Small Business Website - 5 Affordable Ways

A professionally designed website with the right features is a good starting point for any small business that wishes to succeed online and leverage the Internet to grow and expand the business.

But building a professional website is not always easy. There are several options to choose from and many challenges to overcome. E.g. custom made websites offer a great option but can be expensive and out of reach for many small businesses and start-ups. Similarly, website templates offer stunning designs at an affordable price, but templates often require technical experience and skills to modify and adapt to meet the needs of a business.

There are many ways for small businesses to build a website. Each approach has its pros and cons. This article identifies the most common ways to create your small business website and provides an insight into each.

Here are 5 most popular ways to create a small business website affordably:

1. Custom Made Website

Getting a bespoke small business website built by a professional Web Design Company is one of the most traditional and popular ways to create a website for your small business. There are no shortage or web design companies so finding the right company will be relatively easy. It is also one of the only options that guarantees face to face contact if needed.The design of your website is unique to your business and the site is built to your exact specifications.

However this is also the most expensive option which makes it out of reach for many small businesses. Moreover, it is common for budgets and time-scales to overshoot which can cause a drain on your budget if you fail to keep a tight control over the process.

2. Ready-Made Small Business Websites

Ready-Made websites have gained in popularity in recent years. Many small businesses prefer this option as this is one of the simplest and most cost effective ways to get a professional website.

These are fully functional websites that include the core pages and in some cases are even packed with many advanced features. Unlike website templates, you don't need to worry about extending or modifying the files to build your website. Some customization may be needed but they can be more or less used out of the box.

There are many options to choose from and the cost and quality varies significantly.

Our Pick:Ready-made Websites by SmallBusinessEcommerce.co.ukThey offer stunning websites including free logo, web-hosting, website content, and free installation for the price of a regular template.

3. Website Templates

Website templates are popular with a wide range of users including web designers and businesses. Good pre-built website templates can be very appealing to look at.

There is a lot of choice and you can find a design for any requirement. Established template websites such as Template Monster offer thousands of templates in many popular formats.But all templates are not ready-made websites. They contain an outer shell for creating your website. You will still need to extend your template, add content, create your website structure and add other functional features before you can launch your website. You may still need professional design knowledge to complete your website.

Our Pick:

Template monster.com Themeforest.net

4. Hire a Freelancer

Web design is a complicated field that requires specialist skills and experience. This is where a freelancer can help. A freelance web designer offers a viable alternative for creating a bespoke website for your small business without costing a fortune. However the cost can vary significantly from freelancer to freelancer. This may not be the most inexpensive way to create your website, but the costs will be far lower than a professional web design agency. It is very popular among small businesses.

5. Website Builder Services

Website builders are web-based services that allow the construction of websites without manual coding. It is a do-it-yourself service that you can use to create your website easily without knowledge of HTML. It is different to a standard website editing or authoring software like Dreamweaver. Unlike website authoring software, website builders are not installed on your desktop and are accessed online via the Internet.

You can choose from several pre-made website templates and use a wizard to create your website. When you sign-up to such a service, you are given access to a dashboard with a set of drag and drop tools that you can use to create your site.

Our Pick:

Wix

ConclusionThere are many ways small businesses can get a professional website for their business. Options range from getting a custom website built to using a template to build your site. I personally find ready-made websites to be one of the simplest ways to get a good website fast.

The Author K.Singh is Web Design Consultant for London based Web Design Company and the Editor-in-Chief of Internet Marketing & Web design Blog.