The Ultimate Website Buying Guide

The internet is the most widely used resource in the world.

Countless people across the globe use the internet to shop for online products, find local businesses, and obtain information.

Therefore, if you’re operating any kind of business in 2020, you need a website to directly promote your products and services to millions of potential customers.

We don’t need to tell you that having a website is important.

Well... we kind of will get into that.

But, you should likely know why procuring a website for your business is essential, especially if you’re just opening up shop.

If you are, you’ve made an amazing step into maximizing the earning potential of your business through online revenue.

To help you on your hunt for a new website for your company, here is everything you need to know about buying a website.

What is a Website?

We know…

You know what a website is.

The internet is used by all living generations, so nothing is pretty new there.

However, have you ever stopped to think about what the purpose of having a website is?

You may be thinking about the following things:

• A website makes your business look professional.
• Websites inform potential customers about your products and services.
• People access websites to make online transactions.

All of these are certainly true, but that’s not the underlying purpose of having a website.

If they were, then you could honestly get away without having one.

The purpose of having a website is to capture qualified leads and convert them.

If you aren’t familiar with this type of sales jargon, then understand that a “lead” is any person who expresses interest in your business.

Let’s provide an example of how a website is supposed to work with generating leads.

Here’s a scenario of a woman named Melissa.

She just received a bonus from her job and wants to remodel her kitchen.

When searching online for contractors in her home city of Los Angeles, here is what she finds.

Let’s say she clicks on the blue website button for the company, “Joel & Co. Construction”.

After scanning the site for a bit, she finds what she’s looking for on the navigation bar.

Then, she lands on a page that provides all sorts of information about the service she wants.

Finally, after getting to the end of the page, she is given contact information to potentially make her choice.

Do you see how this works?

A website is much more than a thing to make your business look good.

Great websites capture and convert leads effectively and efficiently, making you a lot of money in the process.

Now, that you know what a website is, let’s dive deeper into why it’s extremely important to have one.

Why is a Website Important?

Thertr are millions of businesses in the United States and probably even more people who work with those businesses.

Ensuring that your business stands out amongst this competition is key if you want to turn a profit in your industry.

This isn’t 2003.

You can’t count on simply purchasing a $100 website and praying that your competitors are still getting their leads from brochures and billboards.

Nowadays, almost every business has a website.

Also, most of them spend a lot of money marketing their sites to rank well online.

This is called search engine optimization (SEO).

To understand what SEO is and why having a website is important, you first need to understand the purpose of a search engine.

Search engines, like Google and Bing, are tasked with sifting through trillions of websites to provide the most accurate search results for their users.

This is why Google is known as the most prominent search engine.

Google uses cutting-edge algorithms backed by machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI) to find out what you really want to see when you type in a keyword into the search bar.

With this massive responsibility and to retain their web users, Google will only rank the best websites.

Is your website currently in that fold?

If you’re reading this guide, then the answer is probably no.

So, now you get it.

Having a website is important for basic reasons.

However, having a quality website is even more important.

That’s because you don’t want to spend a lot of money on a website that doesn’t rank or generate meaningful leads.

Alright, hold on to your wallet.

Let’s break down how much a website costs these days.

How Much Does a Website Cost?

Websites have changed a lot since the early 90s.

Gone are the days where you needed to be a very talented coder to build a website.

Now, web development agencies are common throughout the country.

There are also countless freelancers that specialize in creating websites.

Lastly, there are even online DIY website builders, like WordPress and Wix.

The amount of money you spend on a website ultimately depends on the option you choose.

Generally, you can expect to spend anywhere from $4,000 to $15,000 for a standard website from a web development agency.

If you’re running an e-commerce website, then you could pay over $20,000 for a basic website.

Of course, many small businesses can’t afford these prices.

And notice we said, “these are the costs for standard websites”.

Even if you do have the money, you won’t be certain that your website will be optimized to rank well online.

That’s unless you are willing to pay more money for digital marketing and SEO services.

Now, rates for a website are a bit lower for freelancers.

You can find a freelancer on Upwork and even Fiverr who can develop your site for as low as $1,000.

Though, you’re familiar with the saying, “you get what you pay for.”

There is a chance that the freelancer you’re working with has no idea of how to even build a website.

After all, Upwork and Fiverr don’t require their freelancers to take tests to sign up.

You never know…

Also, freelancers will typically give you only what you ask for and move on.

Therefore, if you need maintenance, updated web copy, or blogs, you’re going to be out of luck unless you’re coming out of pocket.

To help you make a sound decision, let’s weigh your available options.

Pros and Cons

Alright, let’s get to business.

The route most businesses take is hiring a website development agency.

We’re not here to tell you that this is a bad choice.

It’s honestly up to you and what you can afford.

In any case, here are the pros of hiring a web development agency.

Web Development Agency Pros:

• Web development agencies have a large and dedicated staff to simultaneously handle numerous websites.
• These agencies have the tools and resources available to build the website you want.
• Web agencies usually offer additional marketing services and maintenance to bolster your website.

Sounds pretty good, right?

Well, take a look at the downside of hiring an agency.

Web Development Agency Cons:

• Web development agencies charge top dollar for their services and typically don’t cater to small businesses.
• Maintenance and additional marketing services will cost you extra. You could be paying them just to service a website they built.
• Not all web agencies are created equal. There are some bad apples out there, and you will have to conduct extensive research into the company that’s right for you.

That’s everything for web development agencies.

Let’s move on to freelancers.

Freelancer Pros:

• Freelancers often charge more affordable rates and can be of service to small businesses.
• There are thousands of freelancers available online.
• Freelancers are versatile and can refer you to other individuals for marketing if they don’t already provide the service.

Wait - not so fast!

Here are the cons of hiring a freelancer.

Freelancer Cons:

• Many freelancers can be unreliable, making up excuses as they go and even ditching your project after you’ve already paid.
• You never know what you get until you make a hire and pay a deposit.
• If a freelancer decides to quit, there is nothing you can do about it unless you put together some type of contractual agreement.

These are the two options you are going to be presented with.

Depending on your budget and what you’re ready to spend, your choice will differ.

However, if you’re like most, then you don’t have the budget to spend on a web agency.

And, you certainly don’t have the time and patience to vet a freelancer to take a chance.

Oh, and if you’re reading this, then you’re probably not a developer who can build your site from scratch.

That means you’re ultimately limited with your options.

We know.

We just spent a great deal of time and whitespace covering the importance of having a great website.

Yet, getting one can be challenging.

Let us present you with a far better option than the two you just read about.

What is Optuno?

We can spend a lot of time telling you what Optuno is and why we created it, but let’s get down to business.

Optuno is a full-service web agency that provides affordable website development services for your business.

Basically, instead of paying thousands of dollars for a website, you get to pay a small monthly rate for us to build your website and manage it.

This gives you the best of both worlds: a high-quality website for a price you can afford.

Plus, we will make all changes to your website and maintenance for no additional cost.

As long as you pay your subscription fee, we will be indebted to your business.

To keep you paying and satisfied, we’ll build the perfect website for your business and make sure it’s performing up to your standards.

Optuno currently manages thousands of websites, and we have received stunning online reviews on both Google and Facebook.

You can check out our testimonials by clicking here.

They’re quite convincing.

Also, we have an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau (BBB).

They don’t just give those out like participation trophies.

We earned it by providing a remarkable service to all of our clients: small businesses, corporations, and even government agencies.

This all sounds promising, but you’re probably wondering how all of this works.

First, all you have to do is sign up and choose from dozens of themes for your website from our Theme Library.

Next, you will be prompted to fill out a brief questionnaire that gives us a clear idea of the type of website you want and other specific details.

Finally, we will complete your website design and have it live within 7-10 business days.

What’s more, is that we provide a variety of other essential web services you can use to gain more online visibility.

We offer these online marketing packages at additional affordable rates to you.

It all makes sense because since we already have low monthly subscription rates, you will be able to purchase additional marketing services without breaking your budget.

This is something that you would likely never get from a web design agency or freelancer.

We built Optuno to give everyone the “opportunity” to receive an exceptional website with high-ranking potential.

What Will Be Your Choice?

As you can see, you have a lot of choices to select a website provider.

Though, it’s not always as simple as picking the most popular option.

Every business is different, and ideally, you should do what’s best for you.

If you have a limited budget and want to make sure you are receiving a high return on what you’re spending on your site, then there is truly one option you should strongly consider.

And, that’s Optuno!

Naturally, you may have a few questions about our service or would like to learn more.

To speak to a member of our dedicated sales team, give us a call today at 1-888-678-8662 or click here to schedule a free consultation.