Where does your web budget come from?
When planning their financial expenditure, many companies tend to stick any plans they have for establishing or expanding their web presence under “marketing”. This makes a certain kind of sense as it often relates to branding activities and ties in with media and advertising. Unfortunately it isn’t always the correct place to be allocating funds for web development as your site may need to do a lot more than just be an online commercial.
Well planned and executed websites will have a clear set of goals in mind for both the business behind them and for the intended users of the site. This means that often a good website is trying to offer a lot more than just a bit of information about the company. This is especially true when building an online presence with a long-term view to become a significant part of the online community.
When a website needs to do more, it makes sense that it needs to be costed accordingly. If you’re expecting your site to help build your business, then it may be time to treat it as capital expenditure and invest accordingly.
Of course, making sure that you have a measurable return on investment is essential if you’re going to beef up your budget. It’s not a decision to make lightly, but it’s worth considering because sometimes underinvesting will be more costly in the long run.
