I can’t tell you how many times I’m asked, “How much does it cost to build a website?”
Today we’ll peek behind the curtain and answer that question, giving you real numbers you can chew on and also offering a deeper insight into what goes into this decision. The costs of a new website build or website redesign can range wildly, depending on what your needs are, whether you can do some of it yourself, or need a website design company to handle the entire project for you. We’ll help you sort that out here.
Elements That Determine the Cost of Your New Website
Think of it as if you were building a new home. There are items you need, and items you want. The more rooms, features and gizmos you add, the greater the cost and complexity (time and money). Listed below are just are a few of these important elements that will have a direct effect on your website build or redesign.
- Do you require a completely custom design, customized template, or an out of the box templated design?
- How many pages will your site contain?
- Will you need help designing the framework of your site?
- Who will write your content?
- Are you supplying your own imagery and video content?
- Do you need a blog?
- Do you need SEO?
- Do you need a responsive website with support for tablets and mobile devices?
- What are the custom needs of your site; payment processing, quote systems, membership options, logins, API integrations, a CRM, or others?
- Who will be handling site maintenance and problems?
Pricing a Professional New Website
We need to start somewhere, so let’s take a look at what it would cost for an average professional website build. Other than the averages quoted, the prices below are our prices. Just know that prices can and do vary considerably.
Industry Average of a Website Redesign
Web authority HubSpot, in a report from 2013 listed the average cost of a website redesign and build at $38,572.
While it’s very easy to have the tab run that high, it’s by no means absolutely necessary. Our average small business website solutions start at $5,000. This includes the following items:
- Site Discovery and Audience Research
- Unique website design
- 10-15 pages
- Mobile-Friendly Out of the Gate
- Basic On-Page SEO Baked In
- A content management system designed for your team
- Training video designed to help you perform basic site functions
Looking to Build a Professional Website That Dominates The Competition and is a Lead Generating Machine?
Most of our professional website redesign projects come in between $15,000 and $30,000. So what do you get for the added cost?
While each project varies, some of the more typical expenses may include…
- Custom coding for Integrations with CRM software, APIs, database applications and more
- Payment processing setup and implementation
- Extensive Research on Competition and Market
- Professionally written content
- Lead Magnet creation and implementation
- Email Sales Automation
- Sales Landing Pages
- More site pages
- And many other things!
Necessary Recurring Costs for your Website
There are some ongoing costs associated with keeping your website up and functional. Some of these are…
Web hosting
You’ll need a place to host your site, whether that’s on a server or a cloud. Prices vary depending on your size and traffic.
Typical cost = $29-$300 monthly
Web support
Unless you or someone on your staff is technically adept, you’ll need a webmaster to help you update, make changes, solve problems etc.
Typical cost = $199 and up monthly
Content creation
New content for your site, if you hope to compete!
Typical cost = $1,200 – $3,500 monthly
SEO – Keeping your site optimized for the best chance at ranking well in the search engines.
Typical cost = $1,000 – $3,000 monthly
What is the Cost for a DIY Website?
There are studies that show that on average you’d spend 28% less by employing a do-it-yourself strategy for your new website redesign.
The problem is, not only are these people not professionals working in the field, this will often be added to their regular tasks, making the process often never ending.
The bottom line to consider when deciding whether or not to do it yourself is the expertise of the people you’re going to have doing it. You may well end up having to hire someone to fix and/or complete their work, significantly busting your budget!
Common Problems When Building Your Own Website
Here are a few unforeseen traps that are easy to blunder into when doing your own website redesign.
Delays
When doing the project in-house, there will very often be many people involved, especially when it comes to content and design decisions. This can result in delays which make everyone unhappy.
Lack of Expertise
There is a reason professional website designers are well paid, and that is because of their levels of current expertise and experience. Having someone who can write clean code and make your site shine is invaluable.
Content Management
Writing your own content, unless there is a talented staff writer, can take up to four times longer to write than it would for a professional.
Site Security
Perhaps most important, creating a secure website doesn’t happen by chance, and mistakes in this area can have enormous effect on your revenue and online reputation.
How Long Should This Redesign Last?
That isn’t the question you need to be asking. While you want a consistent and memorable look, your site needs to be able to change and/or test constantly. This is healthy for site conversions, increasing traffic and much more.
A new website redesign needs to be able to accommodate such changes on the fly, and allow your business to grow with it.
It’s tempting then to think that you can accomplish website redesign incrementally. This can work once the basic framework is set in place. Doing it this way allows you to see what is working and what you like, and make adjustments as you go along.
How to Know when to Choose a Professional Website Design?
Making the decision to pull the switch on a professionally designed website is a major one, and there are numerous considerations. Here are just a few…
- You hope to scale your business by generating more sales or customers.
- You are looking to expand your company’s reach exponentially
- You want to give your business a website presence
- You’re seeking to attract investors or eventually sell the business
This information should give you a good idea what the cost of a new website redesign will run. Obviously there are many factors that you need to take into account to get to an accurate estimate. To get the ball rolling contact our web design team today or call us at (623) 521-1418 and we’ll help you start the process!