How much does Web Design cost?

One of the hardest parts of my job as a web designer is giving quotes/estimates! Not to mention one job that I do not look forward to! “Why?” you ask? Because every website is different and one person will be surprised at the “low price”, and the next will be upset at how expensive it is. But in the end, everyone wants to know “How much is it going to cost for my website?” A client may come to me and say “It’s just a basic site. How much?” Well to me a basic site is bare bones content and a simple layout only – so it may be about $500-800.  They say “Great! Let’s start!” but then we start and they start adding things like a flash or a javascript banner, a photo gallery, about 30 photo’s they want to use in the design, a contact form and want to be able to handle the content themselves (CMS).  Well, now that $500 just jumped to about $2500.  It is SO IMPORTANT to let the designer know BEFORE work starts what exactly what you are looking for.  There is a lot to web design than just a pretty site.  If you go online right now and “right click” anywhere on the page (not over an image – just the text) and choose “view page source”…that’s what a developer has to use in order for your site to look just right, is SEO optimized and the site functions in all browsers!  That’s a lot of work !

I suggest that before you contact designer’s to get a quote that you follow these steps: CLICK HERE FOR A PRINTABLE VERSION!

1)    Take a look online at your competition. What are their sites “doing”? Do they look nice? Does their site look like their neighbour’s teenage son did it? Are they easy to navigate? Once you have made a list of pros and cons and ones you like and don’t like – bookmark them so you can reference them in your contact information! It helps the designer know what you are looking for and expecting.

2)    Are you selling a product or service? Does your merchandise change regularly?  How will you accept payments? Will you take credit card transactions online?

3)    Who is your website aimed at?

4)    Have you got a brand? I.E. Logo, name, etc.

5)    How quickly do you need your website completed? What will happen if you don’t have a website?

Next, what is your budget? How much do you plan on spending on your website? Typical costs vary greatly depending on individual requirements and which designer you choose but you could pay anything from $500 all the way up to $100,000! It’s important that the designer know everything you need in order to give you a proper estimate/quote.  If the quote is larger than your budget then don’t go running for the hills just yet! Tell the designer that your budget is not that much and a good designer can either tell you how you can still get a great website within your budget or point you to a reputable company that can do your project within your budget.

CLICK HERE FOR A PRINTABLE VERSION!

Why does one web designer charge $2000, and another charges $500 for the same thing?

The answer… they are almost certainly not charging you for the same thing!  Look at their portfolios! Do they even compare to each other?  Have a good look at their quote! If web designer “Joe” quotes you at $2000 for your website design, that may be because he’s going to spend a lot more time on organization, developing the visual side, making sure the site is custom designed for you, getting it SEO ready, and generally making it a great site. With so many designers out there to design a website, but they are NOT all the same! Now for $500 you may get a quote for a similar project from web designer “Jane”, but they will likely only put a fraction of the effort into it. They may use outdated software like Microsoft Frontpage. They may not use valid coding and your site looks very plain and outdated right off the bat! Be sure to view their live sites. Do you like them? What don’t you like? A designer with a bad portfolio is most likely NOT going to surprise you with something amazing.

What are “expensive” features?

These vary, but here are some things that might be costing you a bit more than you would like:

• E-commerce (especially e-commerce sites with custom designed layouts)
• Slideshows
• Flash elements
• Music players
• CMS (Content Management System)
• User interaction (commenting, ability to write reviews, etc.)

The most expensive elements above are these:

• E-commerce
• Flash
• User interaction (depending on the level of interaction).

What do people usually charge? I can say for sure how much they’d quote for your particular project but the “going rate” for hourly fees are approximately:

Overseas: $10-$40/hour

• The only problem with overseas is that they cannot sit with you to walk you through your website. Some of them have limited English skills and are used to talking in technical terms. So it’s hard for a “newbie” to the WWW to understand what they are talking about. Some designer’s have people they work with overseas but that is because they have the same knowledge of the man/woman overseas and can let them know exactly what the project details are. I have used overseas companies in the past when a client’s design budget is lower but only for development parts. The custom designs and layouts are completely my own and catered to the client.

Freelancer: $45-$100/hour

• Freelancers have a little more experience but usually only do it part time. If you need work in the future or have a question you may not be able to find them again! They may have moved on to a different city or even gotten out of the business all together! When I hire a freelancer I make sure they give me any and all details on how to handle the developments they did so that I can fix them in the future or answer any questions my clients have.

Expert Consultant: $50-$200/hour

• This is where I fall into category! I have extensive experience. A large portfolio. Have a keen sense of what to give my clients and can design, code and develop websites.  Expert Consultants usually can give you a better price as they do not have as much overhead such as; office rent, hourly employees, etc. But expect to pay a bit more than a freelancer or overseas designer ONLY because they Expert is with you for the long haul and they cater to their clients.

Company: $95-$250/hour

• A company will have the staff to get your project done (as the Expert usually will hire on a per project base). But you do pay a higher price because they have a lot of overhead and a tonne of experience dealing with large projects. So if you have a little 3 page project they may refer you to an Expert Consultant because the Company usually take on large corporations and more “interactive” websites.

So an example of what a basic design (no bells or whistles) might cost you:

Overseas: $100-$300

Freelancer: $400-$800

Expert Consultant: $800-$1200

Company: $1000-$2500

*This is not a direct notice of actual hourly rates. Web designer’s are ALL different in pricing and fees. I do not represent any firm/freelancer/individual other than reference to Presence Web Design. All opinions are those of Presence Web Design and may differ from other individuals.