As a business owner on a tight budget, it can be tempting to cut corners on your website design costs. However, skimping on certain essential elements in the name of affordability can end up doing more harm than good. There are key web design investments that deliver an outsized impact on your brand and should be prioritized, even when working with a cheap web designer.
Here are the website design features that are worth spending on, according to experts:
A Quality Website Template
The foundation of any good website starts with the underlying template and framework. A poorly coded template can lead to interoperability issues and make it hard to implement other features down the road. Investing in a professional, mobile-friendly template saves time and prevents headaches. A cheap web designer can still build an effective site on a quality template.
Powerful Page Speed Optimization
Page speed has a direct impact on user experience and SEO. If your website loads slowly, you will lose visitors and rank lower in search results. Optimizing images, minimizing HTTP requests, implementing caching, and using a CDN to serve assets faster are proven ways to accelerate page loads. While a cheap web designer can implement some speed optimization techniques, more advanced solutions are worth the cost.
Responsive Web Design
With mobile internet usage now exceeding desktop, a responsive design that dynamically adapts to different devices is no longer optional. Creating an optimal viewing experience on smartphones and tablets should be a top priority. Hiring a cheap web designer to make an existing site responsive or building a new site using responsive principles from the start both require financial investment that will pay dividends.
Effective Calls-to-Action
Calls-to-action spur visitors to engage further with your brand by signing up, buying products, or contacting you. CTAs should be prominently positioned and designed for maximum click-through rates. The placement and design of CTAs has a measurable impact on conversions. While a cheap web designer can help create basic CTAs, investing in optimization and A/B testing can escalate results.
Quality Custom Graphics
Unique, custom graphics like logos, icons, and images help your brand stand out with a polished, professional appearance. Stock photos and clipart look cheap and generic. Hiring a graphic designer to create custom graphics and illustrations is worth the expense for branding cohesion. However, a cheap web designer can still source quality stock imagery on a budget.
SSL Certificate for Security
An SSL certificate encrypts data and creates a secure connection between the server and browser. This is especially important if you collect sensitive user information. SSL certificates signal trust and improve SEO. While a cheap web designer can easily implement an SSL certificate, it does have an associated cost that is critical to invest in.
In summary, balancing cost and value in your website design involves focusing spending on elements that truly heighten usability and conversions. While working with a cheap web designer can keep costs low, investing in your template, speed, responsiveness, graphics, CTAs and security gives your brand the best chance to resonate with users and succeed online.
