In today’s day and age, having an appealing and unique website can make or break a business. Below is a list of helpful tips and advice on how to successfully create a website with a small budget.
Contents
1) Set Specific Goals and Outlines for What you Want Your Website to Look Like
First things first, you need to have a general idea of what you want your website to look like. Picasso didn’t simply start painting with no underlying sketch, Michelangelo did not start sculpting David without an image in his head of what he wanted him to look like, and you shouldn’t start designing a website without a basic idea of what you want it to look like either.
But what about your target audience? Will they want a website that looks clean-cut and organized with charts and graphs? Or is your target audience more attracted to vibrant colors and photos? Thinking of these things before starting the design process will not only help you design the website, it will help you to determine whether or not you need to hire out the work to a professional — which can be expensive depending on the amount of work — or if you can use a website like WordPress and do it yourself.
Knowing what the content amount will be on the website is essential as well. Will someone need to come in and write articles for you? Or will you be able to write them yourself? Do you want to make your website optimizable for search engines? Knowing the answers to these questions will help you determine whether or not you need to hire someone to help with this process or not, which will help you budget appropriately. You can also always look up information on starting a website like this guide at Green Geeks.
2) Look For Freelancers
After you have drawn up a basic list of what you want your website to look like and contain, you will be able to start searching out freelancers on sites like Upwork. Seeking out freelancers or a web development agency will help you with the set up of your website as well as the content side of things. Some agencies or freelancers will often have some suggestions or modifications to what your website should look like, but overall, that can be a bit more cost-effective. Hiring out freelance content writers will also help you save money overall. By hiring freelance writers, you will probably not have to pay as much as if you hired a writer on full time.
This will save you money in the long run. Seek out proposals for both freelance writers and website designers that will be able to help you at the beginning. However, do not feel like you need to commit to the first proposal that is sent your way. Consider three or four proposals at first, compare prices and experience levels, and then make your final decision.
3) Use Social Media To Gain Awareness
Never underestimate the power of Social Media. It is for much more than posting selfies and documenting latte art on your story. Companies all over the globe use Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and several other social media sites to help their websites gain awareness. Not only does it reach a wide net of people, and it is free to join. If you wanted to spend a little extra out of your budget to purchase ads through those sites, you can.
That certainly will boost your traffic, but by creating pages on social media you will be able to gain traffic without breaking the bank or pushing the boundaries of your budget. Set up an Instagram or Facebook page for your company or website, and then post about your upcoming website to gain awareness. You can also seek out freelance writers or website designers through social media as well, saving you time searching through other websites to find them.
4) Ignore the Flashy Features…For Now
Flashy features like special links or specialized photographs can be expensive. As you are beginning the process of starting your website, cut out and avoid any unnecessary flashy features. You can always go back and add these features later, but to save you money and give the website room to gain momentum.
After a few months, if your website has gained some traffic, you can connect with your website designer about adding some more features. But at the start, stay simple and stick to the budget.
5) Have A Specific Person as a “Go-To”
The beginning stages of any project can be messy, especially when it comes to websites and technology. Things will inevitably go wrong, and changes will have to be made. Don’t panic; this is normal and is to be expected. But when these things do happen, it is best to have a “go-to person” that can help fix the issues that arise.
Instead of hiring someone when the time comes or trying to find someone last minute, consider hiring someone on a monthly retainer or on a simple pay-as-you-go basis that can help with all the ins and outs of the website. That way, when issues do pop up, you will not be panning trying to solve them.
There are many ways to create a website on a budget. With these simple steps, you will be well on your way to having a functional and appealing website that will gain momentum and help your business flourish.
