Given the economic times (I think every other sentence I hear on the news starts this way), businesses are searching for the most cost effective alternatives out there. And rightly so! But one thing I have found is that the cheapest alternative is not necessarily the one that will save you the most money.
For example, if your business is looking for a new website, Internet marketing and SEO, you could look around a get a couple proposals. Say the first is from a reputable, local company that is on the high end of the spectrum. The second company is a bargain design shop that produces higher volume at lower prices (i.e. Nordstrom's vs. Walmart). I assume that both companies make money, or they would not be in business.
So what are you paying for with the "Nordstrom's web design shop? Here's a list:
- Planning, strategy, execution
- Attention to detail
- Customer service
- Website performance
- Look, feel, and functionality
- Experience
- Personal attention and response
- Less of your time devoted to the project
- Site analysis to be sure it performs optimally for the customer
That said, Walmart has it's place in this world. When you go for the high volume shop, you will likely get less of everything mentioned above. You also pay less money. But the money you save up front could cost you in the long run. Here are examples of how this can happen:
- Your site cannot be found online through search engines
- Your site cannot be found through relevant keywords
- Your customers cannot easily find pertinent information (what does this company do, how do I contact them, where do I buy, etc.)
- You target keywords with Internet marketing that do not produce sales (Therefore you pay for traffic but the quality is poor)
- Analytics do not drive your decisions and you have no idea if your marketing is working or not or what needs to be fixed
- You spend company time trying to become an expert in web development and marketing
So it is really a give and take when it comes to picking a web development/online marketing firm. You have to assess your level of competence and how much time you want to invest to get good web traffic. Can you put up with little hiccups in your site performance (downtime, lack of research, no customer funnels, poor landing pages, etc.) or does every potential customer count. Also, look at the return on your investment. For some situations, analyzing and researching everything is overkill. At any rate, having a web partner to help you and give good advice will always pay dividends down the line.
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