Every reputable business should have a website.
A business without one risks missing out on new customers and business opportunities whilst also being left behind by their competitors.
When it comes to getting a website for your business, you ultimately have two choices:
- Pay for the entire design in full
Or
- Don’t pay anything for the design and then pay a higher monthly fee
You might think paying the higher monthly cost is the least favourable option, but it’s not as simple as that. Comparing a pay monthly website and a one-off cost website is like comparing apples and oranges.
They are different!
In this blog post, we will highlight the benefits of a pay monthly website and compare them to one-off cost websites so you can better understand what they are and which is right for you and your business.
What Is a One-off Cost Website
A normal website package involves the client paying upfront for the design of a website. Most design teams will ask for a deposit before starting work with the rest payable on completion.
The price will usually cover all design elements including pictures, fonts, and graphics.
The price will not include hosting, management, website security, website backups, etc. These will either have to be sourced by the client or paid to the web design company as part of a website hosting and management plan.
Once the website design is finished, the client will own all elements and can use the design freely as they please.
What Is a Pay Monthly Website
A pay monthly website is a website package that is usually bundled into a recurring monthly fee.
For example, our monthly website package includes hosting, management, website security, website backups, a domain name, and email access.
Unlike a one-off cost website, you don’t pay for the design of the website.
This keeps the initial cost down and allows businesses and individuals to get online quickly.
What Each Package Gives You
The major difference between a paid monthly deal and a one-off cost website is what you get included when you hire the website design team.
Of course, not all design teams will offer the same service, so we’ve based the below three considerations on how we work here at hellooodesign.
Easy Editing
There might be times when you need to make changes to your website.
This could include adding new images or changing text on certain pages.
With a pay monthly website, the monthly fee will include a management service and allow for you to request the design team to make content changes on your behalf.
You can always make the changes yourself too!
With a one-off cost website, you will be responsible for making any future edits yourself or hiring a team to do it on your behalf.
This can be quite scary if you don’t have experience and one wrong click could cause an error on your website.
Secure Hosting
A pay monthly website will include web hosting as a standard. At hellooodesign, we also include the SSL certificate.
If you decide to host your website yourself, you’ll have to research and find a hosting company you trust. This can be confusing and time-consuming.
Also, be careful when signing up for low-cost plans. Sometimes these can offer very poor performance and have a big jump in price after 12 months.
Full Ownership
When you pay for a website design upfront and in full, you own the copyright to that design.
With a pay monthly website, the copyright of the design will belong to the designer for a certain period of time.
This is to stop people walking away with a web design after only paying a month or so’s subscription.
So Which One Is Right for You?
Choosing between a pay monthly website and a one-off cost design will largely depend on your individual circumstances.
If you’re a new business or don’t have the funds to pay upfront, you might consider a pay monthly website to help you create an online presence as soon as possible.
That way, your hosting, website management, security, backups, etc. are all taken care of under one monthly payment. You work with one website team that covers everything.
If you have the initial budget to pay for the design upfront, you might prefer to do that and then decide how you will host and manage the website once ready to go live.
Remember, however, that websites are never finished and search engines are continually changing the way they decide how to rank websites.
This means your website will need to adapt and change to keep up.
You must make sure your website continues to look good and work the way it’s supposed to otherwise your visitors might get frustrated by how hard your website is to use.
A pay monthly website will include the management of the site and allow for future changes. It will offer the flexibility and ongoing support you might need as well as the low barrier to entry of not having to pay for the design upfront.
Are you considering a pay monthly website? Contact us today to see how we can help.
