Many website-building platforms entice new business owners by offering free or super low-cost web design. However, the hidden costs that come with free or barebones sites often make cheap web design services the smarter long term investment. Let's look at why.
Limited Customization Hinders Branding
Free website builders rely on pre-made templates that allow little customization beyond choosing stock colors, and fonts, and arranging basic page layouts. This results in a generic-looking site that does nothing to convey your unique brand identity and vision. A customized design by an affordable web designer ensures your website properly represents and builds trust with your target audience.
Clunky User Experience Deters Visitors
The rigid templates of free site builders create a clunky, disjointed user experience as you try jamming your content into an inflexible format. Navigational elements end up disorganized and layouts feel choppy or crowded. A cheap web designer optimizes user flow, layout, calls-to-action and other elements to create a smooth, seamless UX. This leads visitors to engage further and convert rather than bounce.
No Ongoing Support Means Major Headaches
Website problems will inevitably arise needing troubleshooting or repairs. Free website builders provide little to no customer support, leaving you powerless when issues occur. Cheap web designers act as a valuable ongoing resource, providing maintenance, updates, and fixes to keep your site running optimally. Having guaranteed support saves massive headaches.
Poor SEO Limits Site Visibility
Free templates often lack proper foundational elements for search engine optimization, like semantic HTML, optimized page architecture, metadata, etc. A cheap web designer bakes in best SEO practices so your site gets found by the right people. Increased quality traffic has an exponential impact on lead generation and sales.
Security and Backup Risks Threaten Operations
Basic free site builders may lack essential security protections like SSL certificates or site backups. A reputable yet affordable designer proactively safeguards your website from downtime losses, data breaches, hacks, and other catastrophic failures. Peace of mind is priceless for your business operations.
Restricted Scalability Hinders Growth
While free templates work for launching basic websites, they often limit abilities to add new pages, features, integrations and capabilities needed for business growth. A cheap web designer plans sites for flexibility, allowing you to easily expand with new pages, stores, apps and features over time.
While free web design may seem like you’re saving money upfront, the lack of branding, bad UX, lack of support, and limited scalability ultimately cost you in revenue and capabilities over the long haul. Investing in quality, custom-designed websites from cheap web design professionals pays off exponentially as your business grows.
