Let’s be real no small business owner wakes up excited to build a website. You’re juggling customers, calls, and a hundred moving parts. So when you need a site fast, and your mates says he knows someone who can “whip one up quick” it sounds like a quick fix.
But here’s the truth, that “last minute” website might actually be one of the most expensive decisions you ever make.
The Hidden Cost of a Quick Fix
Imagine this: you’re a local 24/7 electrician in East Brisbane. A homeowner nearby searches “electrician near me” at 8 pm after their lights cut out. They’re ready to book right now.
But if your website doesn’t appear in Google, or it looks outdated and unprofessional, that lead is gone straight to your competitor. That one missed call could’ve been a $1,200 job. Multiply that over the year, and suddenly that “free” or DIY website is costing you thousands in missed work.
At HEW Digital, we’ve seen it time and time again, small businesses losing customers simply because their online presence doesn’t reflect the quality of their work.
Why “Mates-Rates” Websites Don’t Work
We’re not having a go at anyone’s nephew or tech-savvy friend. But there’s a big difference between building a website and building a website that works.
Here’s what we often find when we review DIY or low-cost sites:
Think of page 1 on Google as Queen Street in Brisbane
You wouldn’t open your business down a quiet back alley and hope people find it by chance. Yet that’s what happens when your website isn’t Search engine optimised it’s like setting up shop where no one walks.
Page 1 of Google is where business happens, its the ‘main street’. That’s the digital equivalent of Brisbane’s busiest street (Queen Street) and that’s where your competitors are showing up.
An SEO enriched, professionally built website puts you right in the heart of that action visible, credible, and trusted.
What a Professionally Built Website Actually Delivers
A modern, SEO-driven website is more than just a pretty design it’s a business asset that works for you 24/7.
Here’s what you get when you invest in professional web design from HEW Digital:
The Smartest Investment You Can Make
When small business owners think about marketing, they often see their website as an expense. In reality, a well-built, search engine optimised website is one of the best investments you can make.
A well-structured, high-converting site builds trust, ranks better and turns more visitors into paying customers.
For example, imagine your website brings in just one extra job or client a month whether that’s a $300 electrical call-out, a $1,500 landscaping project or a $5,000 design contract. Over a year, that single improvement more than covers the cost of a proper website.
And because a good website continues working for you 24/7, those wins compound, making it an investment that pays for itself many times over.
What Should You Do Instead?
If your current site was thrown together under pressure, or built by a mate who wasn’t a web developer, you don’t need to start from scratch but you should start making improvements or begin a re-design ASAP.
If your current website isn’t generating consistent enquiries, or you’re not sure if it’s working as hard as it should, get in touch with us to see how we can help your business turn its website into a reliable asset and source of leads.