I’ve been thinking about this for a while now… and I’m wondering whether the Free Web Site model can really work. It was an advert in today’s Crain’s Manchester that got me thinking. It was an all-inclusive single price package for web site design, logo design and SEO work – all for the bargain price of £999. In my opinion, that seems a little steep…

I think it might be better to offer more of a subscription/service based model. So my suggestion would be to offer Free Web Site and logo design, so that all the end user has to pay for is ongoing hosting and maintenance costs. Surely the longer term relationship and potential lifetime value of a customer would offset the development and design costs that would be incurred. With so many CMS and blogging tools available, as well as off-the-shelf easily installable plugins and themes, the time to design, develop and test a new site is hugely reduced.

I would imagine that for a basic company web site, you’d be looking at 4-5 pages, minimal imagery and functionality that includes either a basic shopping cart type application or even just a contact form. Obviously, the more complex the design and functionality, then the higher the monthly cost would be. Having said that, for the basic site – surely £25 – £50 per month would be sufficient?! It also means it’s much more affordable for small businesses, as they won’t have the huge outlay.