$2000 – $100000 dollars. There! You happy? The price is going to vary greatly based on what you need and I break all that down below.
Simple Breakdown
| Costs | What You Get | Good Idea/Bad Idea |
| $200 | You are getting the cheapest website you can find. A web designer in this range will build it from a template and send it you. You’ll likely get zero say and it is unlikely to look good or meet your business goals. | Bad |
| $2000 | You’re going to get an okay looking site. However don’t expect it to fully meet your needs or be fully custom developed. This is likely one person just getting started so the experience and expertise won’t be there to help you make the right online decisions. | Good if you have a strict low budget |
| $20000 | You’re very likely to be getting a really talented team in this range that will give you all the bells and whistles. They know their marketing and SEO and are going to ask you questions to help you build the best online presence. | Good |
Most Important Takeaway From This Table of Costs?
I hope it makes you happy to see numbers but you MUST understand that price is not truly an accurate indicator of service. In the very beginning I sold fully custom awesome websites for $200 because I was young and that worked. I did full marketing SEO work when I sold websites at $2000 and really knew my stuff by then.
The price doesn’t say everything. There are many people out there that enter the Web Design arena, produce shoddy or just plain wrong work, and charge $10000 for it. I have seen it and I have had to fix it too. The price is not a true indicator of quality is what I am trying to say.
Take into account the less exciting details below to understand pricing a bit more.
The Details of Website Costs
Looking to save some money aren’t ya? Do you really have to choose the 4 or 5 figure bid over the 3 figure one? Spending money on your business can hurt sometimes, I know. But sometimes it is necessary in order to grow in the long run. A website may or may not seem like a important expense to you. You may be biting your tongue trying to figure out if it’s worth the cost. In this article we’ll dive into a bit of pricing and the true business value of a website. So let’s jump right into it!
There are just 4 factors to consider when it comes to website pricing on your end. You need to understand
- Person/Company Past Experience
- Potential Results
- The Person/Company as a Whole
- Scope
You should understand these 4 factors and more importantly, the result of each factor. In other words, how it translates to your business in the long run. Please read this article and carefully to get a full understanding as your business is on the line here.
Web Designer’s Past Experience
Yes. When you pay higher prices you pay for experience. in this example, that web developer charging you more may have more experience. They’ll have more ideas on how you can improve your site and get more value out of it. They’ll know what works based on their experience!
Having past experience also gives you the opportunity to see their past work and whether or not it meets your standards.
With an experienced developer, you’ll go through less project hiccups during the project and there’s less of chance they’ll just up and abandon you. This has happened to so many of my current clients. 50% of my clients have gone with the lower bid before working me and the person was more than likely overwhelmed by the project that they just ghost my client. The reliability factor in the website marketing industry is a huge issue so be weary of someone with no experience if your project is important and requires a tentative eye.
In addition to reducing the risk of someone taking your money and leaving, a web designer with past experience will have a smoother process which means less headache for you. I know this because in the beginning, my projects were rough. After doing this for so many years, I have the process down smoothly. So you can focus on your business and not worry about every phase of the project.
It really is worth the price.
Some Caveats
Now, I know what you’re thinking, “aren’t there companies that charge low fees and have tons of experience?”. Yes there are! Just keep in mind, in this industry, you must compromise to achieve that. These companies that pop out full websites for practically nothing are very template based and aren’t worried about website conversion and ROI. Being template based, you can say bye to customization. If you don’t care about any of those things you are good to go with the lower bid!
Potential Results
A good redesign or rebranding can double, triple, or quadruple your results! Get a new website up can get you more exposure bringing you more business as it makes the sale for you.
Websites play a huge part in all types of business or personal ventures. What do you need a website for?
- Do you want a better image online that represents who you are and what you’re accomplished?
- Is branding the #1 goal for you?
- Do you need higher conversions or feel your design is outdated? Outdated design usually means lower conversions.
- Do you just need simple fixes done on the website?
- Do you feel your online marketing can be improved as a whole in addition to just creating a website?
There are so many uses for a web designer (or as we say here website marketers). Know what you need first because results may vary. Let them know your issue and see how they respond. Do they know what it takes to solve your problem? Do they have past results that prove they can help you with your ultimate goal and reason for getting a website done?
Know what you need and make sure your chosen designer understands the issue and potential results fixing the issue can get. If they can help you increase your revenue or improve your brand for better exposure, I’d say that’s worth the higher price, wouldn’t you?
The Web Design Relationship
I don’t know about you but I like to work with good people so this part is simple. Are you happy with the experience so far? Sometimes you pay for a good partner. Working with a marketing partner that’s friendly, gets along with you, and is there to help you when you need help is a BIG deal and easily worth the price.
So know the kind of relationship you want with your web designer and choose the one that provides that experience.
Scope
Scope is probably an obvious one but worth mentioning still. Scope is the size of the project. It shows how much the project entails in terms of functionality and ultimately time on the end of the developer. It can change the pricing greatly. For example, if you needed membership or ecommerce functionality on the site, that adds a lot of time as there is more work and setup that goes into these website elements. You will pay more for them.
One thing I can guarantee you is someone charging low pricing (under $2000) for ecommerce setup WILL NOT do a complete job or allow any changes to the already incomplete job within the price range. I’d bet my front door on it!
So beware low pricing and understand common web design costs for additions like ecommerce. Scope is related to time and understand higher pricing will reflect that.
Now Go and Choose Wisely
Keep these 4 factors in mind with pricing. I just don’t want people to run into mistakes that end up costing them more in the long run. It is very common for most consumers, including myself, to choose the option that means less up front but that often isn’t the best option. In everything we do, we should always think long term. That’s how business works, relationships work, money works, and so on.
So save yourself the trouble and use the four key factors to choose your web designer carefully.
