Look, it’s no secret that the economy is in the drain and times are tough.  We don’t believe that the cost of entry needs to be tens of thousands of dollars and nor should you.  So stop spending your hard-earned cash on fancy schmancy ad agencies and go the Web 2.0 route: Simple.  Clean.  Effective.  You’ll thank us later.

Web Development

There are many ways that web design and development firms go about building websites, but for simplicity, lets narrow it down to three main approaches:

1) Custom Web Development - They build it from scratch

Pro’s: You get exactly what you want (assuming that the web development firm listens well and documents your requirements.

Con’s: Rarely is a content management system included because they usually have too many limitations for custom web work.  Custom work is always pricey – think tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars.  Custom web work usually takes months (and sometimes years) to complete since there is almost always scope creep and requirements usually always end up disappearing when it comes close to crunch time.

2) Semi-custom Web Development – They usually start with some sort of framework and customize/tweak it to get as close as possible to your requirements.

Pro’s: For the most part, you can get real close to what you want as long as it’s within the confines and capabilities of the chosen framework or content management system.

Con’s: Since there is still some custom work to get done, the implementation is usually long and the cost is still fairly high, but much less than a custom implementation.  Sometimes you have to live without a few bells and whistles because the framework doesn’t support it and the development team doesn’t know enough about the framework to be able to build it themselves. Some frameworks or content management systems have a very boxy look and feel to them thus limiting your creative options.

3) Off-the-Shelf Web Development

Pro’s: This is usually the least expensive route and can save tons of time if you are willing to live within the limitations of an existing web framework or content management system like Wordpress.  Some companies find very few limitations but it depends entirely on the complexity you are looking for.  These sites can usually be implemented in days and get you up and running fast.  You can focus more on running your business than on managing your website because most content management systems take very little time to learn and can save hours of work.  There are hundreds, if not thousands, of design templates to choose from which greatly increase the speed at which the site can be implemented.

Con’s: You are usually limited to a templated design which may have been used by another company (but most good design firms can customize any template enough so that it is indistinguishable from the original design template).  You pretty much have to live with any functionality that is built into the framework but doesn’t suit your needs.

Web Sites on the Cheap

The path you choose depends heavily on your flexibility as a company and your desire to be unique.  For most entrepreneurs and small business owners, the need is to have an immediate website deployed on a web server so that they can begin building their business.  For others, the custom or semi-custom route might be the best way to go.

We work with both small and large businesses, each with their own unique needs and challenges.  In our experience, 75% of them are completely fine with a Off-the-shelf design approach and do just fine in the long haul.  It’s important that you know where you belong and instruct your web design firm to use the approach that is best for you and your budget.