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The Real Cost of a Cheap Website: What Savannah Businesses Need to Know
When you’re running a small business in Savannah, every dollar counts. It’s tempting to go with the cheapest option when building your website—whether that’s a DIY website builder, a low-cost freelancer from overseas, or your neighbor’s nephew who “dabbles in design.”
But here’s the truth: a cheap website often ends up costing you more—not just in dollars, but in lost time, lost customers, and missed opportunities.
At Zazen Designs, we’re a seasoned web design company in Savannah that’s helped dozens of local business owners recover from the hidden costs of a quick-and-cheap website. Let’s take a closer look at what you’re really getting when you choose the lowest price.
1. Lost Credibility = Lost Customers
First impressions matter—especially online. A visitor will decide in seconds whether they trust your business based on how your website looks and performs.
Outdated design, broken links, hard-to-read text, or a site that doesn’t load well on mobile? Those are red flags that turn potential customers away.
“Before we worked with Zazen Designs, our website felt clunky and homemade. We had no idea how much business we were losing until Ben rebuilt it—and now we get leads weekly.”
— Lisa M., Local Realtor
2. No Strategy Means No Results
Cheap websites are often just glorified online brochures. They may look “fine,” but they lack real thought behind the layout, navigation, and content.
A professionally built site starts with strategy—How do we guide the visitor to take action? How do we make sure the most important info is seen right away?
At Zazen Designs, we ask the right questions before we ever start designing.
3. Poor SEO = No Visibility
Most bargain websites are not built with search engines in mind. That means missing titles and meta descriptions, poorly written content, slow loading speeds, and no local optimization.
For small businesses in Savannah, showing up in local search is crucial. A good website should help, not hurt, your Google rankings.
We build sites that are SEO-ready from day one, using best practices that help you show up where it matters.
4. Your Time Has Value, Too
DIY platforms promise “easy” design—but after hours of tweaking fonts, wrestling with plugins, and wondering why your contact form isn’t working, you realize it’s not so simple.
Time you spend fiddling with a website is time you’re not spending on what actually grows your business.
With Zazen Designs, you get a site that’s ready to go—without the stress.
5. Cheap Now, Expensive Later
Here’s the most common scenario we see:
A business hires someone cheap. Six months in, the site breaks or doesn’t perform. They come to us to fix it—or start from scratch.
That means paying twice—once for the “cheap” site, and again to do it right.
💸 A Quick Comparison:
| Feature | DIY or Cheap Site | Zazen Designs |
|---|---|---|
| Mobile-friendly | Often limited | ✔ Fully responsive |
| SEO Optimization | Rarely included | ✔ Built-in SEO |
| Strategic Design | Not included | ✔ Goal-driven layouts |
| Local Support | None | ✔ Savannah-based team |
| Time Investment | High (your time) | ✔ We handle everything |
The Bottom Line: A Website Should Work For You
You don’t need the most expensive website. But you do need one that’s thoughtfully built—one that works, reflects your brand, and helps your business grow.
That’s what we do at Zazen Designs, a trusted web design company serving Savannah and beyond. With over 14 years of experience and a passion for clean, effective design, we help businesses build online homes they’re proud of.
Ready to Stop Wasting Time on a Website That Doesn’t Work?
Let’s build you something better.
Ready to Get Started?
View our Pricing Page or Get in Touch for a custom quote.
