How much does a website cost?

This is a question we get all the time. So I’m writing this to help you understand what a website should cost based on the size of your business, the general functions of the website, and the quality of the website.

Do It Yourself

Cost: Free or very low cost
Quality: Poor
Impact: A lot of your time spent and your reputation is at risk.

Free? Yes, or pretty close to it. There are some products out there that offer you a way to build a free website.

• WIX – A web development platform that lets anyone create a website. Upsells and other charges do apply.
• Weebly – Another DIY web development platform similar to WIX.
• GoDaddy – they provide many templates to choose from. You can replace the placeholder text and images with your own.
• WordPress.com – WordPress is a free and open-source content management system based on PHP and MySQL. You can setup a free limited version of WordPress at WordPress.com and create a basic site. Your web address would be something like mysite.wordpress.com.

If you are developing the website yourself, there will likely be missed opportunity costs due to time lost focusing on your business. Of course, you’ll need to come up with all of the design idea, images to use, and words to say. Be prepared to read up on web design best practices or the end product will look like…well, like you did it yourself.

Use A Friend Or Relative

Cost: $1000 to $2000
Quality: Low
Impact: It could take forever, or you never get the final product. Shottie work at best is to be expected.

Everyone has a friend or relative in school that can build websites. We’ve even inherited client once who had their nephew who was on summer break from high school start on their website. But once the school season started, he was too busy to finish the website!

Using someone you know is creates websites on the site or as a hobby can be a good option for a startup business that doesn’t yet have the capital to hire a website development company.

When hiring a friend of relative, expect that you will need to provide most of the design decisions. They will likely have some technical ability to create a website, but will defer to you for the majority of the decisions on look, feel, tone, etc. Brush up on modern web design principles to ensure that what they create for you isn’t based on what was in vogue several years ago.

Hire a Freelancer

Cost: $2500 to $4000
Quality: Marginal to Good
Impact: It could take a long time to finish the project. Be prepared to work with the freelancers at night and on weekends.

You can also go online and hire a freelancer. A freelancer is someone who has a full time job doing something else, possibly unrelated to web design, but runs a small side business as well. You can hire a freelancer from all over the world, and will likely get connected with someone who is not local. If they’re from outside of the US then there will be a language and cultural barrier you’ll need to work to overcome, and idioms you say often may be lost on them.

Communications could be a challenge. You’ll be able to email or possibly have a Skype call with them during the project. This can save money, but not time. Since a freelancer has a full time commitment during the day to their real job, be prepared to communicate at night and weekends when they are free to work on your project. Basically, be prepared to not be their first priority. But as long as they are actually a web design by trade, you could end up getting a good product in the end. They’ll help make some design decisions, but you will still need to provide ample creative direction especially if they are not US based.

Hire A Professional Web Design Company

If you are looking to grow your business and stand out from the crowd, you should hire a professional company. That will allow you to focus on what’s important – your business. In this case, there are a few different price points I will cover below.

Good Website

Example: Startup or Small Business Brochure Website

Cost: $5,000 to $7,000
Quality: High
Impact: Your company gains a professional online presence that represents your brand.

What this may include:

• 5 to 10 pages
• Mobile Responsive Website
• Content Management System
• Homepage Slideshow
• News / Blog
• Contact Form

Better Website

Example: Small Business, Sales Funnel Lead Generation Website

Cost: $9,000 to $11,000
Quality: High
Impact: Your new website works for your business, captures leads and drives sales.

What this may include:

• 10 to 20 pages
• Mobile Responsive Website
• Content Management System
• News / Blog
• Photo Galleries or Portfolios
• Parallax, Background Videos or Other Visual Enhancements
• Optimized Content
• SEO Tools and Analytics Tracking
• Interactive Map and Directions
• Tested Great Calls To Action
• Lead Forms

Best Website

Example: eCommerce or Corporate Website

Cost: $13,000 to $20,000+
Quality: Excellent
Impact: Your website becomes essential to your business operations, marketing, sales and hiring.

What this may include:

• 20 to 30 pages
• Mobile Responsive Website
• Content Management System
• Online Shopping Cart
• PCI Compliant – SSL / TLS Certificate
• Company Policies and Other Legal Information
• Product Showcases and Galleries
• Interactive Office or Store Locator
• Event Management and Calendar with Online Booking
• Learning Management System
• Online Forum
• Client Portal and File Sharing
• Job Board for Hiring

So, who to hire?

If cash is tight, or if you’re just starting off, then save money and do it yourself or have a friend or relative do it. If you have the budget and want to get serious about your business, hire a local professional company.

When budgeting for your website, you should take the following into consideration:

• How much time you are prepared to commit to the project?
• How much money you are prepared to invest?
• How willing are you to provide the creative direction?