Web Design Companies

Hi OZ bargainers,
I am looking at revamping my website. Considering starting from scratch.

http://www.splashandburn.com.au/

Did consider Wix.com or squarespace, but not sure if best option. Possibly just get one build using wordpress.
So far, had quotes from $400 to $3300.
Any past experiences and recommendations.

Comments

  • +13

    Oh that is a difficult one. What are you looking for in particular?

    Disclosure: I professionally develop websites and landing pages for advertising. You'll get a better idea of pricing and timeframes if you have a list of requirements you need done (assuming its for splashandburn.com.au).

    At minimum, I would suggest -

    1. Installing an SSL certificate for SEO and to build trust. The SSL certificate will replace the Not Secure message on your website.
    2. Hyperlinking the Ph. & Address so someone on mobile device can call you/visit your physical store straight away.
    3. Put in a Get a Quote box on the front page and other pages,not only Request a Service page.
    4. A video from flex350 giving your visitors insight about your business, what makes you different and why you're the best damn Spa, Heating & Pool Supply Specialists in Bendigo (and Cooling given the ice box near your store)
    5. Updating the copy/content on your website. The current version can read quite selfishly about your business instead of spelling out e.g. convenience for people looking for the finishing touches for their Australian Dream.
    6. Your on-page SEO could also be focused for local searches e.g. in Strathdale/Bendigo. Right now it's a bit vague e.g. telling what you sell and the range of the brands you stock rather than how local you are. There is a link on your site that I'm seeing that isn't working - http://www.splashandburn.com.au/www.heliocol.com.au.
    7. I also recommend integrating social e.g. Facebook/Instagram and reviews from Google My Business to help with being found locally.
    8. Include Payment Methods e.g. CC, Bank Transfer etc. so people know how they can pay you.

    There's all these things to consider to get your website updated and converting website visitors better and building trust. Obviously the cheaper quotes may have less included as part of the design, more pricey ones should either resolve these issues/design with these in mind. I'd personally quote something slightly north of the midrange to design with these factors in mind.

    You have to consider what you want from the website. If it's a glorified business card then you may not need to spend out on a big cost. If you want more visitors/get more sales from it and have a plan to leverage it going forward, then find someone you can trust and go from there. :) Hope it helps

    • +1

      All very good ideas and advice. You must be very good at your job. Upvoted.

      • +1

        Aww thanks geek. I appreciate the upvote and the compliment!

        I'm great at my job ;) but always in a position to learn.

    • And need a graphic designer too as web developers aren't usually a graphic designers.

  • Adding on to OzCheapo;

    Something to consider is whether you actually need WordPress (or content management systems) in general. If your sites has a lot of data/pages and needs to be updated frequently then WordPress would be a suitable solution; however if you only need to only update the site say once or twice a week and doesn't have many pages that need to be maintained then there are better solutions out there. I'm saying this because the first thing a lot of people tend to do is to jump on the WordPress train, but don't actually see the downsides to WordPress like:

    • Build - Front end + back end dev, if you're lucky the back end dev can do front end or vice versa
    • Higher Maintainence - Hosting, WP version updates/upgrades may break plugins etc.
    • More vulnerable to attacks
    • Longer load times (keep in mind Google now uses page load speed to rank sites in their search)
    • etc.

    In my opinion, using a headless CMS (only using the CMS to store data) or a static site generator would be a better choice as your site is not too big and does not require very frequent changes/updates. Flat sites load much more faster (only include what you need, no bloat plugins), infinite freedom to customize and be creative for designers and devs, easier to maintain and scale your site in the future.

    Source: used to be a Dev at a digital/advertising agency.

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