How much do professional websites cost? It’s a million dollar question for sure, if it were only that easy to answer!
Website design costs greatly differ from business to business, it depends on the website designer, the website desired and the website features desired.
As with anything, you usually assume that an expensive designer provides better work while a cheaper designer is just that, cheap! Unfortunately, this may not be the case, there are hundreds of “web designers” claiming to be the best and charge upwards of $8-$10,000 for a basic website and then there are others claiming to offer the best at $250!
So, how do you decide how much to invest and which web designer is worth your time and investment? It’s definitely not easy, that’s for sure! Take the following into considering when making your decision…
First Impressions
What impression to you get from the designer? Do they respond to your inquiry in a timely manner? Are they professional? Do they seem to know what they are talking about and can they explain the process to you in professional terms as well as in a way that you fully understand what they are referring to?
Presentation
How do they present themselves professionally? What does their website look like? How do they present their estimate and how do they answer your emails? How fast are they getting back to you? Do they seem interested in learning about you and a genuine interest in earning your business?
Estimate Cost
A number that can change everything- but doesn’t have too! Do they work with your budget, and if they can’t, do they explain why the figure they quoted you sits where it does? How thorough is the estimate? Make sure to ask questions (check out: Getting The Most Accurate Web Design Quote : Answer These 8 Questions First) and be direct, if you have a budget, share it, if you don’t, be sure to feel comfortable talking about what you feel is fair.
A good designer will do their best to work an estimate around your budget and explain why they charge what they do; or may be able to offer a payment plan or may possibly be able to execute your project in phases to best fit your needs and budget.
Be Fair And Considerate
Take in the fact that a good website will turn viewers into leads and leads into sales for your business. It is worth a good investment and it is worth getting it done right, don’t cut corners to save a couple bucks and unless you are a web designer yourself, don’t take it upon yourself to design a website on your own- even with the help of those template based website builders who claim wonderful things. Just as you may build your own site with a beautiful template, your competitor down the street may be thinking the same way and well what do you know… you now have the same website as them- that will do wonders on first impressions and branding, right?!!
Features
You want a great website that will be able to represent you well, it should contain the most up to date features such as social media integration, a contact form, and of course, a responsive design. Your website needs to tie in what your customers are saying about you while explaining who you are and what you offer, it should allow your viewers to easily reach you and of course, be accessible from all devices, including smartphones. Be sure your website designer will be able to offer you all of these features.
Overview Of Website Design Cost
Again, website design rates vary greatly and depend on many details, to give you a slight overview of what we charge to design a website we will give you starting points for our most common projects; we can of course, customize to meet your specific budget and your desired features – a basic fully responsive website that integrates an image gallery and a contact form begins around $1,895; if you have a larger website with the need for more galleries and additional features, your website estimate will begin around the $4,995 rate; if you need an e-commerce website, our e-commerce websites typically begin at $5,995. Again, these numbers are not set in stone and can move up or down on the scale depending on your specific project. Contact us to request additional information and your free estimate.
