Welcome to the newest guide of our educational series “How to make a website for your business”. Previously, we taught you how to build a blog from scratch if you’re a Canadian professional, but also, how to make your website secure in 2018 and beyond.
Now, we’re going to show you clever money-saving tips and tricks of website building. These tips are perfect for you if you’re a beginner, but you’ll also benefit from them if you’re an experienced site owner.
So read and implement these easy tips, save money, and let us know how it went!
Making a website on a budget
- Buy a domain for a couple of years in advance
- Consider crowdsourcing for design
- Hire an art or tech student
- Apply an already existing theme
1. Buy a domain for longer than one year
This simple hack has three main benefits:
- Usually, registrars will give a discount if you buy in a bundle
- No need for annoying reminders to renew your domain every year
- You’ll avoid the risk that your website and its connected email addresses are not functioning because of the missed renewal date
Essentially, this small hack is more than a smart financial move. By making sure your domain is safely stored for a longer period of time, you’ll also save yourself from unnecessary stress. When you’re running a business, every chance to lower the pressure counts.
Bonus tip: let’s say that the .com domain you want to purchase costs more than you can currently afford. If so, and especially if your desired domain is a two-word phrase, consider using new, creative extensions. As an example (random one), if you wanted to buy canadiantier.com and it’s too costly, consider canadian.tier as an (often cheaper) alternative.
2. Consider crowdsourcing for your design
The expenses for website design can easily cross the $1,000 line. Fortunately, you could easily lower those design costs with a crowdsourcing company.
Not only will you be able to pick a website design you like from a variety of sample designs, but you’ll pay less as well. While searching for the best design, you will gain clarity on branding questions like: “What kind of a look will represent my business in the best way?”
Keep in mind though that it is only a design your purchasing through this crowdsourcing option. Still, a skilled developer will be needed to bring it to life.
3. Delegate tasks to a student
This money-saving trick is one of our favourites! The reason is simple: it’s a true example of a win-win collaboration.
Think about it:
- Why is it a win for you? You need to build your website on a budget. The money you save at the beginning makes a huge difference in your business.
- What does a student gain? Any website design student needs to volunteer and build the portfolio during studies, in order to open a door for easier employment afterwards. From a student’s perspective, each reference matters a lot.
One of the ways to connect with talented students is to get in touch with a program director at the nearest college and simply ask for a recommendation. Even if the student requires a fee, it most probably won’t be as high as the one of an established professional.
Furthermore, you could use the same tactic for other services, such as web development, marketing, etc.
4. Use one of the existing themes
Sometimes, the cheap solutions are right in front of our eyes. If we had a penny for every site owner who tried the common, but often pricey options while building their website…
Make sure you’ve checked already available themes, before even considering any custom options. Especially if you’re using WordPress or rvSiteBuilder (the most user-friendly builder you’ll get with any of our hosting plans), there are hundreds of themes for you to choose from!
Only if none of them fits in the early stages of your website, then start searching for designers (either students or professionals). There are many beautiful, up-to-date, fully responsive and SEO-friendly themes out there, so make sure you check them first.
Brief conclusion
Well done, now you learned how to make a website for your business – without emptying your pockets!
Remember, starting your own website and business online doesn’t have to be an expensive adventure. But merely reading is not enough, so go ahead and try out these money-saving techniques today. Our domain and hosting services are among the cheapest available, which makes them a great starting point.
For more tips on site building, blogging, and saving money, take a look at our comprehensive guide for Canadian bloggers and site owners.