Pay monthly and one off payment websites both offer an array of benefits but which one is right for your business?
A good quality, well-performing website comes at a cost.
Nowadays almost every business has a website and if you want one that will stand you out from your competitors, offer an unrivalled user experience and boost your online brand, you’re going to need to be willing to invest financially.
Just because the very best websites come with a price tag attached, doesn’t mean you need to pay through the roof however.
When it comes to paying for your website, there are two common options to choose from, pay monthly and one-off payment.
There are various benefits to both models depending on your needs but we’ve put together this guide to help you figure out which one is right for you.
We’re all used to pay monthly services by now. Whether it’s for your mobile phone, car or a subscription service, many of us have at least one monthly payment plan in place.
Did you know that you can do the same for your website?
Pay monthly websites are exactly what they sound like, you pay your chosen web builder a monthly fee for the creation and build of your website.
Different web design companies will have different terms for their pay monthly websites such as how long you’re “locked in” to the deal and whether or not the monthly fee includes additional services such as website maintenance and updates.
There are various benefits to opting for a pay monthly site, the most obvious being price.
Compared to a one off payment, with this option you’ll have no large upfront fee to pay making it a particularly good choice for smaller businesses and startups with little cash flow and smaller budgets.
A pay monthly web design is also useful if you think your website is going to require regular updates or maintenance. Most pay monthly deals include scope for a set amount of updates to be carried out each month.
You’ll also be able to avoid any unexpected bills with a pay monthly website as most deals will include the costs of hosting and support within the monthly retainer.
Often web design companies will also include the chance to add on extras to your monthly upkeep which is ideal if you decide 6 months after building your website that you want to add a new feature or page.
One off websites are websites that you pay one, upfront fee for and then never have to pay anything again, providing you no longer need the services of your web developer.
One off websites usually work by a client paying for their website in one go and then having complete control of the upkeep and maintenance of their website.
One off websites are particularly beneficial for medium and larger sized businesses who firstly have the budget to pay for their website in one go and who, secondly, have in-house staff to manage any website updates and maintenance.
This web development model is also ideal if you’re looking for bespoke customisations and services that may not be on offer in pay monthly plans.
If you’re keen to manage your SEO strategy, social media marketing and paid advertising campaigns then a one off website may be the right choice for you. With this model once you have paid for your website, it’s yours to manage however you want.
When it comes to deciding between a pay monthly and one off website, there are various things to take into consideration in order to decide which is right for you.
The main difference between pay monthly and one off websites is the price and how you pay.
With a one off website you’ll pay for your whole website in one go meaning you’ll need to have budget set aside to cover this.
With a pay monthly option however you will just have to pay an agreed retainer to your chosen website builder.
It’s worth remembering that although paying monthly will avoid the large, one-off payment, you could end up paying more for your website in the long run depending on how long you pay a monthly retainer for.
Usually with a pay monthly package your hosting fee is included in the monthly payment.
With a one off payment website however you’ll have to account for hosting fees in addition to the cost of your website so it’s important that you account for that in your budget.
Prices for hosting tend to differ depending on your choice of hosting provider and the level of support required.
A pay monthly website package will include support and maintenance for your website.
Usually there will be a team on hand to provide technical support should anything go wrong in order to prevent any downtime for your website.
With one off payment websites however the support and maintenance of your website is in your hands. You’ll either need to ensure there is someone on your team capable of maintaining your site or outsource the responsibility.
Often web developers will offer clients support and maintenance packages in addition to the one off price of their website.
The ownership of your website is important and you might be surprised to learn that you don’t usually own the design of your website with pay monthly website contracts.
Whilst all the images and content on the website will belong to you, the actual site and design itself will still belong to the web company you’ve chosen, no matter how long you’ve been paying your monthly retainer for.
A one off payment website however is yours from the minute you’ve paid your bill. This means you have complete control over every aspect of your website and it’s yours to host wherever and whenever you like.
Whether or not you have a contract in place for your website will depend on your choice of web developer.
Often pay monthly websites will come with contract stipulations such as a tie-in period however others allow you to simply pay for your website for as long as you need it.
One off payment websites tend to have less contractual measures other than the exchange of ownership once the website has been completed and paid for.
Whilst you may think you’ve thought of everything in your initial website plan, the chances are that as your business grows and develops your website will need updating.
For example you may decide to branch out into ecommerce and want to add a shop to your current site or once you’ve developed more industry knowledge you may be keen to create a blog.
With pay monthly websites you should be easily able to edit and upgrade (or downgrade) your website at any time, depending on your requirements, as part of your payment plan.
A one off payment website however will require you to return to your web developer with a list of the updates you require, which will come with an additional cost.
Here at KIJO we believe that you shouldn’t have to choose between the benefits that one off and monthly payment websites offer. That’s why we created KIJO Unlimited.
KIJO Unlimited is a 30 day rolling subscription service with no contracts that you can cancel at any time. Within that service you’ll have access to unlimited website edits and website maintenance.
The best part? With KIJO Unlimited you’ve got access to a UK based team of award winning experts to fulfil all your graphic design, digital design and web development needs. With unlimited revisions and tasks for unlimited brands – that’s unlimited potential to scale your business.
Our team of experts offer the highest quality service that’s turned around for you in just a matter of days.
With KIJO Unlimited you’ll get all the benefits of a bespoke, one-off website with access to our team of experts whenever you need them throughout the month.
So how do you figure out which one is best for you?
All businesses are different and will have different requirements for a website as well as different budgets to spend.
If you have the budget available then a one off payment website gives you complete control over every aspect of your site, allowing you to create a truly bespoke and engaging online experience.
Pairing this with KIJO Unlimited is the perfect way to get the best of both worlds with no sacrifice. If you want to find out more about KIJO Unlimited and how our team of experts can work with you to create the website, branding or app of your dreams, simply contact us today.
