Whether you sell handmade baby socks at the Saturday morning market or run a martial arts studio in midtown, you definitely want more customers. But how do you get them?
The most effective way to sway new customers is to advertise the things they need in the places they hang out, and make it easy for them to find more information once they’re interested. For about 3 million potential customers in Ireland, this means your business has some kind of online presence.
If you’re new to the online world, don’t sweat. This guide will breakdown the average Ireland web hosting costs of pay to host servers, which features your website could use and how much you should expect to pay for them.
Keep reading to build your business the perfect website at a reasonable price.
Small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) are wising up to the impact an online presences can have on their business. The digital economy is worth approximately 6% of Ireland’s GDP, with 94% of all Irish internet users participating in online shopping. By the year 2021, e-commerce in Ireland is predicted to double to over €14 billion.
You can get more business by simply being online.
A small business website reaches more people than a street sign advertisement or ad in the local paper ever could. Customers who would have otherwise never heard of you can now find your business on search engines like Google or in personalized ads on social media based on things they’re actually looking for.
From start-ups to medium and large sized businesses, your needs will determine your web host costs. A simple website that you can build yourself could cost as little as €2.99 a month to host. But more complex layouts and features could run anywhere from €5,000-20,000.
Generally, you should anticipate spending 5-10% of the company’s turnover on marketing. The more you spend in this sector, the more your company will grow.
It all comes down to you. What do you need your website to do?
Any sized company can take advantage of these free and easy Do-It-Yourself websites. You can use social media to generate interest and then send them to your website to do business.
The benefits of a DIY website include:
You just have to pay to host.
Total cost: €3-8 a month
For the micro to small business website long forgotten like an old flip flop under the couch, it’s time to blow the dust off. An out-of-date website isn’t doing you any good.
Maybe the website could just use some new features so clients can actually engage with the business online rather than merely read about it.
Upgrades could include something as simple as appointment booking forms or a contact feature that lets potential clients ask you questions directly.
Simple maintenance of your website, like monitoring incoming forms, questions and orders, as well as updating content, can be done by you or a dedicated staff member.
A quality website design should last about three years. You could use the same design longer, but you want your customers to see that you’re only getting better, right?
The website itself plus the variant Ireland web hosting costs should be no more than 5% of your company’s annual turnover.
Total cost: €1,500-3,000 over 3 years
When you find a quality pay to host service with low web host prices, the exposure you gain from your online presence will be worth the 5%. Word of mouth can only go so far.
Branding yourself on the internet involves more than setting up a website and letting it sit there. You have to promote it for people to find it in the hundreds of millions of web pages already online.
This means paid search marketing. Paying Google, Facebook, or LinkedIn to advertise your website may seem excessive, but how else are people supposed to find you?
Get your site to the first page of Google and grow your clientele. Expand to multiple platforms and incorporate new forms of media to keep your site engaging and easy to use.
For sophisticated features, like large amounts of video content on your small business website, and the cost of digital marketing, that 5% budget might need to be eight. For that amount, your website will reflect the innovative direction you want your company to take and engage your customers on their favorite social media platforms.
Total cost: €5,000-12,000
With all the possibilities now available because of the internet, it’s no surprise some companies are completely rethinking the way they do business online.
E-commerce functionality makes it possible to have clients around the world. Even if you want to keep it local, allowing your customers to shop online and pick up or have their items delivered opens a whole new world of customer interaction.
To build a responsive e-commerce store, you’ll need about €8,000. You’ll want to promote the new digital store on social media like you would any other business too, so don’t forget to include the additional costs of marketing and your monthly pay to host service.
Total cost: €8,000-37,000
If you decide to contact a professional web designer, remember: communication is key. You don’t want to waste their time and your money on a product that doesn’t reflect the standards and values of your company.
To achieve the perfect website, create your needs analysis breakdown. This document communicates an overview of the business and how a website can serve it’s needs. This is a crucial element for creating the brief you’ll send to the designer later.
Things to include in your needs analysis:
Once you find the perfect meeting point of these, you’ll be ready to go.
With a manageable budget in mind and your list of demands all sorted, it’s time to find a developer. These four tips are crucial to finding a collaboration that works in both parties’ favor.
1. When researching developers
When looking for a website designer, do some research to find developers that have experience or specialize in your field. This makes communication about specific requirements much simpler. Use your network to find reputable suggestions.
2. When researching what you need your developer to do
Browse competitor sites for ideas and inspiration. If you really like the way another clothing website displays images of a piece from different angles, replicate that in your own digital store. Maybe you’ll notice something they’re lacking and incorporate that into your site as well.
This can help you quickly understand if a developer is right for you. Can they do all that you ask of them?
3. When researching how you need your site to function
Be aware of customer trends. If over 50% of user traffic comes from smartphones, as it does in Ireland, find a developer that can make your site mobile-friendly.
Content that is not compatible with most devices or takes too long to load is the easiest way to lose your digital customers.
4. To get the best deal
Contact 3-4 developers with your needs analysis and get a quote. Make sure you send each developer the same specifications so you know the quotes are comparable.
If your site has complicated features outside your wheelhouse of maintenance, only contact developers with support contracts so you’ll never be stranded on the web with a broken website.
Once the site is developed and ready to go live, the best web hosting service should offer some key features, like:
These features are the minimum you should get for your money.
Your website looks perfect. You’ve tested it on every devise and web browser you could find. Get it in front of your customers today and pay to host with Ireland’s web hosting provider.
Host.ie has everything your business needs to stay connected, protected, authentic and professional in the digital world.
Select the hosting plan that works best for your business and gain access to over 400 web apps, dependable email delivery, and optimizing add-ons to fit your every need.
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