Need a website? 5 things to keep in mind

Creating websites is usually a complex process, which more than placing an order and waiting for a courier, resembles the process of sewing a “tailor-made” product. During project implementation, as well as after implementation, many unexpected costs may occur. I would like to draw your attention to 5 aspects that will help you avoid unnecessary surprises and misunderstandings.

Think about what you really need

Almost every customer is able to list in one breath what they would like to have on their website. However, it does not always go hand in hand with his real needs. The result is blogs that have not been updated for years, forms that nobody reads the news from, and restaurant websites where it’s hard to find the phone number and opening hours.

Your needs will have an impact on the technology used – and this could significantly reduce your costs in the future. That’s why, before you go to a web development company, think about what you really need.

Low cost of implementation may result in additional payments in the future

Programming services are not cheap, but cutting the budget to the limits of possibilities, often ends up with the fact that the effects of work do not knock down. And sometimes it even deters. A similar website can be implemented for 300 and 10000 PLN. The difference will consist mainly in the quality of the graphic design, code and ease of implementation of changes.

The hidden cost of cheap websites is usually the cost of introducing modifications to them. Poorly implemented projects are much harder to modify – it takes much more time and of course costs more. In extreme cases, it is cheaper to create a website from scratch than to modify or repair it.

Creating a website requires work also from you

Deciding on a website, you have to reserve a few to several hours for contact with the contractor, preparation of materials and verification of the effects of work.

In case of larger projects you can expect a few meetings and many telephone and e‑mail conversations. The preparation of content and photos may also take a lot, and sometimes it may be necessary, for example, to conduct a photo shoot, create texts / advertising materials from scratch.

Your website must be compliant with legal requirements

The times of a free American woman in the net are forgotten. Nowadays, websites may be subject to many laws and regulations that need to be adapted to.

It is worth taking into account such issues as, for example, the creation of rules of an online store, creation of a privacy policy or adjustment of forms to the Act on personal data protection. In some cases, additional functions may be needed (e.g. the right to delete data by the user).

Publishing a page is just the beginning

With the publication of the website, your expenses will probably not end. If your website uses a content management system, you have to reckon with the fact that it will require updates, backups, modifications to the content and its structure or corrections, which will be required, for example, as a result of changes in the operation of Internet browsers.

These are issues that have nothing to do with the guarantee in any way, and if you can’t do them yourself, they will cost you extra.

Therefore, it is advisable to secure a certain amount of money for the maintenance of the party or to sign a contract for the maintenance of the party with the contractor.

Let’s summarize

The cost of implementing the website is not only the implementation of the project, but also your time spent on delivering materials and contact with the contractor, as well as the cost of maintaining the website after its publication. An additional cost may be the adaptation of the project to the applicable law. It is worth considering your needs in order not to waste money on the implementation of unnecessary functions, and when choosing a contractor, you should not take into account only the criterion of the price of project implementation.