12 Jun 2018 18:40
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Buying a website for your UK based business
Nearly every business, organisation, club, school or company will use a website as their window on the world wide web. Wether or not you are an online company which does most of its business on the web or a traditional company. These days it seems everyone with a business needs a website.
Choosing a domain name
This is what you will be called and also your address on the web. For example Ebay.co.uk or www.dulux.co.uk. Although a lot of the more memorable domain names have already been claimed this doesn't mean that all is lost. Maybe 10 years ago domain names were very important and could help you rank well even if your website was not great. It was similar to the Yellow Pages, if anyone can remember that far back. There were always a lot of firms which started with the letter A so you would see them first. This had no bearing on the quality of the company and domain names used to be like this. Nowadays domain name is much less important. Though still relevant!
Choosing a Website Designer
Choosing who builds your UK website is one of the most important decisions you will make
This is probably the second most important item on your "to do" list after choosing a domain name. The things you are looking for in a website designer is the competency to build what you are asking for, good comms (its no good waiting 24 hours for an email response when your waiting to get online) and of course price.
Are you hosting and registering your website?
You will probably want your website designer to register your domain and host it too. After all they are experienced in which hosting companies provide good service, and those that are the pits! At Speedy Media we use Nethosted. They are UK based and run. We have used them for years and find they provide an excellent service.
What do you want your website to do?
This is probably what it all boils down to. There are a myriad of different functions that people want when they order a UK website. Some customers will want it to be a simple contact point, others will want a business website, what about ecommerce? You could want a directory, a real estate website, a personal blog, do you want video on it? Do you want people to be able to register an account with you? The list goes on.
We use the Wordpress content management system for our websites
Wordpress can make just about any type of website and yes that includes cat websites
Wordpress is very versatile
We use the extremely popular content management system called Wordpress. It started off as just a platform for bloggers but now powers about 30% of the websites out there today. These include the websites of major companies, take a look.
If you can think of a specific behaviour you want your UK website to perform then there is probably a wordpress plugin for that. Plugins are software downloads that make your website posses a certain capability such as a shopping cart or directory. Plugins are designed by wordpress coders all over the world.
Themes are also available and these give your website its look. Some themes are free but most of the better ones are paid for. In our opinion its well worth the money for the paid themes. These will make your site look professional and very pleasing to the eye. These are essential attributes if you want to keep those all important visitors to your site.
How much should you pay for your website
Cost of a UK website
Making a decent website is not rocket science but it does take experience. This is what you are paying for when you order a new website. In all honesty you could probably do it yourself if you are in any way technically minded. However its the time it takes to learn something new that causes the problem with this solution.
You just want to get your website online as quickly as possible and you will not have time (sometimes years) it takes to learn all the inns and outs of website construction. Its like getting a bricklayer to build a wall. You could probably do it yourself but do you have the time to learn and gain the experience. This is what drives up the cost of most websites.
At Speedy Media we do not surprise you with any hidden costs. The price we give you is what you pay. After the first year you will have hosting costs which is about £100 per year
What you can expect to pay for a UK website today
So here is what you would typically pay for a website plus hosting for the first year. (not from us though we are cheaper)
Basic Package
3 Design Revisions
5 Pages + Contact Us Page
WordPress CMS
Google Submission
£800
Standard Package
3 Design Revisions
15 Pages + Contact Us Page
WordPress CMS
Google Submission
£1400
Ultimate Package
4 Design Revisions
Up to 40 Pages + Contact Us Page
WordPress CMS
Google Submission
£2200
Comparison of the average price for a UK website versus our prices
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