Toggle sidebar

What does "Affordable" Mean??

Sort by date Sort by votes
U

ukwebdev1984

Free Member
Jan 4, 2013
62
3
Hello

Still doing some research here, i have been looking at popular low competition keywords and one of the main ones that I have spotted is "affordable web design".

What do people searching this phrase mean? Affordable surely depends on financial situations? Someone who is a millionare will find £10,000 affordable, where as someone earning £500 per month may only find £5 affordable!
 
Affordable is a euphemism for cheap.
 
Upvote 0
Do people really search using the term "Affordable"? I suspect that could be the whole reason it's affordable. :-) Sorry couldn't resist.

IMHO it's only a term people use when talking to each other rather than saying cheap, a bit like the other one, inexpensive.
 
  • Like
Reactions: sirearl
Upvote 0
In my view it's a word that's become synonymous with cheap. Being literal people are searching for "web design that I can afford". This is usually indicative of cost based decisions makers with a very limited budget.

Just my two cents.

d
 
  • Like
Reactions: arcon5
Upvote 0
RedEvo said:
In my view it's a word that's become synonymous with cheap. Being literal people are searching for "web design that I can afford". This is usually indicative of cost based decisions makers with a very limited budget.

Just my two cents.

d
Click to expand...

I think this is the most helpful answer so far. Are you other guys jokers or something? I wasn't asking for the definition of the word.
 
Upvote 0
ukwebdev1984 said:
I think this is the most helpful answer so far. Are you other guys jokers or something? I wasn't asking for the definition of the word.
Click to expand...

Charming.......why come on here asking for advice and be rude about peoples comments or opinions ?
 
  • Like
Reactions: patientlady
Upvote 0
chuckles said:
Charming.......why come on here asking for advice and be rude about peoples comments or opinions ?
Click to expand...

Because i was asking for advice on what people searching this phrase mean by affordable, not the actual definition of the word and people to be somewhat patronosing. It is obvious what the actual word means, that wasn't the question.
 
  • Like
Reactions: RedEvo
Upvote 0
ukwebdev1984 said:
Because i was asking for advice on what people searching this phrase mean by affordable, not the actual definition of the word and people to be somewhat patronosing. It is obvious what the actual word means, that wasn't the question.
Click to expand...

People don't search for that particular term in any significant numbers to bother with in SEO terms.
 
Upvote 0
ukwebdev1984 said:
Because i was asking for advice on what people searching this phrase mean by affordable, not the actual definition of the word and people to be somewhat patronosing. It is obvious what the actual word means, that wasn't the question.
Click to expand...

Still no reason to be rude. People provide helpful free advice on this site and if you think its patronising then maybe you should go and pay someone for their opinion instead !
 
  • Like
Reactions: arcon5 and sirearl
Upvote 0
chuckles said:
Still no reason to be rude. People provide helpful free advice on this site and if you think its patronising then maybe you should go and pay someone for their opinion instead !
Click to expand...

I wasn't being rude i was stating a point. It's you who has perceived it as being rude. But as you find what I said rude, I apologise and will be more vigilant with what I say in the future.
 
Upvote 0
ukwebdev1984 said:
I wasn't being rude i was stating a point. It's you who has perceived it as being rude. But as you find what I said rude, I apologise and will be more vigilant with what I say in the future.
Click to expand...

I think stating "are you other guys jokes or something" is fairly rude but apology accepted.....lets move on....:)
 
Upvote 0
For the hard of understanding, I'll elaborate on my answer.

Affordable is a marketing euphemism for cheap.
 
  • Like
Reactions: chuckles
Upvote 0
cjd said:
For the hard of understanding, I'll elaborate on my answer.

Affordable is a marketing euphemism for cheap.
Click to expand...

Oh no it ain't.:p

Its a marketing ploy to lead people to believe they can afford something.

Most used by companies that are afraid to reveal there prices.

affordable is generally meant to target the median household income.

Cheap has a very different meaning.
 
  • Like
Reactions: chuckles
Upvote 0
sirearl said:
Oh no it ain't.:p

Its a marketing ploy to lead people to believe they can afford something.
Click to expand...

ie it's a marketing ploy meaning cheap.
 
Upvote 0
Guys,

So what are we saying here? That we can use the term "affordable" as a ploy to get people intrigued, but in essence it will actually be detrimental?
 
Upvote 0
ukwebdev1984 said:
Guys,

So what are we saying here? That we can use the term "affordable" as a ploy to get people intrigued, but in essence it will actually be detrimental?
Click to expand...

Cheap or cheapest wins by a huge margin in terms of web searches.

I don't think affordable is detrimental,but I suspect it may be viewed with suspicion by some.
 
Upvote 0
ukwebdev1984 said:
I think this is the most helpful answer so far. Are you other guys jokers or something? I wasn't asking for the definition of the word.
Click to expand...

The guy has given you his professional opinion. It may not be what you are asking but it is the answer you need mate.
 
Upvote 0
ukwebdev1984 said:
Guys,

So what are we saying here? That we can use the term "affordable" as a ploy to get people intrigued, but in essence it will actually be detrimental?
Click to expand...

Its a waste of time getting someone to your landing page on false pretences, as once they realise what you are offering is not what they thought, they will click away.

This goes for letting people think "affordable" means "cheap" when in the context of what you are selling really it doesn't.
 
Upvote 0
I totally agree, affordable often means cheap. But then it also depends on your target market.

In the web design industry the competition is fierce with prices ranging from a tenner a month to thousands. I know a web design agency here in Leicester who will charge £3000+ for a straightforward template Wordpress site, is that affordable?

As marketeers (because that's what we are if we run businesses) we should remember that clients always buy what they believe they can afford or what's been sold to them as affordable.

For my target market, startups and the self-employed, using the word affordable is a great lead-generation hook when combined with terms like 'monthly payment plan' and 'money-back guarantee'.

We use the word 'affordable' in much of our marketing because of our approach to payment terms and not because we're the cheapest (which we are certainly not).

And despite what you think of the word and its potentially negative connotations we had record sales last month and February is already off to a good start.

I'm not trying to boast, I'm simply saying that maybe the word isn't quite as detrimental to a marketing message as has perhaps been suggested. It depends on your target market and your approach to it.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Upvote 0
We use the word on our site to mean you thought you wouldn't be able to afford it and what you are getting looks more expensive but actually it's cheaper than you thought it would be.

But people don't search for the word "affordable", they always search for "cheap".
 
Upvote 0
Three times as many people search for cheap than affordable according to Google Keyword Tool.
 
Upvote 0
chuckles said:
Still no reason to be rude. People provide helpful free advice on this site and if you think its patronising then maybe you should go and pay someone for their opinion instead !
Click to expand...

Sadly many on here, usually those with nothing of value to contribute, post drivel, often in an aggressive way, just to say something. I'm inclined to think the OP is being unfairly pulled up for criticising some of the responses he received.

But that's just my view :)

d
 
Upvote 0
OP, IMHO it all depends on your marketplace and just to cover all bases, I am not saying use it or do not use it...just MY perception on the word.

Affordable in a high ticket price marketplace means that I can comfortably buy that Rolls Royce I have always wanted.

Affordable in a low ticket price marketplace will mean that I can now afford this website design that I thought I couldn't.

I am not going to enter into does it mean cheap as I think if we want to split semantics it will all depend on how, where and why it is used.

JMTC

HTH
Regards
Daren
 
Upvote 0
My thoughts which you can throw straight into the nearest bin.......

Affordable could mean that there are different levels to suit your budget. There would be a no frills and basic entry level, some intermediate levels and then a premium level with associated increasing cost.

So depending on your budget, you will get an affordable solution.

I guess the word is used to indicate that the product is the low end of the price range (or that one option is at the low end).
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: ITsoldUK
Upvote 0
As a customer, I would think that a company using the term "affordable" understands the customer's need to find what they are looking for at a very competitive price, not necessarily cheap, but certainly on the low side of what is the norm for that particular service/product. It implies best value, even though it doesn't really mean anything without appropriate comparison.
We may well search the term "cheap" (meaning low in cost) we actually don't want "cheap" in terms of quality - "cheap" sounds hasty, careless, inconsiderate; "affordable" sounds measured, more considerate.
 
Upvote 0
"This is our most affordable Rolls Royce"
"This is our cheapest Rolls Royce"

If there's any difference apart from linguistic, I don't know what it is.
 
Upvote 0
cjd said:
"This is our most affordable Rolls Royce"
"This is our cheapest Rolls Royce"

If there's any difference apart from linguistic, I don't know what it is.
Click to expand...

There isnt between those two phrases but the earlier suggestions that "affordable" equates to "cheap" doesnt apply in that scenario to the majority of people.
 
  • Like
Reactions: ITsoldUK
Upvote 0
When I read affordable to me it means sensibly and fairly priced.

I generally equate cheap to be poor quality and tend to avoid buying anything branded as cheap.

That aside I have to agree affordable in many cases is simply a nice way of saying cheap.
 
Upvote 0
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest Articles

Top Bottom
Back