So, you’ve decided your society needs a website, or your current website looks old and is difficult to update (so no one bothers and your content is out of date): what do you do?

There are plenty of offers on the internet to build your own website for free – why not try that, as a professional web design company would be way too expensive?

There might be someone in your society with the time and inclination to spend building a half-decent website that would be an improvement on your current one. But first you need answers to these questions:

• What exactly do you get with the “free” version? It’s likely to include only a small amount of space and limited features. You’ll probably need to upgrade to a monthly subscription for more.
• Self-build website tools are made to cater for all industries so can only offer a fixed number of layouts, colours, texts and features. While there may be a lot on offer, will it really look exactly how you want and do everything you want it to do? (See my blog on features you must have.)
• Does it carry advertising? These are commercial companies after all and it’s only fair they make income from somewhere. Do you want advertising on your website?
• Is it easy to create and update the content? Putting new content (news items, events, show details) on your website should be as easy as typing an email or a Word document.
• How secure is it? It’s a sad fact that hackers are trying to get into your website all the time, regardless of the fact there may be nothing of intrinsic value on there. If they get in, they could place unwanted adverts, divert visitors or bring down your website completely. What security measures are included to help protect you?
• Is it updated regularly? Again, website security needs updating regularly, as do legislative requirements which may affect you (e.g. GDPR). Is this included in your self-build website?
• What happens if it crashes? Is there someone you can go to for help?

It doesn't need to be expensive to have your website built professionally. AmDram Web Design can design and build your website exactly to your specifications for £200 - £400 (depending on how much work is involved). You get exactly the design you want and all the features you need, including security features and regular updates (which you can manage yourself easily). And if anything goes wrong, you can contact me for help and advice. Go to the Contact page for details.