website providers

Suits You…

When making the decision to invest in an online presence, it is always worth weighing up your options. Whether you are starting from scratch or need to update, your website is of great importance to your overall business appearance.

It is, more often than not, your clients and potential customers first point of contact with your business. The internet offers a million options at the click of a button, so if your website fails to impress, because it doesn’t look right or function correctly, those customers can very easily skip off to your competitors within a matter of seconds, and that’s it, you’ve lost them to the man down the cyber road with a better site where they can quickly access what they need.

Let’s think of it like purchasing a suit. Of course, there are many options out there. An off the peg number from your average high street shop will cost you a great deal less and it might fit OK. Never mind that it’s a bit tight around the bottom and that the button at the front is coming a little loose, and you can’t put your change in the pockets because it falls into your shoe. It’s cheap right? It’ll do for that wedding next week. But what about when you get a bit tipsy and try to do an MC Hammer on the dance floor? When the seam rips open and reveals your derriere to your wife’s family what will you do? Call customer services? I don’t think so.

What if you had just spent a little more in the first place and invested in a decent suit? A nice little number, made to fit by someone who knows what they are doing. Someone who will take your measurements and invest a little time in creating something that will not only give a great first impression, but will also stand the test of time. For years to come, you can arrive at formal occasions in style and never have to reveal your nether regions on the dance floor.

OK, so I may seem to have gone slightly off the point here but the analogy is quite apt. A case in point is our good friend and now client, Chris. His pub, The Wharf, is a fantastic local establishment and, as a smart Landlord and businessman, he had the good sense to get a website organised to promote it. After looking around, he chose to go with a company offering off the shelf websites at low, low prices. Saving money, a great investment right? Wrong.

The problem with these providers is very much the same as the cheap suit. They are not made to fit. They will not follow your current branding meaning you have a website that looks like everyone else’s, with the exception of your logo stuck in the relevant box. You then pay a rolling monthly charge which, over time, is less cost effective than getting a local agency to develop a bespoke web presence. On top of that, your customer service support is practically non existent, no names or faces to remember who you are and what your business is about.
After all this, whichever of these many companies you choose, will then own your website and domain name which you will have to purchase in order to go elsewhere. Value for money? We think not.

After a few heated debates with his provider, Chris had the even better sense to come and have a chat with us, here at ADO towers. We calmed him down, gave him a cup of tea and listened to what he wanted from his website. We have now built him a brand spanking new website, which accurately represents the quality of his fine establishment and promotes his new products and events to his patrons and potential customers.  You can view the website at www.thewharfmacc.co.uk.

The Wharf Pub in Macclesfield website screen shot

So if you are thinking about sorting out your web presence, think hard. What do you want from your providers? A quick, cheap and poor quality service from a company looking to make a quick buck? Or a friendly, quality service and long standing business relationship with a company based on experience and understanding? To be a number on a screen? Or a valued client?

The choice is yours, which would suit you?