Beyond Website Design: Why Ongoing Support Matters for Small Businesses
Beyond Website Design: Why Ongoing Support Matters for Small Businesses
You’re a small business owner and you’ve finally decided to take the plunge and get yourself a website. Perhaps you’ve been making do with a social media presence or relying solely on traditional marketing channels. Or perhaps you have an old website that’s in need of a refresh. Whatever your situation, you’re probably facing a steep learning curve and multiple options to consider – from do-it-yourself online website builders to hiring a freelance web designer to partnering with a web design company.
While it’s tempting to go for the cheapest or quickest solution, choosing a website solution based solely on the initial “design and development” price tag can be a costly mistake in the long run. As a small business owner, you need more than design and development services for a new website; you need a long-term, affordable, and sustainable support plan. Here’s why:
1. Websites are Dynamic, Not Static
Like you and your business, your website is a living, breathing entity. Your business changes and so should your website. Your website needs regular updates, security patches, and occasional troubleshooting. A do-it-yourself website builder might seem easy initially, but can you keep up with the technical demands as your business grows and technology evolves?
2. Your Time is Precious
You’re an entrepreneur, not a web developer. Wrestling with code, troubleshooting plugins, and remembering how to update your website can steal valuable time that you could be spending on your core business activities. A web agency for small business that provides ongoing support and maintenance can handle these tasks, freeing you to focus on what you do best.
3. Expertise Matters
A professional website design company that focuses on serving only small businesses like yours can bring a wealth of experience to the table. Choose a partner who serves small business owners and supports a large client base.
4. Support When You Need It
What happens when your website crashes or gets hacked and you need to restore a recent backup version? Or when you need to add a new feature or integrate with a third-party service? With a reliable website design company by your side, you have access to ongoing support and maintenance, ensuring your website stays up-to-date, secure, and functional.
Comparing Your Options
- Do-It-Yourself Website Builders: Great for getting started on a shoestring budget, but often limited in functionality and design flexibility. Long-term support can be questionable. Ultimately, you do not “own” your website as it is typically tied to the platform.
- Freelance Web Designers: Can offer more customized solutions, but finding a reliable freelancer with ongoing availability can be challenging. Support might be limited depending on the freelancer’s workload or long-term availability.
- Web Agency: Offers a comprehensive solution with expertise in design, development, and ongoing support. Look for a web agency that specializes in working with small businesses and understands your unique needs.
The Bottom Line
Investing in a long-term partnership with a web agency that exclusively caters to small business owners can significantly contribute to your business’s online success. Selecting a company that offers affordable and sustainable support ensures that your website will remain a valuable asset for years. Prioritize choosing a provider with a proven track record of serving numerous successful clients who have needs that are similar to your own. Their expertise and experience can be invaluable in driving your online growth.
Simple Website Service
Simple Website Service is an affordable, turn-key, custom professional website service for small business owners. Our website design solution comes with full ongoing support for updates, maintenance, security and backup. Our customers speak with a REAL person. With over 100 customers, our singular focus allows us to keep costs down for our customers. Small business websites are ALL we do. For over 17 years, we’ve listened to our customers – small business owners who need help creating professional websites that truly represent their brand. But, traditional options are expensive and time consuming while templated do-it-yourself solutions fail to capture the essence of what makes their businesses unique. That’s why we created Simple Website Service for small business owners who don’t have the time to wade through the complexities of a web project.