Most small business owners in Singapore often face difficulties in trying to establish an online presence especially concerning whether or not to spend quite a lot of money in designing a web site. The current discussion outlines the route of purchasing a professional design of websites at a low cost within Singapore setting.
It would be appropriate to start by establishing some terminologies that outline what constitutes a so-called professional web site design. Minimum standards usually contain:
• Attractive but easy to use interface
• A responsive design (i.e. mobile-friendly)
• Flexible, need not be a problem to the content management system
• The connections made with useful e-commerce systems
• Visible contact schemes (i.e..contact form, tele number, email address)
• Adherence to appropriate regulatory frameworks (e.g. Personal Data Protection Act)
It is upon these benchmarks that the owners of small businesses have to make a choice as to whether they can involve a professional web design company or go the in-house route. The first one is, of course, is associated with more expenditure of money, whereas the latter requires an investment in time, expertise, and patience. Low budget companies can thus opt to go the in-house way.
Nonetheless, the in-house route does not lead to the unknown without risks. Some of the usual barriers are:
• Technological woodenness in the company- the reason is usually inadequacy in digital media training that results with its slacement of development time
• Interference of the core business activities as the personnel are engaged in the process of designing the website
• Possible legal risks involved in the failure to comply with regulatory systems
When combined, all these considerations imply that a hybrid approach where some of the duties, such as mock-ups and configuration of the content management system are outsourced, and the rest, i.e. content production and minor cosmetic changes and redesign, is kept in-house, is the most beneficial to many small companies. Such a hybridization is a trade-off, in order to meet the cost, schedule, and quality needs, which are consistent with the needs and constraints of this firm.
Online web designing programs are another money-making channel of low-cost design: Wix, Squarespace, and WordPress offer pre-built templates, instill simple drag-and-drop frameworks, and eliminate the hefty costs that one can frequently endure by turning to professional web designing companies.
Another money-saving measure is finding freelance designers which one can get through Fiverr and Upwork. Such markets provide a wide range of available practitioners who have the credentials of providing customized web solutions in the cost that is just a small proportion of that charged by big agencies.
It is recommended that when dealing with web design agencies in Singapore, enquiry to their basic packages should be done. More often than not the services will be outfitted with basic facilities e.g. home page, about page, and contact form, but these may grow as the needs of the organisation increase.
As far as Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) is concerned, the implementation of the in-house strategies is possible. With the use of the vast amounts of online resources, including basic tutorials, operators can optimise their content without the use costly outsourcing.
Furthermore, implementing a responsive design is highly essential in an era that is characterized with more users using their mobile phones. The majority of site constructors and even professional designers provide such feature at no extra cost thus ensuring similar aspect ratio on various devices.
To sum up, cost-effective and budget web designing in Singapore should not mean lowered professional criteria. By employing web site constructors, employing freelance services, picking entry level packages, conducting self managed SEO campaigns and focusing on responsive design, companies can achieve an excellent web-based business encounter without incurring any financial overheads.