How much does a website cost?

You’ll hear a lot of different answers to this question.

Having a clear vision of what you’re trying to accomplish with your web design will help to get an accurate cost. Here are some pointers and a list of add-ons that will help you to plan for a successful site.

First... web designers and companies come in all shapes sizes, levels of complexity and specialization. You want the best job for the least cost. The best job includes someone you trust and will be there when you need them if anything needs to be upgraded or fixed. You could hire a student that will be cheap but this results in problems. Will they be reachable in a year if your site goes down?

Here’s a breakdown depending on the needs of your business.

Under $3,000: These websites will typically have one person designing and developing. They come with minimal custom design, and no strategic input.

$4,000-$5,000: You should expect strategic insight, as well as some input on information architecture and social media marketing.

$5,000-$8,000: This is the sweet spot for most small businesses. You’ll get comprehensive and thoughtful input on the design. The design and functionality will support your business goals and critical social media integration. This may include some e-commerce functionality.

$10,000+: Generally, this price range is dictated by larger websites (25+ pages) and/or e-commerce functionality, both of which require a larger time investment from both a design and development perspective.

Industry average

Domain Name – $10/year

Hosting – $8 a month up to $24 per month for a full functioning e-commerce site

Web planning, design and development time – 60 hours and up

Continued website maintenance – $500 a year and up (depending on number/type of updates required)

Marketing your website online – $750 a month and up

 

 

ADD ONS 

Here is an industry average of add ons. I include responsive design at no extra charge. If a site is built properly from the start there should be no additional time added.

  • Creating a responsive design can cost 20% – 30% more
  • Costs for Content Creation $100 – $150 per page 
  • CMS can range from $2,000 to $20,000
  • Training and documentation expect to pay from $400 – $1,500
  • E-commerce shopping carts, catalogs, payment processing $1,500–$5000 or more depending on requirements
  • Email Marketing Campaigns email blasts. $720 and up
  • Branding/Identity Development- Logo design $900 – $3,500
  • Basic style guide $1,440
  • Contact forms and surveys $300 and up
  • Newsletters $400 – $900 
  • Advertising integration (Google AdWords) $200
  • Metrics: Google analytics, custom reports, etc. $200–$2,000
  • Social media: Create and manage social media network profile such as Twitter, FaceBook, YouTube, Pinterest, Google+, LinkedIn etc. $500–$2,000
  • You should budget a minimum of $250 per month to have a designer/developer on call if you have a problem that you can’t fix