Most people who want websites built for personal or business reasons typically have a similar question surrounding web design costs, which is how much money they should invest. If you do not have a boatload of money in the bank, spending even a relatively small sum can be a big concern and you want to see it utilized in the best possible manner.
When you are paying for tangible goods, this is not much of a concern. However, when it comes to intangible things such as website design and development services, arriving at a fixed cost is nearly impossible. Given that you cannot hold a website in your hands, knowing what it is worth can be a little tricky.
The truth is that website design costs may vary significantly. If you get quotes from as many as 20 web agencies, there’s a good chance you will get an equal number of varying rates. Some might charge a few hundred dollars while others may ask for thousands. This essentially depends on the agency, what it offers, and a range of other factors. The big question remains – how much does creating a website cost?
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Factors That Affect the Cost of Website Design
Various factors play a role in web design costs, some of which include your specific requirements, the skill levels you’re after, and how you approach the process.
What You Need
One mistake many people make is thinking they have simple ideas, for which they should pay lower than what a web design agency is willing to accept. This is problematic because your seemingly simple idea might require a great deal of web design and development work. In some cases, one-page websites require more work than websites with multiple pages.
What you also need to account for is that a web designer or an agency will not charge based only on the time it takes to create your website. While carrying out some of the tasks might not take much time, they will need skills and knowledge. This, in essence, is what you pay for.
Web designers and developers hone their skills over many years, and when you need a website, you pay for their services. If anyone could do what’s required, we would not have specialists in web design and development. Then, there are other elements such as eCommerce, opt-in memberships, and forms that need extra work. These add to the overall costs of creating a website.
Skill Level of the Designer/Agency
While it is possible to get a website for around $1,000, the quality will be far from what you may expect if you have a budget of around $10,000. The cost, of course, can be even more, given your specific requirements.
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The difference between getting a low-budget website and one that actually works well for you is like the difference between a bicycle and a sports bike. Both might get you where you want to go but one will deliver better results and get you to your destination faster.
A web design company that charges more is typically willing to go that extra mile and make sure your website is in accordance with your needs and preferences. What you get from any such agency is hard to accomplish through cheaper rates. All in all, the added cost typically brings with it exceptional value. Low rates will only lead you to a bogus agency that might still be learning the ropes, and what you then get is a trial website that does nothing to help you achieve your goals.
Are You a Stubborn Client?
This is an aspect that people in the industry only like to whisper about, but let’s be honest for a minute. If you are someone who is going to call your agency 10 times a day and ask for frequent revisions, getting through all the required changes might cost you a fortune.
Website designers and developers have the skills to identify stubborn clients. In case they end up working with seemingly high-handed clients, they make sure they receive payment for all the little and big changes they need to work on if they extend beyond the original scope of work.
How Much Does Creating a Website Cost?
How much website design costs can vary considerably based on the size and scope of a project as well as design and development requirements. Here are a few things you might want to consider before narrowing down on a budget for your website, whether you wish to hire a web designer or a web design company.
For a Blog
Should You Spend on a Blog?
If you need a blog to share memories and photos with friends and family and do not wish to earn anything from it, you don’t have to spend much money. The easiest way is to select a free theme you like and leave the design at that. If you wish to monetize your blog, it’s only natural that you will need to spend money to get the ball rolling.
Benefits of Professional Blog Design
If you want to attract increased traffic that leads to more advertisers and features on big sites, you need the help of a professional web design agency. It is possible that spending around $5,000 to $6,000 might earn you more than five times that money in a year. This should be motivation enough to get you going for a professionally designed and developed blog.
Is Outsourcing a Good Idea?
After getting quotes from multiple agencies, a number of people choose to design their own blogs to save money. This usually leads to four possible outcomes.
- They spend hours on the design and the blog still looks bad.
- They spend considerable time figuring out how to do things right, only to give up and hire an agency.
- They hire designers who provide low-quality results and end up looking for professional designers to fix the problems.
- They pay an agency after the DIY process because what they made for themselves is not what they really wanted.
All these cases result in a waste of time and money; something people can avoid if they decide to work with a professional in the first place. If you are a blogger, stick to your blogging lane and let professional designers and developers do their work. You will thank yourself for making this decision at a later stage.
How Much Should You Spend?
You may spend any amount between a thousand to a few thousand dollars. This depends on what your blog gives you and your audience. Unless you have a blog that holds the potential to earn a lot of money and has a huge following, you may consider not going over the top with your expenses.
For a Business Website
Do You Need a Business Website?
In this technology-driven era, many consumers find businesses online, and it would be a great disadvantage if you are not where people are looking. Whether you have a thousand outlets or just one, if you do not have a good business website, there is a lot you are missing out on in this day and age.
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Bear in mind that a poor-quality or outdated business website can do more harm than good. While you might think that having any kind of website is better than not having an online presence, the truth is that you will lose out on customers. This is because they might look at your website and then perceive your business as being frugal and disorganized.
Benefits of a Business Website
You may use a business website for different purposes such as selling, teaching people, making appointments, and providing contact information. There are two important aspects when dealing with a business website.
- If your website is not leading to more sales, something’s clearly wrong.
- If it leads to sales, you need to know how to make it work better so it delivers an improved user experience that results in higher conversions.
What Do Businesses Need?
Several business owners spend time and energy worrying about aspects that do not matter. For instance, some insist on adding more space for the logo that resultantly pushes the content down or getting menus to pop out in a certain way. While they worry about little things, they miss the bigger picture, which causes visitors to leave as soon as they get to their websites. If you do not have a clear picture of what your business website needs, it’s probably best that you discuss your requirements with a reputable and reliable web design and development agency.
How Much Should It Cost?
Since business websites rely on the use of multiple elements, it’s difficult to pinpoint a price. It is important that you budget a few thousand dollars to cover the design and development of your website. To get a better picture of why you should spend that amount, put yourself in the shoes of your target audience and think of all the things you would want to see on a website.
Remember that customers want a professional website that is easy to use and provides a great user experience. Achieving this is possible only if you partner with a professional web design agency that has all your needs and preferences in mind, and pays due attention to the needs and expectations of your target audience.
Web Design Costs When You Use a Website Builder
If you’re in a hurry to build a website, if you do not wish to monetize your website, or if you wish to create a website on your own and have little technical knowledge, you may consider using a website builder such as Wix or Weebly. Accessing all the features these platforms offer can cost around $500 per month, and building a simple website may set you back by around $50 per month.
If you use a free plan, there is little chance that your website will receive adequate visitors. For people to find your website in online searches, you need to choose a paid plan. This is because free plans bring with them non-custom domain names, advertisements, low storage capacities, basic customer support, and no eCommerce capabilities.
When you opt to go the website builder way, you also need to account for the annual cost involved in getting a domain name and hosting your website as well as the monthly fees you might need to pay to use plugins.
How Much Should You Pay for a WordPress Website?
Much like other websites, the cost to design a website using WordPress varies because multiple factors are usually at play. For instance, while WordPress is free to use and offers free themes and plugins, making the best of what this content management system (CMS) has to offer requires that you spend some money. For instance, you need to account for design and development costs if you’re using the services of a WordPress web design company.
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Ongoing costs surrounding hosting your website, the level of support you seek, web maintenance, and online marketing also need your attention. This is because these factors can make a significant difference in the overall cost of your website.
How Much Do Web Designers Charge?
According to data collated by FreshBooks surrounding how much website designers charge, you may expect to pay around $75 per hour to use the services of freelance web designers who’re good at what they do. Further, while the cost of designing a website may vary from $30 to $80 per hour, development costs may vary from $100 to $180 per hour. When it comes to charging flat rates, website design costs may vary significantly based on your specific requirements surrounding aspects such as layout, typography, navigation, and content.
Conclusion
If you’re wondering what the cost of designing a website is, know that it can vary significantly based on several factors. These include the skill level of the agency/web designer you work with, how big you want your website to be, as well as any other specific requirements you bring to the table. In some way, you may look at it as buying a car, where the functionalities you seek have a direct impact on the cost.
Bear in mind that your website serves as the most important online marketing tool you may use. As a result, you mustn’t skimp on costs to end up with a less-than-desirable website. Ideally, while you should pay attention to how much web design costs, your primary focus should be on delivering a great user experience.
If you’re looking for results, it might be in your best interest to let a professional web design agency handle all your website-related woes. With a customized, optimized, and responsive website in place, you may look forward to a growth in your online presence as well as an increase in revenue.
