Blinded by Science?

Technology, and the Internet in particular, is a very powerful thing, so powerful in fact that it can turn confident, professional people into gibbering messes. While that might sound strange, I’ve seen it with my own eyes. The fact is that if you add “technology” into the mix, people react very strangely, even those people who force themselves to live well outside the comfort zone.

Why is that?

My opinion is that it’s partly because computer technology used to be completely unapproachable for the average non-technical person, but also because this belief has been perpetuated by people with a vested interest. It doesn’t take too much effort to find people selling basic technical services at premium rates. While there is a place for technical experts, the Internet is becoming more and more of a commodity and these high-charging experts are starting to seem more and more like over-charging tradesmen (you know, the plumber who wants to charge you $250 just for driving around to your home, etc.)

Now don’t get me wrong, there are certain web projects that necessarily demand a high level of artistic ability, a highly customised solution, and people will quite rightly pay top dollar for the designers and developers on those projects. Where the issue lies is the way people are charged these sort of premium prices for relatively simple web sites.

Another reason for this is the prevalence of “old school” thinking. Web site creation has its roots in classic design processes, with costings based on estimates and/or actual time spent. As such, web site developers tend to approach these things with a “how long will this take me, and what do I want to earn per hour?” mentality.

This is further compounded when you consider the lifetime of a web site and costs that will be incurred by asking the web designer to make changes, add content, or to add functionality. People don’t stop and consider the prices being quoted because they have a fear of the technology, and therefore place a high value on those they deem to be experts.

Sadly, this leaves many small businesses without a web presence, or at least without a web presence that helps their business. They get put off by the prices quoted, and often defer the creation of a web site when they could probably benefit from having one right now.

A Better Way

The thing is, it doesn’t need to be like that at all – these days it is possible to acquire everything you need (web hosting and domain name primarily) for as little as $5 per month. There are masses of free resources online that can help you learn how to create a web site, there are books, and there are even online content management systems that make the job very easy indeed.

Now some people will still prefer to bring in an expert; perhaps they don’t feel confident enough in their own abilities, maybe they just want to be sure that all the steps are carried out or, as is often the case, they simply don’t have time to learn the skills and/or manage the site.

In these instances, hiring a web developer makes perfect sense, but it doesn’t have to cost a fortune, and your site does NOT have to be loaded with Flash content and large graphics, nor does it have to be a potential candidate for the Turner Prize. For the majority of small/home businesses, the key requirements are speed of loading and no-nonsense delivery of the marketing message. Slick advertising is great for large corporates building their brands, or for specialised sites where visual impact is a must, but the average small business needs a simpler, more direct approach.

This is where the Avallach approach comes in; unlike many, more traditional, web developers, we don’t charge thousands of dollars for a basic 5-page site, in fact we don’t charge thousands of dollars for any site. Our solutions are based around a model that comes from the world of online software and applications; initial setup costs plus a monthly subscription.

The solutions themselves are based on a clearly defined process that we follow, starting with an examination of your requirements through to implementation of your web site AND ongoing site management.

Our clients see, time and time again, that it IS possible to have a professional, fully managed web presence without blowing a huge hole in your business’ cashflow.

If you’re in business (or run a club or organisation) and you’re looking to make the move online, choose Avallach as your partner on the journey and that decision will pay dividends for a long time to come.