Tips When Shopping For Cheap Web Design

Shopping for cheap web design can be a little frustrating.  If you want a quality website, it can be even more frustrating. Many times you may feel like a victim of the old fashioned “bait and switch”.

Here is one scenario. You find a web design company offering cheap web design and call them only to find out that the website you need does not fall into the “cheap” category.

Another scenario you will run into is when none of the cool website design examples in their portfolio are the “cheap” ones. Here are some tips to follow when shopping for cheap web design.

Don’t expect to get a whole lot for nothing

If you are only looking to spend a couple hundred bucks on a website, don’t expect a web designer to build you a 50 page website. You may be able to get the neighbor’s kid to build you one for that kind of money but this article is about finding a professional web designer to build one for you. Most of the legit cheap web designers out there charge around $100 per page so if your budget is $300 then you can probably find a professional web designer to build you a 3-5 page website for that much money. Video, Flash and heavy graphic design are probably out of the question.

Be prepared to do some of the work yourself

If your budget is limited prepare to do some of the work yourself. The more work you put into it the less money you should have to spend on having a professional do it for you. Web designers are like lawyers, you pay for their time. If you ask them to find photos, write your copy and build your website you’re going to pay more for it. If you only have them build your site, then you’ll pay less.

Purchase a website that you can easily add pages to and update yourself

If you get a website with a CMS (Content Management System) then you don’t have to pay a web designer to build your pages for you. That’s right, all you need to pay them for is to build the thing and that’s it. You can then add in all the pages you need without having to pay. This is usually the cheapest way to get a professional looking website. Just make sure that the learning curve of the management system isn’t too steep. Some good examples of these types of websites are the Cheap Ass Website and Quik Site systems.

A secure ecommerce shopping cart is out of the question

You are not, I repeat, are not going to find a professional web designer to build you a secure ecommerce shopping cart for a couple hundred dollars. You might be able to find someone to build you a cheap website that you can add PayPal buttons to but a top of the line shopping cart is out of the question. One thing you don’t want be cheap with is ecommerce, especially if you plan on taking credit cards over the Internet. You are liable if those credit card numbers get stolen from your website so save up and do it right.

In conclusion, make sure you shop around and get 3 to 5 quotes when shopping for cheap web design. Professional cheap web design is out there, you just have to look for it.