Sometimes having a website built ‘on the cheap’ or free is the only sensible option. If you’re running a small club, just trying out a business idea for the first time or need a place to publish articles about your hobby, these options are great for testing purposes. It’s when your online presence is a key part of your business plans that problems arise.
Seeing that I’ve always had the option to build my own affiliate websites any which way I please with no fear of criticism from peers or clients, whether it’s using one of the widely advertised “free” systems (tip: look for the hidden extras or see how much 3 years running costs will set you back), or just purchasing a template.
Why do I always choose to come back to hand coding sites from scratch even though it takes more effort?
Short answer ….. This is what has always brought me the results. What’s the point of getting a site built ‘on the cheap’ if it’s not going to perform or leaves me having to double up my marketing efforts?
As an affiliate, I’m always looking for the best way to build a website that performs. Only problem is choosing the free and cheap route, there is always one inherent issue limiting my chances of success.
These services and products need to cater for everyone to sell to the masses!
Lets say the hair salon wants a side navigation menu, and the local mechanic wants it on top. There’s extra code just to handle this seemingly small request of which there are almost certainly many more, ultimately dragging down the site load times, losing you impatient visitors or even worse, affecting your search rankings.
Would an F1 driver want to drive a car that suited everyone? Definitely not!
- Out goes the stereo and speakers
- Out goes the air con system
- Bye bye cigarette lighter
- Don’t need the extra passenger seats
- No need for a glove box
- Now there’s no need for the car chassis to be so large, shrink that
- Less weight, more performance
So why should your business website resemble an everyday run about when you want it to be a performance machine?
Ready for the worst part?
Building ‘on the cheap’ will almost certainly mean you are still going to need to put in the work to create the site! Expecting it to perform as well as something built by a professional.
I know you’re probably thinking I’m so biased writing all of this and you’re totally right! These are solely my opinions but these views come from personal experience that at the time of writing spans 17 years of building websites.
All I can say is if you’re looking around and I’m not your first choice as a web designer, please try to choose another reputable company. If you are serious about your business it really is worth the investment to get the job done properly.