Why Online Retailers Should Invest in Outsourcing Website Creation

 

To some, offshore outsourcing is either a dirty little secret or a secret weapon. But for those who recognise the reality of doing business in today's economic conditions, it's a practical tool. Australian small businesses have been offshore outsourcing to grow their business and here's why online entrepreneurs should, too. 

The Situation:

Let's say you're a retailer who wants to move his/her business online. You know you're going to need more than just a simple business website. You're going to need eCommerce features (such as a shopping cart and a checkout process), an email setup, a few product pages, and some online marketing, too.

But you only have a limited budget. A fixed bid may get you $5000 and possibly more, while an hourly pricing would be $100 to have someone finish the project.

The Challenges:

If you don't have an in-house team of web-building professionals, hiring one for a single project means more overhead costs.

There is no standard price for making a website. A quote isn't a good source either because they're subjective. A design agency may think that you need a concept to create strong visual pull. An online marketer would prefer a simple and optimised website. You may want a responsive website with tons of features.

Typically, websites can range from $2000 to $15,000. But this still depends on what exactly you need to put on the website. More pages and features mean more hours of work. More importantly, you also have to think about usability and branding. Burying your pages underneath layers of navigation makes it hard for search engines to index your website.

The Solution:

You can hire an offshore team or outsource on a project basis. Instead of hounding for a web designer, web developer, graphic designer, and online marketer (and possibly a content writer) on freelance websites, partner up with an offshore service provider which will take care of the recruitment for you. You can set up a team that is as small as 1-3 people.

You can cut down the cost from $5000 to a couple of hundred dollars. You might ask, “what about time zone difference and communication? I don't want to wake up at the crack of dawn talking over Skype.”  This can be solved by choosing the right service provider and offshore location, as well as avoiding common mistakes in outsourcing web design.

Takeaway: 

From a business perspective, outsourcing web design, web development, graphic design, and online marketing is a practical method to grow your business, so why not leverage it? The world of retail is changing and it’s about time you get on board.