Pay monthly websites, Mansfield

With a pay-monthly website, you don’t pay one large bill for the build. You pay a set amount each month, from £65, and it covers the design and build, hosting (the computer your site lives on), updates, security checks and support in a single payment.

It is the same bespoke site I would build on a fixed-price project, designed and built by me, with nothing outsourced. The difference is how you pay for it and that the looking-after is included rather than sold separately. I will be straight with you about where it suits and where it doesn’t, because paying monthly is not automatically the better deal. What matters is that you understand the terms before you agree to anything, and every term is put in writing before work begins. I work with businesses across Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire and UK-wide, all by phone, WhatsApp, email and video call.

Paying monthly tends to work well for a particular kind of business owner. It might be you if:

• you are starting out and would rather keep your cash for stock, tools or advertising than spend it on a website in one go;
• you want a single predictable payment, rather than separate bills for the build, hosting and updates;
• you don’t want to think about keeping the site updated and secure, and would like it to be someone else’s job;
• you want a proper site for your business, not a template, without waiting until you can afford the whole cost.

It suits less well if you have the money available and plan to keep the same site for many years. In that case, paying upfront for web design is likely to cost less overall. If you’re unsure which is you, tell me your situation and I will say so, even if the honest answer is that upfront suits you better. You can get in touch and I will reply the same day on most enquiries.

Over several years, paying upfront is usually the cheaper route in total. You pay for the build once, and after that you only pay for hosting and any care you choose. With a monthly plan, you are also paying for the convenience of spreading the cost, and for the looking-after being bundled in.

What you get in return is real, though. There is no large bill at the start, the cost is predictable, and hosting, updates and support are already covered. If the site would otherwise be neglected, that has a value of its own, and a website that is looked after generally serves a business better than one that is left alone.

So it is a trade-off rather than a trick: a higher total cost over a longer time in exchange for spreading the payments and having the care included. I would rather you choose with that in view, and it is why I put the numbers in front of you before you commit, rather than after.

Not every monthly website deal is written the same way, and that includes mine, so it is worth reading the small print of any offer you are considering, from me or from anyone else. Ask these questions:

• Who owns what? The design, the code and the domain name. Your domain should always be registered in your name.
• How long is the minimum term? And what happens if you need to leave earlier?
• What does it cost after the minimum term? Does the price change, and by how much?
• Can you take the hosting with you? If you leave, can the site move to another host, or is it stuck?
• What is included in the monthly price? And what is charged as an extra?

You should get clear answers in writing. Mine are agreed and put in writing before I start, and I will explain them to you in plain English on a call. Never sign anything you don’t fully understand, whoever it is from.