5 reasons not to buy your website from a telegraph pole

Last week I was walking through Surry Hills when I saw a sign on a telegraph pole stating “Professional websites from $599” I won’t mention the name of the company but it I did look them up online. Their site was suspiciously average. I think the pole it was nailed too could have more design talent than they do.

But my aim isn’t to tear down people trying to make their way in a tough industry. It is to warn you against what may look like an easy answer but will inevitably end in disaster.

1. You get what you pay for. What you may think is a ‘professional’ web design will most likely differ from their opinion.
2. The sites are typical static HTML. Once it is built you’ll need your own technical knowledge to amend it or pay more money for simple changes you should be able to do through a content management system
3. The proprietors of these types of companies are usually from a basic development background and don’t have very advanced design skills – your site will look like it would have if it was built in 1998.
4. Beware of them charging you for: each page; the number of ‘hyperlinks’; ‘scanned images’; contact forms that go nowhere and especially ‘number of frames’. If any of these items come up you can be sure the designer’s last job was at ozemail 15 years ago.
5. Websites are important for your business or maybe it IS your business. You can’t cut corners and expect it to succeed. Invest in a website from a web design and development company that will be not only ‘professional’ but also robust, manageable, appealing, usable, expandable and properly coded.