Small Business Owners' Best Options for Creating a Modern Website in 2024

Building a modern website is crucial for small business owners in 2024. A website is your first point-of-contact with potential customers: it provides them with vital information about your product, your company values, and your brand. Whether you want to generate leads, sell products, or create an online presence, choosing the right website development approach is a big decision. Here, we’ll break down the key options available, including DIY website builders, marketing agencies, and web development studios like us.

Before You Get Started:

Before starting a new website, you need to sort out some of the specifics.

1. Assess Your Needs: Will your website serve as a simple information hub, or do you need e-commerce functionality? Do you need high-quality, custom photos for your website or can you get by with your own image content? Do you want the website to solve a business problem for you, such as lead-generation or boosting newsletter signups?
2. Determine Your Budget: Consider both the upfront and ongoing costs, including design, development, and maintenance. 
3. How Much Do You Want to Handle on Your Own: Do you have the technical know-how (or even the desire to) create a website from scratch? Once the website is up, it will also need regular content updates and maintenance. 

Key Considerations:

Here are some of the key factors to consider when thinking about building your website:

• Design and User Experience: Your site should be visually appealing, easy to navigate, and fit in with your existing brand.
• Development: You need to decide on a platform or framework, ensuring it meets your needs for flexibility and functionality. These decisions can be difficult to make unless you have a technical background.
• Search Engine Optimization (SEO): It’s essential for driving organic traffic. However, it’s also important to know that a lot of what factors into SEO comes from sources beyond your website.
• Security: Protecting both your business data and that of your customers is vital. As a general rule-of-thumb, the less business logic your website is responsible for, the less of a security risk the website poses.
• Costs: These can vary widely depending on the type of site you need and how much of the task you take on by yourself.

Option 1: DIY Website Builders (WordPress, Wix, Squarespace)

For small businesses on a tight budget, DIY website builders like WordPress, Wix, and Squarespace are appealing options. These platforms allow you to create and customize websites without requiring in-depth technical skills.

Advantages:

• Cost-Effective: DIY builders are usually cheaper than hiring professionals. 
• Control: You can edit content, images, and pages anytime you like, offering flexibility to make changes as needed.
• Ease of Use: These platforms provide user-friendly, drag-and-drop interfaces with templates, making it simple to get started.

Disadvantages:

• Time-Consuming: You will need to handle every aspect, from design to content and maintenance. You will also notice a dropoff in convenience and quality anytime you need to deviate from a template and make a component yourself.
• Security and Legal Risks: DIY solutions may lack robust security features, putting your business at risk of data breaches or non-compliance with accessibility regulations. This is generally true any time you delegate data processing to a third-party.
• Content Creation: Finding or creating professional-looking images and compelling copy can be a daunting task by itself. 

DIY solutions are great for small, static websites but might fall short for businesses needing more complex features or ongoing support.

Option 2: Marketing Agencies

Marketing agencies offer all-inclusive solutions for your online presence, often handling everything from website creation to SEO and social media.

Advantages:

• Comprehensive Strategy: Your website will be part of a larger marketing plan, ensuring alignment with your business goals. As mentioned before, a lot of your website’s SEO performance will be derived from sources outside of your website. Marketing agencies can help greatly in making sure all of that is taken into consideration.
• Turnkey Solution: Agencies will take care of design, content, and technical aspects, freeing up your time to focus on other parts of your business.

Disadvantages:

• High Cost: These agencies are typically more expensive because they offer a full suite of marketing services. You will likely be upsold on their services, even if your business might not benefit as much from them.
• Not Web Specialists: While agencies provide a wide range of services, they rarely specialize in web development. This can lead to potential issues with site performance or design quality. If you opt for a marketing agency solution, always do your research on their previous projects and ask for references!

If your business needs a full-fledged marketing solution, then a marketing agency could be the right fit. However, if your business already has a cohesive marketing plan and the goal is strictly a high-performing website that can distinguish your business from its competitors, you might need a more focused solution.

Option 3: Web Development Studios

As a small business owner, you need more than just a generic website—you need a long-term partner in digital success. That’s where web development studios can come in. Specializing in web development, web dev studios often focus more on creating high-performing websites and less on the marketing details.

Advantages:

• Web Development Experts: Web development studios specialize in making websites. They offer their years of industry experience for your business. Each will have their own preference for how they create websites and what they will ultimately deliver, so always reach out to them before signing up.

• Flexible Pricing: Depending on your website needs, web development studios often offer a variety of payment options. Some will set up your website for a one-time price, others will offer ongoing support plans. 
• Tailored Solutions: We design websites to meet your specific needs, providing personalized service that DIY solutions and marketing agencies often can’t match.

Disadvantages:

• Potential for High Costs: Hiring a development team will always be more expensive than a DIY solution, but, the long-term value, development time saved, and technical support can make it worth the cost. They are often less expensive than a dedicated marketing agency.

• Not Marketing Experts: Web development studios focus on web development, not marketing. While they can ensure your site performs well and your data is secure, you’ll need to consider other avenues for content marketing or comprehensive SEO strategies.

Web development studios can be ideal for small businesses seeking high-quality websites to represent their product, values, and business goals. While they might be more expensive than DIY solutions, they can provide a lot of value by saving you time, earning you new business, and building out custom digital solutions suited perfectly for your unique business needs..

TL;DR: Find the Right Fit

Each of these options—DIY builders, marketing agencies, and web development studios like Novel Concept Studio—has its strengths and weaknesses. The best choice for your business depends on your goals, budget, and how much time you can devote to maintaining a website.

• If you’re on a tight budget and have a small, simple website in mind, DIY builders might work the best for you.
• If you need a comprehensive marketing solution, a marketing agency is likely your best option.
• If you already have a marketing strategy, but need a high-performing website to see it through, a web development studio can be a great solution. At Novel Concept Studio, we’re passionate about helping small businesses succeed online. 

About Us

Novel Concept Studio is a web development studio specialized in helping small businesses curate a stellar digital presence. We never use web builders, opting instead for hand-built digital solutions for your business. Our monthly payment structure aligns our business incentives with yours; we treat our clients not as one-time customers, but as ongoing partnerships. This means we do everything we can to make your website work for your business.

Contact us today to discuss how we can bring your vision to life and create a website that grows with your business.