Should You Go with the Cheapest Web Design and Hosting Providers?

First, in order to measure the effectiveness of your website when it comes to website design and hosting, you should know about the two types of audiences who go through your website regularly. One group is people, the second group – are search engines’ spiders. These two audiences have different expectations and they read your website differently. You will want to understand them better prior to designing your website, and choosing a web hosting service. Your careful research will save you lots of time, money, and headaches down the road. Let’s explore your audiences a bit more.

People: When people visit websites, they consciously and unconsciously observe three basic things: the website’s loading speed, its appearance, and its performance (the effectiveness of its function and communication). Because people’s attention spans are fairly short online, if your site doesn’t make a good first impression and communicate effectively within the first 60 seconds; those visitors will leave and might never come back. This will damage your business’s reputation over time.

Today people expect every business to have a website. If your website looks professional and performs well, you will gain more credibility online. People will see that you take your business seriously, which naturally implies that you take your customer service seriously as well. Having a web design company that knows website design, as well as business, can help you create a website that will communicate with your customers effectively.

With expertise in website design, internet marketing and business, your provider can custom design a professional website that is uniquely tailored to your business and your customers’ needs. This will help you to convert new visitors into customers more often.  Avoid wasting your money and time on a cheap templates website that is not fully designed to your business and needs.

Search Engines’ Spiders: To find providers similar to your business online, people often use search engines like Google.com and Bing.com. Therefore, from the beginning you should have your website built and optimized well for search engines’ spiders, so they can effectively crawl (or scan) your website content, Meta tags, and descriptions. This is how spiders learn about your website and how they index your business under specific categories so that specific end users (searchers) will find you when they search. It is very important to find a web design company that is also knowledgeable about Search Engine Optimization (SEO).

Second, there are many web hosting providers out there offering all kinds of prices; from $3/month to $150/month and more. Before you choose a cheap web hosting provider, you’ll want to find out the answers to these questions first:

  1. Why is that web hosting so cheap compared to others?
  2. How would my website perform under that host? How fast will my website load during high-traffic hours?
  3. What kind of security firewall(s) does this web host offer compared to other, more expensive ones?
  4. How fast of a response will I get from tech support if my website is hacked, or down for some reason?

As small business owners, these are important questions to consider prior to select a web hosting company. Try not to let price be the only criteria you use when choosing a web design and hosting provider, because you may get what you paid for, which may hurt your business more than help it.

If you find this article helpful, please share it with others so they can also avoid the common mistakes many others have made. Thank you!

Related Posts

Though you might be hesitant to redirect your business’ marketing budget towards online endeavors, we’ve compiled a list of five reasons why investing in online marketing will benefit your business. Convenience: Channeling your business resources towards a professional website creates a convenient experience for you and customer alike. Materials that are accessible online means your […]

Today, consumers access the Internet more often than ever before, either through their smartphones, smart-pads, or computers. And here are three market trends that contribute to this behavior among the consumers: Free public Wi-Fi networks, more affordable laptop/desktop computers, and a growing usage and demand for mobile devices and apps. These market trends make it […]

  First, you need to make sure the provider you choose has a legitimate business. Be sure they have been properly organized as a recognized business entity (LLC, Inc., etc.). This will help you filter out the disreputable companies that prey on customers with attractive offers that sound tempting but usually lack the quality and […]

Today, when consumers want to make a purchase, they don’t just head to a store – most people first use their digital devices (desktops, laptops, tablets, and smartphones) to search for merchants and get the information they need to make a smart purchase. Customers compare prices, service offers, reviews online before making final decisions and […]

As a business owner, you may think that simply having a website for your business will be enough to keep up with the competition. However, there are many additional steps you can take that will improve your customer’s experience with your site, which in turn, helps boost your business’ communication and performance. A great way […]

The answer to this question is what most people would like to know (and should ask for) when selecting a provider for their website design. However, many clients often state their wants differently and assume they will receive what they really needed. Here are some questions people ask: “I want a simple website. How much […]

Typically, there are three types of websites most often encountered online: Informational websites, Blog websites, and E-Commerce websites. In this article, we will provide recommendations to steer you in the right direction and point out the features you should have for each of these websites. Our goal here is to dive deeper to selectively show […]

First, you want to make sure your website is user-friendly to viewers on all devices; from desktops to laptops and from tablets to smartphones. This means your website design should be mobile responsive. Today, your potential customers are more likely to discover your website on their desktop or laptop, and then later revisit your website […]

1. A professionally designed website will help express your business’ individuality. When businesses attempt to create a website for their organization by themselves, they often tend to choose from a selection of pre-designed templates. These templates, while functional, can be used by countless other businesses as well, causing customers to see your site as “one […]

1. Freelance copywriting: This is one of the most popular home-based businesses nowadays. If you have a communications or English degree and want to run your own show instead of working for a newspaper or publishing agency; being a freelance copy writer may be a great path for you. The cost required to setup this […]