As an affordable alternative to traditional web development, website plans reduce risk and help ensure the long-term success of your website.
After spending years developing websites the “traditional” way (fully pre-paid, based on what we need for a website), I kept finding that it took too long for projects to get off the ground, and months (or even years!) to get a positive return on investment.
This was frustrating for the business owners who were overwhelmed with the process, stressed by the many decisions that had to be made, and who lost thousands of dollars before they had anything to show for it.
And the truth is that it’s not much better for the developers either, as they need to finish their projects as quickly as possible to maintain their profitability.
A website plan (which doesn’t have a large upfront cost, just a small, flat monthly fee) solves these problems and allows the company and agency to pull together and pursue the same goals.
A website should never be “finished” and set in stone – rather, the greatest strength of a website is its ability to adapt and change quickly and easily over time.
Unlike the traditional model where a website is “completed” and published, a website plan is designed for a more agile approach that allows the website to mature and get better over time (using analytics, customer feedback and real-world experience to guide features and improvements).
In this article, I’ll take a look at the five biggest advantages of a website plan over the traditional website design approach.
1. immediate ROI
The average website costs over CHF 10,000 to design and develop – and with a traditional model, you’d have to pay the entire amount upfront to get your site up and running. With the exception of e-commerce stores, it can take a year or more for such a large investment to pay off.
With a website plan that starts from as little as CHF 200 per month, you won’t immediately be in the red and can start amortizing immediately.
2. less risk
In a traditional model, you and your developer would spend a lot of time planning your website and then developing all the features you think you need. But at the end of the day, everything is based on assumptions – and these can be right or wrong.
An incorrect acceptance can be a costly mistake, forcing you into change orders and further invoices.
With a website plan, we can develop your website in phases, starting with the minimum requirements and adding content and features as needed – all for a flat monthly fee.
3. guarantee
Once your website has been created, it needs to be managed on an ongoing basis. If you or your team are not familiar with server maintenance, security, software updates and backups, you need to hire someone to take care of it for you. This can easily add another $1,200 per year to the cost of your website.
With a website plan, all administration is included in the monthly price – ensuring that your website works perfectly.
4. future-proof
Technology is changing so quickly that the average lifespan of a website is between 2 and 4 years. Unfortunately, many companies let their websites run way past their expiration date because they have to invest too much money in a fresh start.
Good websites evolve and adapt to changes in the market and your company over time. A website plan helps you future-proof your website by giving you the ability to easily change it and keep it up to date at no extra cost.
5. faster turnaround
Since you only have one chance to get it right (and as we’ve already discussed, mistakes can be costly!), traditional website projects take between 6 and 12 weeks to complete. Most of this time is needed for negotiations, planning and prototyping.
With website plans, you can work iteratively (in small steps and phases) and usually launch the first version of your website in less than a month and continuously improve it over time.
Is a website plan right for you?
In most cases, especially for small businesses, website plans offer many advantages over the traditional approach.
The immediate return on investment, the risk reduction, the guarantee, the future security and the shorter lead time are all good reasons in favor of this non-traditional approach.
But that doesn’t mean it’s suitable for everyone. If your website requires heavy customization – with unique requirements or deep integrations with other systems – it may not be a candidate for this more systemized approach.
You can find out more about the content of our website plans, including all services and prices, on our Website Plans page and find out whether they are suitable for your company.
However, before you make a decision, I would be happy to arrange a meeting with you to discuss your individual needs and which approach is best for your business.
