How to Find Affordable Web Design

Having a website is table stakes for small businesses and startups. But, when you’re just starting, the cost of a professional website can be eye-popping. Fortunately, there are affordable options out there that will enable you to establish an online presence without breaking the bank. 

Here, we’ll explore three main ways to get affordable web design: building it yourself using a website platform, hiring someone from Upwork or other freelancer marketplaces, or using one of the subscription-based web design services. We'll discuss the pros and cons of each to help you make the best decision.

Use a Platform to Build a Website Yourself

The most affordable web design option is to do it yourself! You don’t need to know how to code or understand HTML - several website-building platforms make it relatively easy to start.

We’ve written an article on finding the right website-building platform for your small business, so we won’t go into too much detail here on which you should choose, but if you’re super new to website building, I’d go for Squarespace or Wix.

These platforms have pre-made templates allowing you to customize colors, images, and copy to match your business’s branding and message. If you fit easily into a box, like a restaurant, finding a template that will meet your needs is easy, and the learning curve is relatively quick.

Pros:

• Control: You have complete control of the site and don’t have to worry about contacting a freelancer or hiring a web developer to make changes.
• Cost-effective: Most of these platforms are pretty inexpensive.

Cons:

• Time: While templates make it easy, it’s still time-consuming to build websites when you’re also trying to build out the other parts of your business. 
• Lack of customization: The templates make it easy to get started, but they are pretty rigid and make it challenging to build a custom website that is precisely what you need.
• Lack of scalability: These template websites are fine for getting started, but at some point, your business will outgrow these sites, and you’ll need to migrate to a platform like WordPress or Webflow.

Hire Freelancer through Upwork or similar Freelancing Websites

Another way to find affordable web design is through a freelancer marketplace like Upwork, Fiverr, or Freelancer. These sites allow you to post a project and budget, and freelancers will bid for it. You generally get a lot of bids, particularly if your budget is halfway decent.

Read our article on Upwork alternatives.

Pros:

• Cost: You can find people who work very cheaply on these platforms.
• Choice of platforms: You can find a developer that works on just about any website-building platform you can think of.

Cons:

• Quality: There is a considerable variation in the quality of developers, and low budgets will result in low-quality websites. A low-quality website becomes very expensive when you need to change it.
• Race to the bottom: These websites drive prices downward, leading to mostly poor-quality developers on the platform
• Over-promise, under-deliver: Often, these freelancers are working on several projects at a time and, most importantly to them, bidding on new work. This makes it hard to get ahold of them once you start the project, and the timelines they committed to in the bid go out the window.
• Scams: Sometimes freelancers on these sites are outright scammers - something I’ve experienced personally.
• Hidden costs: Once your website is delivered, there will be additional needs: bug fixing, adding new pages and content, and making updates as your business evolves. Finding a freelancer to come in and make those changes can be costly and time-consuming, and your once “cheap” website suddenly becomes an expensive headache.

I recommend avoiding using these sites, personally having had way more poor experiences than positive ones hiring here.

Subscription-based web design/development

The final affordable web design option is a subscription-based service like ours at Peak Digital Studio. These services generally build custom websites from the ground up and can design the website you need. They then charge you over time for the website, meaning you don’t have a substantial upfront investment.

They’ll also maintain and improve the website and sometimes even provide hosting as part of the monthly cost. It’s like hiring a full-time website designer/developer but for a fraction of the cost. These services generally specialize in a specific platform, such as WordPress or Webflow (our specialty).

Pros:

• Pay over time: Getting a professional website requires no substantial upfront price tag.
• Ongoing maintenance: Don’t worry about bugs or things breaking - they’ll fix it for you and make sure the sites are up and running.
• Constant improvement: Websites should be a living resource for your business - pages should be improved, announcements made, and content changed. These services can do all this for you!
• Transparent price: You know what you’re paying upfront, and there are no surprises.

Cons:

• Price: This is more costly than learning yourself and potentially than hiring a freelancer (depending on the quality of the freelancer you hire).

Summary

Choosing affordable web design is crucial for your business, ensuring you get online without draining your budget. Whether you build it yourself using platforms like Squarespace or Wix, hire a freelancer through marketplaces like Upwork, or subscribe to a service like Peak Digital Studio, each option has distinct advantages and challenges. 

Building it yourself offers control and cost savings but demands time and limits customization. Hiring freelancers can be cost-effective but risks quality and reliability. While more expensive, subscription services provide ongoing maintenance and professional design with transparent pricing. 

Ultimately, the best choice depends on your business needs, budget, and the level of support you require. With careful consideration, you can establish a professional web presence that supports your business growth without breaking the bank.