The True Cost of a Free Website
“You get what you pay for” is one of those sayings everyone seems to be familiar with. The idea is that you’ll get value if you pay for something – and if you get it for free, don’t expect much. We all know this to be true.
So, why is it that business owners seem to be more than happy to hand their whole website over to a company simply because they offer to do it for free? Sure, your upfront cost is minimal (nothing) but what is the true cost when you get a free website?
Your Free Website is costing you a lot of money
Because free websites are always just templated websites, with no real attention paid to how YOUR company works, how YOUR guests think, they never perform the way they should. Time and time again we have business owners come to us, wondering why their business has tanked or dramatically slowed down. At least 50% of the time it is because they moved their website to a platform that built their website for free.
The reality is that it takes a lot of time, and skilled individuals to get your website performing on all fronts. Here at GoDo, we take the time to understand your company, your guests, your goals so that we can ensure your website fulfills all of your needs and you see an incredible return on the amount of money you invested in your website. A company that is offering you a free website isn’t going to do this – and you’re going to get crushed by your savvy competitors who hire a company like GoDo.
As a matter of fact, that is the only reason we like free websites – because when a client comes on board and we find out their competitors are on free websites from our competitors (or Wix, GoDaddy, etc) we know we’re going to knock it out of the park for our client. Our client WILL take your business.
They can’t do, for free, what your Company needs
The reality is, nobody is going to build your company a website that is going to do what it needs to do for free. There is a lot of work that goes into making a website that stands out in the search engines and converts the visitors you receive. Do you really think a company is going to spend over 100 hours on payroll to build your website? Of course not – you’re going to get a templated website that isn’t even built the right way. The amount of time those companies spend on your website is the absolute minimal – and they’ve spent more money on the processes that they use to make your website very quickly than they do on your website. It is an assembly line for websites, where all companies get the same treatment.
Is this really what you want for your company?
You don’t own the website
There is a competitor of GoDo’s (who shall go unnamed) who prides themselves on offering a new website, free of charge, for Tour and Activity Companies. What they don’t tell you upfront is that they own that website and it is hosted on their servers. If you try to leave their company, stop using their Booking Software, they keep your website. Sure, they’ll give you the export file which contains the words and photos – but there is no website. Not only is this their way of trying to trap you in their Booking Software, but we also felt it is highly unethical. Here at GoDo, you own your website – the whole thing.
We understand
It is very easy for us to understand why companies choose a free website when they’re offered. We understand that not everyone, not every company has the ability to spend thousands of dollars on a new website. So please don’t take this article as us lecturing you. We truly understand.
However, this is why GoDo offers packages which any business can afford. While we cannot do the in-depth and highly skilled work we do for free, we do make it as affordable as possible. In addition, we will work with your company to spread the payments out over a length of time that is comfortable to you. If you’re willing to work with GoDo, GoDo is willing to work with you. Just let us know where you’re comfortable at and we’ll do what we can to help make it happen.
