Why Greece Is Still in 2020 When It Comes to Websites
In Greece, the market is so behind when it comes to website development. It is like it’s still 2020, with people paying more than 2000 euro for a WordPress theme that is just customized and calling it “custom web design”. I’m pretty sure you’ve seen agencies saying that, charging from 1000 all the way to outrageous numbers like 5000 for a theme that costs 70 euro and a couple paid plugins — the whole project didn’t cost more than 200 euro.
And I’m not gonna EVER whine about an agency actually doing design and development and charging whatever they like, because that’s a custom design and the development should probably be excellent, so that cannot have a fixed small price. But taking a theme, recoloring it, and charging the same as a custom design? That’s straight-up insane.
But it worked, and it still does, so what me and my cofounder thought is to change things a bit.
What the Rest of the World Is Already Doing
In other countries, no-code is something that they do prefer when it comes to simple websites — for startups, lawyers, or whoever needs a website with their services or bookings.
But why?
Why No-Code Makes More Sense (for 90% of Businesses)
Well, when you create a custom design and you make it into no-code, for example Webflow like we use at Offload Studio, the custom design takes one day to be developed and get ready to go live. From animations, interaction, responsiveness, all that happens really fast, because if the designer does his job correctly for no-code design, the developer has minimal work to do, mostly without even coding.
I say mostly because just because Webflow is called no-code, that doesn’t mean that you can’t code if you need to, but that’s rare.
So instead of paying 1500 euro for a basic plan and +500 euro for a “premium theme” like it’s gold-plated CSS, but the only thing that changes is the theme, how about with the same money, you pay for a custom website?
When No-Code Isn’t the Right Fit
The only thing no-code is not suited for is big ecommerce websites that will use hundreds of products. Then obviously we would recommend you something else like OpenCart or WooCommerce. But there the prices are also different when we talk about eShops.
So what is no-code?
No-code doesn’t mean low quality. For our case, it means faster, real custom-designed websites. Easy updates that you can do alone as the user, without the need for a developer, and a really easy-to-navigate CMS for your posts.
Our Process at Offload Studio
So here’s how we do it, so you can have a sneak peek from the inside.
Dimitris Afentakis, that’s me :)
I’ll talk with you, see your needs, and start creating something from scratch, because each client has different needs, values, and business.
Even if two lawyers, for example, might do the same job, what they practice changes, how they do it, their beliefs, and more.
The design process depends on what the client needs, from a single page to a full 10-page design. The most that this might take is 3 weeks, but again, that’s an estimate and you are informed before we even take 1 euro from you, the cost and the timeline.
Then the developer, that’s the other cofounder and good friend of mine, Petros Filippou, will take the design and bring it into Webflow, that’s the no-code tool we mainly use.
That means that he will export the design into Webflow, connect the pages, create the animations and the interactions. That will be within a day or two.
And you have a custom-designed website! Yuppie!
When it comes to updates, it’s so easy, we are confident you can make changes to your own website. But if, for reasons like time, you can’t, we also offer support packages that are much less expensive than WordPress support.
That’s it.
Why Greece Is So Far Behind
So why is Greece stuck behind?
Well, it has to do with the fact that Greece always does something at least 5 years later, and we talk like it’s something new.
Well, it’s not.
No-code’s been there for more than 10 years, so I’m not going to sound crazy when I say agencies charge premium prices for “custom designs” when they’re selling themes. Right?
And the worst part is that most businesses don’t even know Webflow exists.
How We Work With Clients (Even Before They Pay)
When we get a client, we try to find their best way to do the job, without even asking for money.
We give free evaluation and suggestions.
Why? Well, it happens in just about 15 minutes, on our initial call, when we see our client’s needs.
How can you charge for something like that?
We’re not saying every agency in Greece is bad. But way too many are still selling themes as custom work, and charging thousands for it. That’s what we’re here to change.
Final Thoughts: The World Has Moved On
The world has moved on.
Most clients abroad already work this way, and we work with them.
What I’m saying here is to help Greek businesses grow, when they are the ones left behind.
But not for long.