A pay monthly website is a great way to get your business online with a small budget. However, with so many options available, selecting the right provider can be a difficult task.

It’s important to find a service that meets the needs of your business. This means spending time to research multiple companies.

In this article, I’ll share some tips and tricks on how to choose a pay monthly web design company.

Compare Pricing and Features

Pricing is the most important factor when considering a pay monthly website. You need to find a service that is within your budget and includes the features you need.

The pricing structure of providers will vary depending on the complexity of your website, as well as whether a domain, hosting, management, and tech support are included.

For example, some pay monthly web design companies charge a monthly fee based on the number of pages your website needs. Others charge extra if you want features like content and design edits or automated updates and security.

When studying the pricing of a provider, make sure you consider the features included with the service. Sometimes paying extra is worth it if you need a more advanced website.

Here are the main things to keep in mind when comparing pricing and features:

• Monthly price: Can you reasonably afford to pay the monthly fee? Think into the future as you may be required to sign a long-term contract.
• Design and pages: How many pages will your website have? Will it include the features you need like a contact form, ecommerce software, live chat, etc?
• Hosting and domain: Is a domain name and hosting included with the monthly fee? If not, you will need to purchase these separately which means higher monthly costs.
• Management and updates: Will the provider manage and update your website? Are content and design edits included in the price? Is there a limit to how many changes you can request?
• Tech support: Having access to tech support is essential, particularly if you don’t have experience with web design. Will your provider give you access to tech support through phone, live chat, or email? Are they able to resolve bugs or issues with your site?
• Content management: Will your website be built on a user-friendly content management system like WordPress or Drupal? If so, it means you will be able to edit the website and make changes to the content yourself.

Study Terms and Conditions

Studying the terms and conditions of a pay monthly website service is also a must. You need to know exactly what you’re agreeing to before you subscribe. Many providers have contracts, cancellation fees, or other hidden fees.

Some of the most important things to look out for include:

• Contracts: Many pay monthly web design companies require you to commit to a long-term contract. This means paying the monthly fee for some months or years before you’re eligible to cancel.
• Cancellation fees: Check if the provider has any cancellation fees, particularly if you’re locked into a contract you might want to end early.
• Other fees: Some providers charge extra fees if you want to move your website to another provider, make edits to your content, or for additional features like security, backups, or marketing services.
• Ownership rights: Do you own the website or does the provider? You need to ask this question before purchasing a pay monthly website. In some cases, the provider will retain ownership indefinitely or until you have paid a certain amount.

Check Portfolios and Work Examples

The best way to evaluate the skills and style of a web design company is by checking their portfolio or work examples. This will reveal if their style aligns with your vision and if they can deliver the type of website you need.

Any reputable web design company should be happy to show you examples. Avoid any provider that can’t produce at least a couple of screenshots or videos of websites they have created.

Read Reviews and Feedback

Reviews can provide valuable insights into a company’s reliability and service quality. Make sure you check websites like TrustPilot, Google Reviews, and Facebook for real customer experiences. You can also search forums and discussion websites like Reddit.

• Check for reviews on TrustPilot, Google, and Facebook
• Search forums and discussion websites like Reddit
• Use platforms like Quora to ask for genuine opinions
• Read complaints and check if the company has responded

Test Support Channels

When using any web design service, having access to fast and reliable support is crucial. You should test the response time of the company by sending them an email. Also, ask them what ongoing support they have after you become a client.

Do they offer live chat? Do they have a working phone number? What are their operating hours? What is their average response time?

These are all questions you need to know before you subscribe to a pay monthly website service. This is especially important if the company offers ongoing tech support as part of the package. If your website develops a bug or issue, it’s sometimes critical to resolve it as soon as possible.

• Send an email to test the company’s response time
• Ask about the support options after becoming a client
• Find out if they offer phone support, live chat, or email

Negotiate Pricing or Contracts

If the web design company offers a range of packages with contracts or terms, you have the option to negotiate with them.

For example, the company may offer a package that includes a website with 5 pages, hosting, and automated updates. However, if you only need a website with one page or if you know how to manage updates yourself, ask them to create a custom package without these features for a lower price.

Or if the company requires you to commit to a 24-month contract, you can offer to pay a higher monthly fee for a 12-month contract.

There is no harm in negotiating, particularly in the competitive world of web design. In fact, negotiating is a common practice when paying a one-time fee for a website.

Ask About Scalability

As your website grows in traffic and popularity, you may need better hosting or new features added. Your provider should be willing to upgrade your hosting or add new features when necessary.

Whether it’s integrations like live chat, banner ads, or ecommerce capabilities, having the option to add additional features in the future is essential. You should have discussions on whether this would be included in the standard monthly fee or cost extra.

Red Flags to Consider

Unfortunately, not all pay monthly website providers offer quality, transparency, or value for money. Here are some red flags to watch out for when searching for a pay monthly web design company:

• No transparency over ownership: The provider retains ownership of the website and makes it difficult or impossible to transfer to another host.
• Hidden costs or extra fees: You need to pay extra for essential features like an SSL certificate, security, backups, and updates, or there are additional charges for canceling your subscription or accessing support.
• Unclear cancellation policy: There is no clear policy for canceling your subscriptions or you are unable to cancel without losing your website.
• Poor customer support: The provider has limited support hours or no direct line of contact (e.g. no phone number, live chat, or email address).
• Negative reviews: Overall customer satisfaction is low with a lot of negative reviews or unanswered complaints on authority sites like Trustpilot and Google.
• Lack of portfolio or examples: The company is unable to provide examples of their work or a portfolio for you to view.

Conclusion

With the popularity of pay-monthly websites increasing, many web design companies are offering pay-per-month plans. Finding a service that matches your budget, requirements, and long-term needs is essential.

Hopefully, the tips in this guide have helped you to understand what to look for in a pay monthly web design company.

You should have a better understanding of the common features and terms attached to a pay monthly website. This will make it easier to quickly shortlist a handful of companies and further refine the options to find the best solution.