developers in Salisbury, Wiltshire

Why do websites differ in price so much?

As with most products and services websites made by different web developers differ in price a great deal. The hard part for businesses, is deciding which website is best value, which will be the most effective, and most of all which will give the best return on investment.

So which website should businesses choose? Well that all depends on the business of course; some businesses may require a cheap and cheerful web presence, others would be best suited to a more expensive bespoke system. Using an analogy, which make of car is best for a driver, a Kia or a BMW? Well that obviously depends on how much money the driver has to spare, and what they want to use the car for. Websites are the same and any decent web developer should advise their clients accordingly, even if it means advising them to use another company.

I know of web developers local to Salisbury charging anything between £300 and £10,000 for a standard eCommerce website, that’s a 33x difference. Looking at the websites the expensive one is better, but is it worth the additional £9,700?

A good analogy to websites would be kitchens. At the cheaper end of the scale there are Ikea kitchens, where you go to the store, select the units from a range of units of different styles, and mix and match your units. There are only a set number of designs to choose from, the quality may not be great, and they may not fit into your kitchen perfectly. But when they’re new they look reasonable, they fit their purpose and they do not cost very much.

Next there are middle of the range kitchens from places such as B&Q. Here you still select your units from a fixed selection, but may have a wider range of components and materials. In addition you will get someone who’ll measure your house and design a kitchen to suit your needs, selecting the units on your behalf to achieve the look that you want. You’ll end up paying slightly more this way, but should have a kitchen that is slightly better quality, lasts longer, and is tailored for the dimensions within your house.

Finally there are companies who will design, manufacture and build a bespoke kitchen specifically to suit your every need. You’ll pay a premium for this, but the kitchen will be of a very high quality, last a long time, and will be completely tailored to your requirements. This is obviously the best kitchen out of the three, but costs a lot more and unnecessary to many home owners.

So how do kitchens relate to websites? Well different web developers produce different websites for different prices. At the cheaper end of the scale there are websites made from templates; they all look similar, the options are limited, they may not do everything that owners want, and there is little room for expansion. They ‘do the job’, but may not rank quite as highly on search engines, and may not convert visitors into paying customers as efficiently.

Then you get the middle of the range websites that use pre built systems and plug in modules. They offer more customisation, and do a lot more, but can still be restrictive. They can be a good compromise as their cost is often lower than bespoke systems.

Finally bespoke websites can do everything that is required of them and more, they are future proof, expandable, generally load faster, and usually provide the best overall result. But of course they usually carry a premium and may be out of most people’s budgets.

So which kind of website is best? Well that all depends on the business, the target audience and of course budget. The main piece of advice I could give would be not to compare websites on price, unless they are like-for-like, but to look at what they offer. Any decent web developer should explain in plain English what they are making, and answer any questions that you may ask. This is why it’s good to use a web developer that you can trust, perhaps one that has been recommended. Don’t be afraid to compare quotes and tell the web developers if you think their quote is too expensive, or is lacking features. Most web developers can be flexible and work out a different solution.

So where does Webbed Feet UK stand? Well we generally cover the bespoke angle producing the best results; but have written our code in such a way that we are very competitive, usually charging the same as a middle of the range website. Then our clients don’t need to pay through the roof, yet get a bespoke system that works.

Furthermore, if we do not think we offer the best service, we’ll tell our clients. We’d rather walk away from a project and ensure a client has the best website for their needs.

So if you’re after a truly bespoke website, for a fair price; then call us on 01722 346400 and we’ll let you know if we can offer you the most cost effective solution.

This article is categorised within:

Website Design