A new website can be a significant investment, particularly when you’re starting a business or have other costs competing for your budget. A web design subscription spreads that cost into monthly payments and brings the build and ongoing care into one service.
It can be a practical way to get a professional website without paying for the whole build upfront. But the monthly price is only part of the decision. What matters is what you get, how long you’re committing for and whether the arrangement suits the way you run your business.
Here’s how Sebdigital’s subscriptions work, and when paying upfront might be a better fit.
What is a web design subscription?
With a subscription, you pay a monthly fee covering the agreed website build and its ongoing hosting, maintenance and support. You choose a package to suit the size and requirements of your project, then continue paying monthly while the website is looked after.
At Sebdigital, there are two routes:
- Economy: a website built using a pre-designed template, adapted with your branding, colours, fonts, text and images.
- Bespoke: a custom design with layouts and functionality agreed around your business’s requirements.
Both include ongoing care. Economy subscriptions include 30 minutes of content changes each month; Bespoke subscriptions include one hour.
How does the build work?
The project starts with an agreed scope and the first subscription payment. Together, we’ll plan the pages and key content. You’ll supply the text and images, with copywriting or other creative support arranged separately if needed.
The design and build then follow, with review and approval along the way. The process includes three rounds of design changes before final sign-off and launch.
Your input matters throughout. Having your content ready and giving timely feedback helps keep the project moving. A subscription spreads the cost, but the website still needs a clear brief and decisions from you.
What happens once the website is live?
The subscription continues to cover hosting, domain renewals, backups, maintenance, security monitoring and performance monitoring, alongside your monthly content-change allowance.
That allowance is useful for everyday updates: changing opening hours, updating service information, replacing photographs or adding supplied content. Larger additions or new functionality may need a separate quote or a package upgrade. Subscribers also have access to a discounted hourly rate for additional work.
Ongoing SEO, regular article writing and major development shouldn’t be assumed to be included. Those needs should be discussed and agreed alongside the website package.
Who does a web design subscription work well for?
Businesses that want to preserve cash flow
A subscription can help when you need a website but would prefer to keep more cash available for stock, equipment, premises or other business costs. Spreading the investment can make it easier to plan your spending.
You still need to be comfortable with the full commitment. A manageable monthly figure should fit your budget over the initial term, rather than just at the point you sign up.
Businesses that want their own web guy, without hiring someone
For many smaller businesses, there isn’t enough website work to justify employing someone, but there’s still plenty that needs looking after. You want a person you can turn to when something needs changing, you have a question or you’re thinking about your next step.
With Sebdigital, you work directly with me, Seb. Over time, I get to know your business, your website and what you’re trying to achieve. That means you can pick up a conversation with someone who already understands the background, rather than explaining everything from scratch each time.
Think of me as your web guy: an extension of your team who looks after the website and helps you make decisions about it, without the cost and commitment of recruiting a member of staff. You stay involved in the direction and content, while I handle the website’s ongoing care and agreed changes.
The support sits within your package’s monthly allowance, with additional work agreed separately where needed. Having that familiar point of contact can be valuable even if you could comfortably afford an upfront build.
Businesses whose information changes regularly
If you periodically change services, update your team, replace project photographs or refresh page content, an included monthly allowance can be useful.
The amount of time you need matters. Occasional content updates and a regular stream of development requests are different requirements, so we’ll discuss what is realistic for your package.
Businesses planning to keep and develop their website
A subscription works best when the website has an ongoing role in your business. It also provides a longer-term relationship with someone who understands how it was built and what you’re trying to achieve.
For clients who remain with Sebdigital, a website refresh is offered after 36 months: eight hours of work for Economy subscriptions and 16 hours for Bespoke. This gives you an opportunity to update the site within that allowance as your business and its presentation evolve.
When might a subscription be less suitable?
You need a temporary website or a short commitment
Sebdigital subscriptions have an initial minimum term of 18 months. If you’re building a short-lived campaign website, testing an idea or unsure how long you’ll need the site, that commitment may not suit you.
After the first 14 days, cancelling before the end of the initial term requires payment of the remaining subscription fees in a lump sum. It’s worth considering that before choosing a monthly plan.
You prefer to pay for the build upfront
Some businesses prefer a one-off project fee and separate arrangements for hosting and support. That can make sense if you have the budget available and want to choose those services independently from the start.
An upfront build still needs hosting and ongoing maintenance, so compare the complete cost and responsibilities of each option.
You already have a team managing your website
If your own team handles hosting, maintenance and content changes, there may be less value in a package that includes those services. A one-off build followed by a handover could suit you better.
You need frequent, substantial development
An online shop, membership website or more complex project can still be suitable for a subscription if the scope and package fit. However, a site requiring new features every week may need a separate development arrangement alongside its ongoing care.
The monthly allowance covers a defined amount of work. It isn’t an unlimited design, development or marketing service.
Who owns the website, and can you leave?
Under Sebdigital’s subscription terms, you own the website after the initial 18-month term and can move it elsewhere if you wish.
After those 18 months, the subscription becomes rolling. You aren’t entering another fixed 18-month cycle. If you continue subscribing, the ongoing services and benefits continue while the fee is paid.
There’s also an initial 14-day cancellation period after the first payment. If you cancel during that period, any work already undertaken is charged at the full hourly rate.
How should you choose?
Think about how you want to manage your website, as well as how you want to pay for it. A subscription can suit a business that values predictable costs and ongoing help. An upfront build can suit one that prefers to fund the project immediately and arrange its ongoing care separately.
Neither option removes the need to agree what will be built, what support includes and how additional work will be charged. Getting those details clear at the beginning makes either approach work better.
If you’re considering a new website, compare Sebdigital’s packages or get in touch to talk through the options. We’ll help you choose an arrangement that fits your project, budget and ongoing needs.