It’s the age-old question that many web designers face. How much does a website cost?
The tricky part is, that without more information, it’s an impossible question to answer accurately. You might as well ask how long a piece of string is.
When you buy a custom-built site that is designed specifically for your business, you’re also paying for the expertise and experience that comes with the designer.
There are many variables that go into designing, building and launching a website. Some website builders might have you believe that it is a pretty simple process, or that works for one will work for everyone. But if you are serious about your business and about representing your brand online, then you need to work with someone who knows what they’re doing.
So, what determines a price?
Complexity and time involved in a project
Essentially – the more complex a website, the higher the price. But there is also another factor: time.
The more services involved, it’s likely to take more time. If you already have content, images, a list of services and you are not concerned with a fully customized build, it’s likely your project will cost less than a fully customized website that doesn’t have copy or images provided.
For example, when designing a homepage, there are a myriad of different factors that have to be considered. Without going into absolutely everything, here is a little snapshot of a couple of elements that I have to consider, even just during the draft phase:
Designing an effective ‘call-to-action’
You might have noticed on my homepage, I have a section beneath the menu that features a ‘call-to-action’ – the first thing a viewer sees, with a clear opportunity for the viewer to take the desire action. This could be visiting a store, getting a quote, making a donation, or calling a phone number.
Within this, there’s also the time and work that goes into revisions to these based on client feedback. This does not mean that the work needs to be changed – but in my case, I always like to look at involving the client as much as they see fit. Sometimes this is a lot, sometimes not much at all and they are perfectly comfortable with letting me work the magic!
When building these critical elements, I take client feedback very seriously. Therefore I always suggest that potential clients get a custom quote if they aren’t 100% sure what they need.
Drafting content flow for your homepage
Considering the content flow of a homepage can make or break the user experience. If there is too much going on, you risk overwhelming or frustrating the reader. And within this, there is even more variables that need to be taken into account – such as image optimisation, copywriting and SEO.
If there’s not enough information, you risk the reader bouncing (or leaving your site) due to a lack of clarity.
There’s a delicate balance when organizing content to provide enough information a websites’ purpose, enough opportunity for the reader to explore, as well as for the user to take action.
Number of pages and copy
Consider that a small website with 5 pages requires design, copywriting, images and optimisation for each of these 5 pages.
Now consider a website that provides over 20 different services – each requiring their own page.
All of these elements need to be crafted with thought, care and purpose. Remember – this all affects the way potential customers receive your brand online.
Your website is an investment in your business – and each services page and the content within them asks as a 24/7 online salesman!
Enhanced functionality
Does your website need a booking system? A store? A blog? Dynamic image galleries?
These all take extra time and sometimes external software. Using these as examples, here’s some instances of what goes into this extra functionality:
Store
- Data input for each product such as price, descriptions, images or stock
- Shipping data, delivery zones, dynamic pricing or custom forms (such as file uploads)
- Setting up payment gateways through PayPal or Stripe
- Customer email design, such as order confirmations, cancellations and order status emails
- Testing all features to ensure a smooth launch
Blog
- Custom layouts for blog posts, blog archives and category pages
- Individual or multiple user setup
- Social media plugins to ensure easy content sharing
- Training for bloggers to correctly post, edit and structure content for best SEO practices
Booking System
- Third-party booking software to be integrated
- Layout customisation of software to match branding
- Integration of payment gateways if necessary
- Formatting and setup of booking system to meet client needs (for example: group sessions for a yoga company, Zoom integration for an online consulting company)
Depending on the business, these can be core elements that are required of a business. Obviously, this isn’t an exhaustive list, but it does go a long way in determining a price tag of the website that you would like to have built.
Ongoing Maintenance
This one is optional – but it’s always recommended. Like anything that is used over time, it might need a tune up every now and then.
The internet – and, software that is used by websites – is constantly changing. And to keep your website safe and functional, it’s always recommended that you have the right person take care of your website’s maintenance after launch. Some of these tasks include:
- Updating software to prevent hacks
- Store commerce reports
- Monthly updates, content revisions and image updates
- Google Analytics reports (traffic, monthly visitors and engagement statistics)
- Fixing any errors made by a client (it happens!)
- Ongoing backups to make sure you never lose your website to downtime or when moving hosts
Of course, some people are fine doing this themselves – but the less you have to worry about with your website, the more you can focus on doing what you need to – running your business.
As I mentioned, there are an unlimited amount of factors that go into determining the cost of a website. However, time/complexity and functionality undoubtedly play a large part.
I hope this gives you a bit of insight into what can determine the cost of a website – and maybe gave you some ideas about what you might want in your next project!
