In today's digital world, having a website is crucial for establishing your business or brand online. However, website design and development can be a major expense, especially for new entrepreneurs and startups on a tight budget. This leads many to seek out cheap website packages that offer an affordable solution.

 

But cheap web design comes with risks and downsides if you don’t evaluate providers carefully. When assessing budget website deals, here are the key factors savvy buyers consider:

 

With mobile usage now dominant, your website must adapt to any screen size, whether desktop, tablet or smartphone. Cheap web designers may cut corners by not making sites responsive. Always check if responsiveness is included or test the site on different devices yourself. Lack of mobile optimization is a red flag.

 

Site speed has become a vital ranking factor for SEO and directly impacts user experience. Many cheap web designers ignore optimizing page speed, leading to slow load times. Use online tools like Pingdom or WebPageTest to measure actual speed metrics like time-to-interactive and page load time. Beware of cheap web design packages with speeds above 3 seconds.

 

A poorly designed, generic-looking site reflects poorly on your brand. Scrutinize sample site designs from any cheap web designer to ensure quality and uniqueness. Look for custom graphics, attention to typography, coherent branding, and visual polish. Don’t settle for cookie-cutter templates. The cheapest options usually look cheap.

 

Know exactly what’s included and not included in the website package. Cheap web design deals often carve out key features as add-ons that inflate your total costs. Make sure basics like contact forms, SEO optimization, security, and adequate site hosting are part of the core offering. Get all features, options, and limitations in writing.

 

It’s important to know what kind of ongoing support you’ll receive, especially with cheap web designers who may be slow to respond or charge exorbitant fees for fixes and changes. Probe details like response time, channels available, and policies for maintenance and upgrades. Lack of post-launch support should give you pause.

 

Cheap web design packages often limit revisions, so understand this policy upfront. Highly restrictive revision allowances force you to accept a site that may not fully meet your needs. Opt for plans with more flexibility for iterations and input, even if it costs slightly more.

 

Never compromise on security to go cheap. SSL certificates for data encryption and protection against cyber threats are non-negotiable, not a premium feature. Probe the cheap web designer’s security provisions and be prepared to pay for add-ons if needed. Your customer data is too valuable.

 

Vet any cheap web designer through reviews, client references, tenure in business, and the presence of an established company website. Beware of new freelancers offering rates that seem too good to be true. They likely lack expertise and stability. Favor-proven designers offer competitive but fair rates.

 

In summary, cheap web design can keep costs down, but only if you closely evaluate critical factors like design quality, features, responsiveness, and security. Leverage the above checklist when assessing budget website packages to get the best overall value. With diligent research, you can find high-caliber web designers capable of building an effective online presence for an affordable price. Just don’t automatically assume the cheapest option will suffice.