Verulam Web Design

Verulam Web Design

Why creating a website is like buying a car

mazdarx8ImageI like cars, I also like websites (duh!). I suppose I’m a bit of a petrol head. I rode motorcycles for 10 years before getting my first car (an old Datsun 120Y for £50). Since then I’ve had several cars, upping my budget each time till, in my late forties, I bougth a 2004 Mazda RX-8. I’ve always liked them and realised I could actually afford one and it does what I need. I still have it and use it day to day.

Well, people often ask me ‘How much does it cost for a website?’ and I like to answer ‘Same as it costs for a car!’. This tends to throw people a bit, but think about it. My first car cost £50, the most recent cost nearly £5,000. Very different beasts, that fulfil the same basic function, but very different in terms of build quality, efficiency, design and user experience.

So it’s the same with websites. You can pay £50 for a very basically designed page to be created by someone, somewhere. You can pay tens of thousands for a bespoke, hand-crafted, performance website that requires a  lot of maintenance, but delivers a huge amount of functionality and a great user experience. And of course, for most of us, we will choose something inbetween. But, whatever the budget, a website or car has to do what is required by the owner.

I’m not going to try to take the analogy too far, but if you want to get the most out of your website, like a car, you have to look after it. New content – pages, blog posts, social media integration. It needs to give a good user experience to visitors and perform well.

We create performance websites, well coded and structured, attractive, fast and functional. I wouldn’t say we create a Ferrari equivalent, but at least a Mazda or BMW. So if your website isn’t a Mazda or a BMW, give us a call….