Website Building Cost – Good, Better and a Great 1

Website building cost matters whether you are a business owner, an attorney, a consultant, or any similar professional; a website is critical for marketing and selling your services or products. However, it is generally no small task to build your website. And with the increasing need to be online, many people are starting to wonder: What will my website building cost be?

This question might seem trivial, but it has some important implications. For example, if you are a new business, you will need to figure out how much it will cost you to build your site; you might ask: How much is a website?  The answer to that question will be influenced by several key factors, such as your competition, the type of firm or individual you feel most comfortable working with, and the technology required. A rule of thumb is that a simple website will cost between $1,250 and $6,500. However, if you are creative and have the time, a simple website could be close to free. The results are often mediocre at best, but in the end, your need to be financially responsible for your business.  We recommend that you check out our website design cost calculator.

What is the cost of designing a website? Mostly DIY

A plain 5-page website building cost will likely cost between $500 and $3,000 if you use a self-hosted website, Wix, WordPress, or Blogger. Using a predefined template (cost between$19 and $199) in combination with a site builder application can keep the cost down; your websites will be relatively easy to launch and not cost much more than the low side of our estimate. Website builders are a great option if you need a down and dirty website. You can enter your content, and the website builder works its magic. The downside? Website builders don’t allow for a lot of customization and might be limited in the amount of technical customization. There are some advancements in website builder technology; it won’t be as good as what you get from WordPress or hiring a web designer.  Try our website design cost calculator before starting that road; try our website design cost calculator…it is free.

Small agency – website building cost

The step up from a DIY website is finding the assistance of someone with a good bit of experience. This is when the skills of a small agency might be helpful. Since much of the programming work is essentially complete, and the theme will only allow so much customization, you can get a decent site for not a lot of money. Although this might not be the site of your dreams, with the right kind of help, it will likely be enough for a good start.  You might even think about implementing a small PPC campaign to drive traffic to your new site.  Remember that the website you build today will not be the website you will own tomorrow.  Your website and its technical sophistication will grow as your business grows in almost every case.

Small business website design cost

Choosing a small agency to build your website is almost always the correct choice, expect the cost for small businesses website to be between $4,500 and $9,500 for a well functioning website with around 20 pages. While this cost includes professional graphics and programming, you will likely want to have some custom content developed. Some editorial services might be included in that price range, but as a rule of thumb, content writing services will run between $100 and – 300 per page in addition to the cost of the website. The cost difference in content development depends heavily on the expertise required to create the content.

The team that builds your website

How much does it cost to build a website for a small business?  In most cases, you will need to hire an agency.  Using an agency, you will likely have more than just a single person working on the project in this range—usually a project coordinator, a marketing guru, a graphic artist, and the developer. You will have a lot of flexibility rather than using a preset theme/template with fixed areas for text and graphics, fonts, and general navigation. We call this a semi-custom or custom site.

Cost of building a website for a small business – your best value

In most cases, small agencies will have several meetings to help them understand your business model. They will also spend some hours doing competitive research and produce several “comps” which graphically show you what the final website will look like and a good amount of hand-holding. Many small agencies replicate the processes of a larger agency. The resulting website usually is quite good. This is the sweet spot for most small business owners who want a quality presence on the Internet.  If you need a quick estimate, try out our website cost calculator. In most cases, our tool will give you a good idea of the cost of building a website.

 

How much does a high-end professional website cost?

A professional website from a large agency will likely have a website building cost between $15,000 and $60,000; yes, that is an enormous range. But why so expensive? Mainly due to the number of person-hours involved with the process. There are many contributing factors; we will focus on only a few:

Graphical look and feel of a website

Your website’s overall look and feel is essential because it instantly conveys an attitude to your clients before they even start reading the content on the site. There is some leeway within general industry categories, but users can get confused or turned off by websites that don’t match their expectations for a business or industry. The investment is worth it for high-volume sites or sites that sell high-ticket items!

For example, a fitness website should be fresh, powerful, and organized – not too creative with colors and textures! A band’s website can be more creative with color choices than most other businesses due to its expressive nature. In contrast, a fashion designer may want something sophisticated like black-and-white images and textured backgrounds for product shots. A high ticket site needs to maximize the revenue from each visitor, and for many companies, a slight difference in conversion rates can mean millions of dollars.

The website building cost of a GREAT website

So, where does the cost come in? Some types of business require extreme attention to detail. The look and feel of their websites need to match the business’ brand identity. Something as simple (and complex) as image selection may take 5-10 meetings to agree on a handful of images. Upper-level management is often involved with every decision. Why? Because it makes a difference.

Strategy and expert analysis for your website

When working with a large agency, the design process will go deeper than simple design. Agencies spend equal time on content, user experience, conversion rate optimization, and everything else that makes your website a valuable asset to you to help you achieve your business goals. What sets a small or large agency apart from most freelance web designers is the amount of strategy to build a powerful lead-generating machine for your business.

Attention to technical and aesthetic detail

A typical agency will work with you to map out how users navigate your site by looking at sitemap architecture and historical data surrounding user behavior patterns to propose changes that remove friction during the visitor’s journey- but only if those proposed changes are beneficial!

With a big agency, you’re gaining access not just to designers and developers but also to strategy experts who have years-worth of experience across various fields, including design, marketing, user experience, development, and content creation; this means whatever you need to be done will be completed by experts. This ultimately results in better conversions rates resulting in increased revenue.

 

 

Website building cost for dermatology or cosmetic surgery site

To be successful in the medical community, general practitioners generally need a solid and informative website. However, specialists like dentists, cosmetic surgeons, and dermatologists need to attract patients looking for higher-value treatments by showcasing services on their websites to make them stand out from other physicians. In these highly competitive markets, the conversion of visitors looking for specific procedures is critical- custom designs are needed to demonstrate why they are better than others for this kind of high-end treatment or service. Search engine optimization is also essential as marketing costs can get prohibitive. Incorporating technology into your site, such as map connections so people can find you easily, click-to-call options through touch screen interfaces, and strategically placed calls to action, will help achieve higher user conversions.

Typically with the needed attention to detail, search engine optimization, and required expertise in content creation, dermatology, or cosmetic surgery, website costs of $15,000 to 50,000 would be expected.

 

 

How much is the website building cost for a home builder?

Many architects and home builders view their website as an online brochure. And we agree it’s essential to show off your recently built homes or other projects. However, that is only a tiny part of a well-designed website. A builder or architects site needs to be a virtual sales rep capable of generating leads and sales 24/7/365

Architects’ and builders’ websites should be well-designed in an esthetic way, rank well in search engine results, and convert your visitors into customers. This is done with fantastic imagery, relevant content, click to chat technology, and offering up a compelling reason to take the next step in getting to know you.

An affordable website for home services providers (e.g., pest control, plumbing, and landscaping) will likely cost between $4,500 and $12,000

 

 

 

How much does a website for a home services provider cost?

Pest control, plumbers, handypeople, landscapers, and other service providers have a critical hurdle. Their customers want information about what happens when the services are rendered. The key is to build your site, so the customer gets that feeling of reassurance and safety. The website also needs to have several ways to contact your company. Fast response, clever messaging, and thoughtful web design are critical elements of a successful site.

An affordable website for service providers will likely cost between $4,500 and $7,000

 

 

 

How can I save money on my website design?

You can always try building your site yourself using a free website builder to reduce the cost of building a website, and it looks straightforward. However, achieving a website that works for you will require time and expertise. In most cases, if you are interested in saving money, you should consider hiring a professional. You might also believe that a lousy website generally means fewer leads. Remember that 85 percent of your customers will research you online before contacting you.

 

 

Is it possible to build my website for free?

Yes, it is possible to build your website for free. However, it can take a lot of work, and you will have to sacrifice some of the essential features found on a premium website. You will likely have to build a simple website using a free website builder, such as Squarespace or Wix.  A Wix website cost is very modest and easy to program if your budget is next to nothing you may want to consider them as an option.  Godaddy’s website costs are also close to free; however, their hosting is questionable.

 

 

 

 

Hiring an offshore company via Fiver

You can also hire an offshore web development company to build your website at a discounted price. Frankly, you have no idea what you will get, and you should be mindful of some of the inherent issues that come along when dealing with an offshore entity.  You might find that the website building cost you thought was X is now X+++.

 

 

Here are some of the challenges that you may face when hiring an offshore development company:

There are some very reputable offshore companies. However, like in the US, there are things you should be mindful of when engaging them.

Communication and language barriers can be a problem when explaining projects to offshore development companies. This lack of understanding can cost you money, time, and resources.

Meeting expectations When it comes down to quality control for your final deliverable. It is also essential that the development team has a solid understanding of your business and your expectations, and this is critical to both the user experience and conversion rates.

Programming skills can be limited as a result – if there’s any need for advanced programming work, it won’t come through nicely and will likely be sloppy.

Finally, legal recourse is wholly lost when dealing with an overseas company. All your data could quickly end up on another country’s server, which puts you at risk should anything happen!  At-risk also is your credit card information and intellectual property.

 

 

What are the benefits of building a website?

Having a website can increase your online presence, benefiting your business. For example, having a website can help you gain new clients and increase the number of people who know about your services or products. Having a website can also help you boost your online reputation, making it easier to receive referrals and establish relationships with future customers.

 

 

Building your own website?  There are disadvantages

Most folks quickly realize that they have bitten off more than they can chew.  The first hurdle is learning how to use a site builder, and it looks more straightforward than it is.  Next, you realize that having some graphical/artistic talent is very useful.   You will likely spend WAY too many person-hours only to finish with a subpar website. The real killer besides the lost time is the lost opportunity from prospects leaving your site only to end up with a competitor.  That does sting!

 

 

Do you have to pay monthly for a website?

There are all sorts of small fees associated with your website.  Nothing is truly free! Yearly there is a domain renewal fee. In most cases, you will have a small monthly hosting fee.  If you have a website with a lot of traffic, there are other fees in addition to the cost of building a website.  Blacklist checkers, premium widgets, virus protection, CDNs, and more.  You may also have a circumstance where this is a monthly “rental” for your website; this will factor into how much a website costs per month.