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Choosing the Right Small Business Website Design Package For Your Needs
As a small business owner, creating a website is one of the most important steps in growing your business online. The look and functionality of your website can make or break your online presence, so it’s crucial to choose the right website design package. The options can seem overwhelming, but don’t worry – we’re here to help you navigate through the choices so you can find the right package for you.
Choosing the correct package is essential for the successful development of an efficient and competent website. One that meets your business requirements while fitting within your budget.
In this blog post, we’ll look at some of the crucial factors to consider when selecting a small business website design package that fits your needs.
Understand Your Requirements
When it comes to choosing a small business website design package, it is essential to have a clear sense of your requirements and goals in order to make the best decision. Before making your selection, consider the number of pages you will need, the type of content that you want to include, and if e-commerce functionality should be included.
Your website should be designed to meet your unique business goals, so it’s important to take the time to think about how you want your site to look and function. Matching these against a website design package is not always easy. However with insights here you will gain a better understanding and choose the right package for your business.
Once you have a better understanding of what you need from a design package, you can explore the various options available and determine which one best fits your needs. With the right website design package, you can be sure that you will have a website that not only looks great but also meets all of your business objectives.
Here are the guidelines of what a small business website will need initially when finding the right package:
- Feature-rich value driven website package
- Simple clear uncluttered design and navigation
- Intuitive content management system
- Mobile responsive to fit any screen size
- Future-proof in terms of scalability and additional functionality
- Reusable page template design for future content creation
- SEO optimised for better results in the search engines
- Ecommerce compatibility and payment gateways
- Performance and speed optimised
- Some website hosting included initially will save money
- Ongoing support after website launch from designer
- Website maintenance with the web design agency
ask the right questions
It’s important to ask the right questions so you can find the right website package for your small business. An effective website can have a huge impact on your business and its ability to reach customers. To make sure you’re informed and ready to choose the best package, here are some key FAQs you should be asking:
- Is the website future-proof and how?
- Will I be able to easily edit?
- Do you provide training and support if needed?
- Will the website be SEO-friendly?
- Will the website be mobile-friendly?
- Are there any additional expenses outside of the package?
- Does the package include hosting?
- Is an SSL certificate included?
- Will the website be fast?
- Are there options for website maintenance?
Asking for examples of work pertaining to the website package design as a portfolio section may not be reflective of the actual website you may get if going the website package route.
Website design packages are typically all-inclusive, meaning they include everything you need to get your website up and running. This includes hosting, domain registration, site-building tools, content creation services, and even optimisation services.
Comparing the various package types & pricing
Website design packages come in many formats and options. For example, a web agency can segment packages into base, mid-range and pro version. Packages can also be segmented into a starter website starter package, e-commerce and a fully branded website package that covers the first two options typically.
Website design package types:
- Fixed price based on page volume
- Fixed price based on features
- Fixed price based for ecommerce and non ecommerce options
*Typical average pricing examples of WordPress website packages based on page volume with fixed pricing.
Small | Medium | Large |
|---|---|---|
500 euro | 900 euro | 1500 euro |
1-6 pages | 1-10 pages | 1-16 pages |
Cutting through the fluff
It’s important to realise that some packages have long lists which to the uninformed customer may be perceived as high value. However its important to understand some of the more frequent items listed and what they entail. Here are some examples that you can ask for more clarity on when you see these in a website design package.
- Social media
- Mobile responsive
- Stock images
- Contact form
- Page volume
Social media integration ( this can be a simple link, social share buttons or social feed. Its important to get clarification on this.
Mobile responsive ( by default all WordPress website are responsive. The key aspect here is having a responsive website that is clear and uncluttered with intuitive navigation, ask for examples of work relating to a package.)
Stock photography included ( this does not mean that the images will be appropriate or high quality being offered n a package. it’s good to see examples of the type being used. If limitations are being applied then this could limit your websites visual impact. There are many free high quality image resources that produce a more realistic and less staged or cheesy type of imagery than stock photo sites typically can be associated with. Examples of good free unlimited image banks are Unsplash and Pexels. Rawpixel offers free and paid versions. Stocky is a good example of a stock photo website that has high-quality stock imagery at affordable prices.
Contact form make sure it’s flexible that can offer features such as date, time, radio buttons, check boxes, and anti-spam. Payment options after filling out a form or other actions such as diverting to a specific page are good indicators of a robust flexible contact form system.
Page volume page quantity typically should not count privacy pages, policy pages and any GDPR-related pages. Typically with page volume the inference here is that these are pages that will be worked on from a design perspective. Ask for clarification on post pages which are different from page creation. Most websites should have a post page template setup by the design agency that can be reused for marketing and publishing any news-related content.
Look For A Feature-rich value driven website package
One of the main advantages of website design packages is their affordability. Many of these packages are much less expensive than hiring a web designer or developing a site from scratch. This makes them ideal for small businesses that lack the budget to invest in a full-fledged website.
Budgeting is essential in all aspects of business. You don’t want to overspend on a website package that offers too many features you don’t need or choose a package that limits the growth of the business.
Be realistic about what you can afford and select the package that offers the best value for your money. Having your website come feature-rich without overpaying is key here. Some good examples of feature-rich plugins that can easily be installed on a website are:
- Elementor ( good for editing and full of features )
- Rank Math ( SEO friendly optimisation of page content )
- Website hosting ( website hosting adds value and savings )
- Reusable page templates for easy page creation and consistency
- Flexible custom forms
- Woocommerce compatibility and taking of online payments
- Look for 24/7 and after launch website maintenance if needed
Simple clear uncluttered design and navigation
A simple, clear and uncluttered design and navigation structure is essential for a successful website. By removing any unnecessary elements and focusing on the most important information, it makes it easy for users to quickly find what they need.
Not only does this create a more pleasant user experience, but it can also help increase the amount of time visitors spend on the website and increase the number of returning users.
Furthermore, a simple and uncluttered design is more likely to be effective in driving conversions and sales as it allows visitors to focus on what matters most without any distractions. Ultimately, a simple uncluttered design and navigation structure helps to create an enjoyable user experience, drive conversions and increase website traffic.
It is not always easy to ascertain from a website package if your website design will ultimately get the right design your business needs however these simple guidelines do go a long way to giving you the right insights. Ask for helpful website examples as these may not always be presented in a website design package.
How to know which companies are producing good website design?
Good website design can be difficult to spot if you’re not familiar with the basics, but there are some key features of a well-designed site that are easy to spot.
First, look for sites that have clean, clutter free pages. White space is your friend when it comes to website design; having plenty of white space can make the page easier to read and navigate.
Second, check for consistent typography across all webpages. If a company has designed their website using multiple typefaces, it can make the page look unprofessional and disorganised. One thing you don’t want to see is a 90’s type website with most text and disorganised elements cluttered on their home page.
Finally, be sure to check for user-friendly navigation. If a website isn’t organised in an intuitive way where users can easily find the information they need, they won’t stay on the site long.
By keeping these key elements of website design in mind, it’s easy to spot which companies are producing good websites. With the right design, a company can make the most of their website and ensure that potential customers have a positive experience when they visit.
Look for a good CMS visual editor in a website design package
When it comes to website design, one of the most important considerations is how easy it is to make changes and updates. Today, Content Management Systems (CMS) are becoming increasingly popular as they provide an intuitive way for non-technical users to manage their website. One of the best CMS visual editors available on the market today is Elementor.
Elementor is a powerful and user-friendly visual editor that enables page editing to be quick and easy. It works with the popular WordPress platform.
A new addition is block theme editing from WordPress. Block themes are a revolutionary way to design WordPress sites, giving users unprecedented control over every aspect of their website. First introduced in version 5.9, block themes take advantage of the new site editor feature to provide a seamless editing experience. With block themes, you can customize your site quickly and easily without having to code or install additional plugins.
Look for Website Design package that includes an SEO tool suitable for small business
Search engine optimisation (SEO) is the art of optimising your website to rank higher in search engine results pages (SERPs). A website design package that includes SEO-friendly features can save you a lot of time and effort down the line. Look for packages that include features like meta tags, schema, page descriptions, and alt tags.
Rank Math is a very good example and takes care optimising a website to be SEO friendly an experienced developer can set this up initially and optimise any existing website content.
Rank Math is a great tool for automating these processes, so if you can find a package that includes it then you’re sure to get the most out of your SEO efforts. Investing in an SEO-friendly web design package will ensure that your website is optimised for success.
Yoast is another good SEO plugin to consider for optimising website content to be search engine friendly.
A website Package Must Include mobile-friendly design
A mobile-friendly design is essential for any website, and is typically included in most website design packages. Responsive layouts adapt for display no matter what size device the user is viewing it from. A responsive design allows content to be automatically adjusted to fit any display, ensuring that users can access all of your information without having to scroll or zoom in and out.
This also helps boost SEO performance since search engines prioritise sites that offer a better user experience, as well as allowing your website to reach more people since it can be viewed on any device. With a mobile-friendly design, you can make sure that no matter what size device the user is viewing your site from, they will have an optimal experience.
Packages that include website hosting
When it comes convenience and savings a website package that includes hosting for your website can increase the overall value and save on additional expenditure.
Hosting options included in a website design package can be an ideal solution for businesses and organisations because of the convenience of everything being all in one place. In most case increasing cost-effective hosting as well.
One type of hosting which is fast becoming available for small business is Cloud managed hosting. Cloud website hosting offers several advantages over traditional web hosting solutions. For starters, cloud hosting is much better on performance and speed. Its also highly reliable and secure. With traditional web hosting solutions, if a single server fails or experiences downtime, the entire website may be down as a result. However, with cloud hosting, multiple servers are used to host the same website, so if one goes down, the other can take its place without interrupting service.
Cloud hosting also offers scalability and cost-effectiveness. When using a traditional web host, businesses have to purchase additional hardware or software whenever they need more power or storage space. With managed cloud hosting, small businesses can now gain from all the benefits provided by this type of hosting. Previously small businesses did not have access to this type of resource due to the technical nature and cost of setting up. However with managed cloud website hosting this is now more accessible for smes.
Advantages Of Hosting Your Website In The Cloud
Article – read more >
When website performance optimisation is included
Website performance and speed is an important factor for website success. Improving the performance of a website can lead to improved user experience and increased customer satisfaction. To achieve this, it is necessary to have a good hosting solution in place. Cloud hosting provides this by default.
Cloud hosting can help dramatically reduce page loading times and ensure that your site always remains fast. However, the performance of your site will also depend on other factors such as the quality of your code, the images being used, and how well your website is optimised for speed.
Speed optimisation is an important part of website performance and should be a priority in any website package. Taking the time to find a package that includes speed optimisation of your site can have a huge impact on user experience and conversions, so it’s important to get it included if possible at the start. Here are some of the things developers use to improve website speed:
- Use caching to reduce server calls and loading time
- Compress images and video files properly to reduce the file size
- Minify HTML, CSS, and JavaScript code to improve performance
- Enable gzip compression on your server for faster delivery of content
- Reduce redirects so that pages open quickly
- Take advantage of browser caching to reduce page load time
- Cloud synced optimisation software
By choosing a website package that includes performance enhancement, you can ensure that your website is running at peak performance and delivering an excellent user experience. This in turn will lead to improved customer satisfaction and increased conversions. So if you’re looking for to find a website hosting package with performance features start with these tips and make sure you get the right solution.
Ongoing support and maintenance after website launch
When it comes to choosing the right small business website design package, customer support should be at the top of your list. After all, without good customer support, you could run into major issues with your website. The good news is that most packages today offer responsive support, though not all are created equal.
For starters, you should look for packages that offer support via live chat or phone. This allows you to get quick answers to your questions and help with any issues you may run into. Additionally, check reviews from other customers who have purchased the same package to see how well their customer service experience was. If a package consistently has bad reviews in this regard, it’s best to avoid it.
Good customer support is essential for any website design package, so make sure you do your due diligence before making a purchase. Doing so can save you time, money, and stress in the long run. Choosing the right small business website design package can be a daunting task, but with a bit of research and perseverance, you can make the best decision for your business.
With a reliable web design package and good customer service, you have all the tools needed to build your small business website into something great. Make sure to take your time and do enough research before making a purchase so that you don’t end up with any surprises down the line. Good luck!
