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$99.00 Websites? A Headache in The Making!!

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Posted 8th November 2009 at 11:35 AM by Jagged

They are all over the place. You see them on the Internet, on Craigslist, on eBay...they are in local classifieds, stuck to telephone poles or bus shelters....websites designed for $99.00.

I preach that local business needs to have a web presence. It is important, especially in today's stagnant economy to get the most bang for your marketing buck...and a well made, well managed website will do just that. But many local businesses are falling for a scam that's harming their business when they thinks it's doing them good. They fall prey to the $99.00 website!!

Lets look into these a little more...

$99.00 website generally DO NOT:
  • offer custom logo design (additional cost)
  • offer custom website design. most are "rehashed templates" (they tell you what your website will look like.....is that right?)
  • allow for search engine optimization (additional cost)
  • include any marketing features (additional cost)
  • include more than 3 pages. additional pages (and you will need more!!) are more money
  • include flash elements (additional cost)
  • include ecommerce (additional cost)
Take your average $99.00 website, read the fine print (it's always there) & you will see a list of items that are not included. By time you add on everything that you need to complete your website, it has run you hundreds if not thousands of dollars more. So why don't they just call it $1,000 website design? Because the $99 is a ploy to capture you, trapping you into a deal you do not need to be in.

And people wonder why website designers have such a bad rap. Legitimate designers have nothing to hide. Web design is a skill, many attend years of school & take course after course to stay on top of the ever changing Internet scene. Do plumbers work for $10-$15.00 an hour? Does your auto mechanic? Hell No! These are also skilled trades...A well trained web designer will make between $25.00 & $75.00 per hour. Depending on the type of website you are having designed, it can take days...weeks to properly design a complete website.

So at the basic $99.00 website....at $25.00 per hour...means it took only 4 hrs to build? Wow...do you really want to place your businesses reputation on something that was slapped together & mass produced? Ummm...NO!

Besides....lets do the math:

$99.00 for the basic website design. (This is what caught your eye & thought you were getting such a great deal.)
You plan out your website. You want the main page with a custom logo & flash header.
You want an about us page, a "policies" page, a contact us page, a F.A.Q. page, 10 product pages. OK.....lets get started.
Add the cost for a custom logo ($75.00)
Add the cost of a flash header ($500.00)
Add the cost of additional pages (15 total pages...the fine print allowed for 3...so that's 12 additional at $50.00 each ($600.00)
Add the cost of including an ecommerce shopping cart ($500.00)

As you now see...that $99.00 website just transformed into a $1,675.00 website. Now...you want your new website to be found in local searches....correct? Ummmm...that will cost you another $500.00 because the fine print did not include SEO. Are you proud of that "deal" you got? I didn't think so....

When TucsonMerchant.com quotes your website, we sit with you & go over what you want your website to be...what you want to accomplish & where you want your business to be in the future. We include everything needed to get your website there. No hidden charges, No coming to you later with a list of add-ons. We design complete websites. Websites that work! Websites that attract & retain new customers. Websites that make YOU money!

Bottom line...You get what you pay for....A cheap, under developed website will bring you headaches....A well designed, well managed website brings you customers! Which do you want for your business?
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