If you’ve been comparing website prices, you’re probably wondering why they vary to such an extent. Simply put, understanding why a website is so expensive or cheap ultimately boils down to how its built to function and what its designed to do.
There are several factors that when combined, make for a great website and it certainly pays to invest in one. This guide covers some important basics on the topic to help you make informed decisions in a world where everyone touts professionalism. These factors include
- Website Design Pricing
- Website Design Principles
- Website Development Process
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How Much Does a Professional Website Cost?
If you don’t know what to look for during the research process, you may end up confused as to why you’re receiving quotes that are so different. A quick Google search for “professional website design” yields thousands of results that you now have to sift through to find something that doesn’t seem off. Some results give you the low-end option of hiring someone to build a personalized, “high-quality” website for as little as $50.00. Then come the agencies that provide you with high-end website design services that range from the thousands to some cases, millions of dollars.
Here’s what I mean by the vast differences in website price quotes:
Obviously as the client, you’d rather not spend too much on a website. You may be thinking that it shouldn’t be that much work with the basics down – all you have to do is install WordPress and choose a theme. This can certainly be the case if you’re seeing a low-end return, and is not recommended if you’re serious about your brand.
What’s the average cost of a website in 2017?
Building a functioning website that actually makes a difference in your bottom line is neither as simple nor as cheap as some results on Google make it out to be. It’s a creative endeavor; one that’s based on a solid process relying on query, strategic planning, an actual talent for design, and an impeccable management and execution strategy.
Anybody can have the skill it takes to build a website, but a truly effective website design and development process means hiring people who are great at doing what they do – they have a creative spark coupled with the passion to actually build something worth putting out there. There are two options when it comes to building a website; low-end options and high-end options.
A. Low-end Web Design Options
1- Do-It-Yourself Website Builders
Low-end design is the cheapest way to getting an online presence out there, and fast. Some options come in the form of do-it-yourself website builders, where you use basic, pre-built generic themes that limit you to drag and drop content in set boxes on the page. However, you are doing a lot of harm to your brand if you opt to take this route.
2- Junior Web Designers
If your budget is less than a thousand dollars, your next option would be to hire a junior web designer. These types of designers are fresh out of college and don’t have that much experience or an extensive portfolio to showcase to their clients yet. These designers advertise themselves on websites such as Upwork.com.
B. High-end Website Design Options
1- Hiring a Senior Web Designer
High-end web design options mean hiring people who have experience and a track record of results (not to mention, a trail of happy clients). Your first option is to hire a senior web designer. Senior designers have plenty of experience and an extensive portfolio that highlights their work. Senior designers won’t charge as much as agencies do, and they often offer packages and individual services. Senior designers charge differently, but generally their prices are between the $1,000 – $8,000 range. While you’re doing your research, make sure that the designer is also familiar with building your online brand identity and is able to make consistent changes to the site as time progresses.
2- Boutique Digital Agencies
Small design digital agencies can deliver excellent work, and they often have experienced team members who work together to design several elements of your website. Each member may focus on one factor of your site to deliver the best service. This work does come with a heftier price tag; expect to pay upwards of $10,000 for a website managed by this small yet experienced team of professionals.
3- Established Branding Agencies
Professional branding agencies are established agencies that don’t just focus on web design. These agencies conduct a comprehensive market study for your business, and often offer multi-purpose maintenance packages. These agencies hire professional marketing experts who conduct a thorough SWOT analysis of your business and develop a brand positioning strategy for your business. Their teams focus on every angle of your project and vision, and execute their work based on statistics and facts. Clients who resort to established branding agencies are often established in their own fields and their websites tend to be more complex and targeted.
Which of these options is best?
Hiring a senior web design expert is the best option when you factor quality vs. price. Senior designers offer high-end results for a fraction of the cost offered by boutique or established agencies. Senior developers usually offer services that are similar to maintenance packages that you receive from agencies, but don’t break the budget since agencies typically start their packages at about $10,000. Startups and individual clients are at a disadvantage because that price is usually not within their budget. You will receive a similar final product with a senior web designer, but spend significantly less.
Consider the following factors for a clearer picture of the process. What we’ve covered so far is that senior designers, your best bet at getting good quality vs price, charge anywhere between $1,000 – $8,000. Before you make a decision however, you need to know what affects the final price.
Why it matters
Website design is a creative service that can’t be lumped into a fixed price. That can only be accomplished after you discuss the specifics with the designer. You receive a final quote only after the designer understands your vision and determines how and how long it will take to execute it.
Specifics include providing detailed information about your concept, agreeing on the number of revisions which could be potentially made, and the true scope of the work that needs to be done on the site. Asking a designer for a website’s price before you give that information is like walking into a butcher’s shop and asking how much the price of “meat” is. What type of meat, and how much do you want?
There are several factors that go into the price of a website. One of these factors is the designer him/herself.
- Where is the designer located?
- What’s his or her track record?
- Are you going to be charged hourly, or as a whole product?
The designer’s seniority tallies into the price because this individual has built solid skills and has the experience to get the job done. Web design, branding identity and marketing professionals use their experience to benefit your business and can address challenges with solutions that work for your business.
There are some common elements you can consider when hiring a website developer.
- What’s their reputation in the market?
Senior designers have built a reputation with other clients, and use this reputation to attract prospective clients. Ask to view the designer’s portfolio, look for testimonials and research their online reputation.
- Where are they based?
Where a designer lives factors into the final price you pay. A designer in a different country usually advertises services based on the cost of living in his / her country. Some however, are now adjusting the cost based on the location of the client. - How are you going to be charged?
Many designers charge an hourly rate for their work. You’re paying for their expertise and their time and the project can range in complexity from a few hours to numerous ones. If that doesn’t work for you, look for a designer that gives you a set, fixed price for the work needed. Make sure to get the price and the deliverables in contract before hiring the designer. - How much marketing analysis is going to be conducted before the work begins?
The more in-depth the designer’s research and market analysis is, the more likely they will design a better-performing website. Senior designers conduct competitive research and this alters the price. It is well worth it to hire a designer that does this, as it is considered to be the cornerstone of an effective web design process. - What is their process and revision policy?
If you understand and agree with the process that the designer outlined for you, that’s a good start. A professional web designer should have a clear, transparent process set in place and shouldn’t make you feel as if you don’t understand. Ask about the designer’s revision policy. You may require edits, and this should be discussed prior to starting. - Deliverables
You may not be fully certain of the exact deliverables you want. There are different ways to display your site for example. The designer can create sketches of how your website could look. Sites can be horizontal (visually) or vertical, can take up an entire screen or just a part of it, can be static and dynamic, and so on. Ask the designer what deliverables are possible after you’ve explained your vision.
How can I actually use this?
Price factors can be generally divided into two main segments
- The designer’s logistics and seniority
- How much work is needed on the website
So what makes a good website then? How do you know if the designer has produced a quality, fully-functioning website that works, or if it’s simply a web page that looks pretty? You’d have to understand what the principles of an effective website design are, which leads to the next segment of this article that outlines the website design process in detail.
What makes an effective Website?
Truly successful websites take time and effort to complete and are often more complex than they outwardly seem. This is why for professional designers, the websites they build turn into personal works of art that they craft into something that works and is something they can be proud of.
What’s most important to remember is that it not always about how a website looks. It’s more what it’s built to do. Website design isn’t about how the customer likes it to look and is more about what works and how it works. If your website doesn’t appear in search engines such as Google for example, all you really have is an image on the internet that nobody can ever find.
Five principles of Effective Website Design:
Understanding what you’re going to be paying for should justify the price you are paying. If you’re serious about your website making money, you’re looking for a one that’s built to be effective, not just a page that looks good but doesn’t appear in search engine results.
An effective Website:
- Has a simple, user friendly design
A website doesn’t have to include too much design complexity and actually, shouldn’t. Instead, look for smooth navigation, call to action and a user-friendly experience. The design should be responsive on all devices its accessed by. - It is memorable
There are some websites that you happen to find and stand out as memorable afterwards while others are forgotten as soon as the page is closed. An appropriate website is simple and memorable, and users are more likely to visit again. - It is Search Engine Optimized
There is simply no reason to have a website online if it is not Search Engine Optimized. SEO means that you’re indexed in search engines so that when people look for services that you provide online, the search engine will place your website in the results of their search. - Appropriate call to action
The positioning of your call to actions should be clearly designed for their intended purpose. For example, you cannot use business-associated font, images or environment for a ladies clothing store. - Understand the website design process
Most of the money that you’ll be spending on your website goes into it’s under-the-hood work. Although websites are browsed through in minutes, it takes days and sometimes months to finally produce a website that is fully-functioning and ready. If the process is executed appropriately, you can use your website with minor edits for a long period of time, saving you time and money in the long run.
The final part of this article walks you through the design process of your website. This part matters as much as the others because a website’s design greatly factors into the final price that you’re quoted.
Cutting corners or trying to bypass some steps to get your website built might seem like a good idea, but a process is set for a reason, and the necessary steps need to be taken or else the final result will not be as desired. All you’re doing by trying to cut corners is increase your risk and can decrease the website’s long-term benefits.
Here’s how the process generally goes:
1. The Design Briefing Phase
You’ll want to see a general blueprint of how your website will look, and designers usually have a pre-set questionnaire that they go through with you to get an idea of your vision. A designer filters the information that way, and receives an overview of your vision. His or her job is to execute that vision visually.
2. The Research Process
After the designer has received a general brief, he or she conducts market research about your competitors as well as research about your own brand and industry. Think of it as a kind of SWOT analysis. Furthermore, the designer builds an understanding how your target audience interacts with your brand. The research process is important because the designer generates ideas about how to differentiate your brand from your competitors.
3. The Brainstorming Session
With an idea of what you want and the appropriate data and research to highlight your vision, the designer brainstorms a series of ways in which your idea can be realized. You are a vital part of this session because the designer will suggest several approaches to your vision and will need your approval before they are able to start executing.
4. The Execution Phase
When you agree on a concept, a process of execution will be developed and execution of the site follows. Now that you have an understanding of what fundamental elements are needed to generate a successful website design, weigh it against the briefing and the strategy outlined. What remains is execution of the strategy, and this is the phase that takes the most time and work.
5. Presentation of Final Product
The final product is the amalgamation of everything that has been outlined in this article. You should have a website design that is targeted to be effective, simple, user-friendly and search engine optimized. Your brand looks different from your competitors, and you have effective call to actions and a working, measurable system in the back-end of the site.
Read more about website Design Process here.
Hire a designer that sticks to the process.
Now you know what it means to have a professional website, and what goes in to making your vision a reality. After you have read this article, you should have a foundation of knowledge as to why a developer or agency are quoting you such different process, and what decision works best for your online brand. The true strength of your designer or agency lies in their own creative talent; since creativity varies in each individual and one person’s execution of your vision can look very different from another’s.
Hopefully, this article has narrowed down your options and given you a broader understanding of the web design and development process. Choosing a designer shouldn’t be difficult. Make sure they have a good trach record of success and a solid reputation, and most importantly, one that you can trust.
