In short – yes! Did you know it takes 50 milliseconds for a user to create an opinion about your brand from your website?
Spending (or investing) money in your website is definitely worth it if you want to build a strong online presence and grow your business. When you spend money on your site, you can make a huge difference in how users experience it and find out about your company. For instance, spending money on good hosting and website performance means your site loads better, keeping visitors happy and reducing bounce rates. A well-designed website makes it easy for visitors to find what they're looking for, and if your site works well on phones and tablets and is responsive, that's a huge plus, because so many people browse on their mobiles nowadays.
A professional website design helps build your brand and sets you apart from the competition. Custom graphics and a consistent look across your site make you look more credible. Spending on premium plug-ins and custom development can also make your site work better and offer more features. This makes the user experience smoother and more enjoyable.
Premium analytics tools can also give you detailed insights into how users behave on your site and how effective your marketing is, so you can tweak your strategies for better results.
Spending money on your company website is always a smart move. It leads to a better user experience, higher search engine rankings, more engaging content, stronger branding, better functionality and improved brand exposure. All these benefits can lead to more traffic, higher levels of customer retention and increased conversions.
Don't be cheap: why you should spend money on your website
The best advice we can give to any business owner or start-up is not to scrimp when it comes to building your website. Making saving money the main priority can lead to problems with loading times, user experience, SEO, brand image and more.
Here are some of the most common problems we see from clients who have previously built websites too cheaply.
Slow loading times and performance
A slow-loading website can frustrate visitors, leading to higher bounce rates and lost revenue. Investing in reliable hosting and performance optimisation is crucial. If you don't make this a focus, it can impact on user experience and conversion rates. Increased bounce rates, lower SEO rankings and reduced conversion rates are common consequences. Slower page load times correlate with higher bounce rates (especially for mobile users). Google also uses site speed as a ranking factor. Faster load times will improve conversion rates.
Cheap hosting
Bargain website hosting might seem like a great deal, but choosing the cheapest web hosting often leads to slow performance. Budget hosting may be a good option for hobby projects, but serious business websites need faster, more reliable hosting. Investing in quality hosting is a small price for significantly better performance and greater revenue potential.
A lack of SEO
Scrimping on SEO tools and strategies can mean that your site doesn't attract enough visitors from organic search. Without proper keyword research and competitor analysis, your website may struggle to rank well on search engines like Google, which will limit the number of visitors you get to your site. Investing in paid advertising on platforms like Facebook and Instagram can also boost your website's traffic and aid long-term SEO efforts.
Poor quality and cheap copy/content
Poorly-written content can drive visitors away and prevent them from engaging with your brand. Investing in a quality and professional copywriter can ensure that engaging content keeps visitors on your site and attracts backlinks. Choose a cheap content mill that'll only charge £10 for an article... and let's put it this way, you'll get what you pay for.
Budget website design
A poorly designed, cheap website can damage your brand and provide a negative user experience. Settling for free themes, or a site that only costs £100, or avoiding more bespoke customisation due to cost can make your site hard to navigate and less visually appealing. It also looks less professional.
Your website is like your digital business card – if it doesn't look slick and polished, will customers really want to spend their money with you? Free themes might not always meet all your needs. Premium Webflow themes or custom development can enhance your site's functionality and usability. Ignoring these aspects to save money can result in a subpar website that frustrates users and diminishes your brand's image.
Inadequate plug-in functionality
Using free plug-ins that won’t fully meet your needs can lead to a disjointed and inefficient website. Sometimes, investing in premium plug-ins can give your site better functionality and performance. Premium plug-ins often provide more comprehensive solutions and better performance, justifying their cost through enhanced functionality and user experience.
