You get what you pay for with websites!
You get your money’s worth isn’t exactly a new revelation, but it is true.
When running a small business, you do need to be careful and thoughtful with every investment. Every expense should be carefully considered for both the results it can help achieve and the future costs it can help you avoid.
Your website is no different!
Since your website is the digital home for your business, figuring out the return on that investment will be key to your business’s success.
So, without further delay, let’s dive into the mindset you’ll need to adapt as you evaluate your website as an investment.
Quality does come at a cost, and saving a buck isn’t always the way to go
Especially when it comes to something as important as your online storefront a.k.a. your website!
But let’s take a more real-world example, just to prove the point.
Back in the day, we bought my son a cute Ikea crib when he as a few months old and for the first 2ish years he loved it.
But then he started systematically chewing away (and maybe eating??) a pretty impressive chunk of the wood on one side of his bed.
Think I'm exaggerating? Check out what my little beaver's been up to!!
Note the masses of tape, and yes, that's a garden hose stuck to the bed in a desperate attempt to keep him from chewing away at the wood... but all to no avail 🙄
I knew, when we bought this budget Ikea bed, that we weren't paying for quality. It's lightweight, a little wobbly, and made out of wood chips - so it’s not solid wood. And for a time, it was perfect.
But this bed just isn't going to work for my little guy anymore!
So recently, we dropped 4x the price of his old crib on a brand new bed...and I was THRILLED to spend that money!
Sure, it felt a little extravagant shelling out the price of our queen-sized bed for a toddler, but the relief of having somewhere safe for him to sleep, that will hopefully withstand his razor-sharp teeth, was more than worth it to us.
The quality of the wood and the construction of his new bed is miles away from the old fiberboard crib. The quality of that product is evident.
But we were also investing in a small Mum (or Mom for my American / Canadian friends) owned business. And I felt really good knowing that our purchase was also contributing to her business. and her family rather than a huge corporation.
There is a time to be cheap, but if you want to set yourself for long-term success you’ll need to make long-term investments
While your budget, DIYed website might be just fine when you're starting off, there comes a time when you need something more robust to support your growing business. I wrote a whole article about when it’s the right time to DIY your website vs hiring a pro web designer if you’re curious.
You'll want to streamline your systems and make the most out of your marketing efforts. You'll want to make sure you're drawing the right people to you and converting those people into customers.
And you'll want to make sure to partner with the right expert to make sure it's done right so you don't waste more time and money down the line doing again! You’ll likely want to feel a sense of connection with this person who is creating your online home and trust that your business is in good hands. And as I’m sure you know, good service comes at a cost.
Now, I hear you saying "Michelle, I don't have thousands lying around to fix my website!"
And I get it!
Custom websites can be expensive, and honestly, for a lot of service providers, they aren't really necessary. You don’t usually need complicated systems and functionality. And actually, it would be really helpful to know how it actually works once it’s done…
That’s where Work Your Website comes in!
Follow this step-by-step framework to turn the website you have into the hard-working sales & marketing asset your small business deserves! Designed specifically for the enthusiastic DIYer entrepreneur, you’ll be taking your fortune into your own hands by redesigning & optimizing your website so it effortlessly connects with - and converts - your perfect-fit people.
And since it’s no small feat to pull off a website design or redesign project, you’ll also have an opportunity to get personalized feedback on your website directly from me!
