How Much is a Website?

There are many factors that go into the mix for pricing a new website or a website redesign. The concept is very similar to what goes into determining the price of a new vehicle. The model, manufactures, accessories and place of purchase will significantly modify the price. And while a privately owned used compact might get you from point A to point B, that new sports car from the dealership will get you there in style.

Updated July, 2010

Your site can be a basic page or two that does not change very often (often called a ‘static’ website), or it can be thousands of pages connected to a database (a ‘dynamic’ site), or accept credit cards for online ordering (ecommerce), have interactive video, animation, or anything in-between. It’s the job of your developer or project manager to sit down with you, find out exactly what it is you want; what it is you need and come up with the best solution to achieve your business goals. And, if necessary, help you define your business goals.

In general, You can break the cost of a website into 4 parts: Design, Development, Hosting, and Marketing:

Design

Design in this example refers to the look and feel of the website and the planning that goes into making sure the design does what is needed. Looking ‘cool’ while fun does not directly affect your bottom line. Careful planning needs to go into the style and layout to effectively meet your business goals.

As of this writing, the average professionally designed site is going to be $2,000+. While some firms will bid less, this price is actually somewhat low in some cases. Large sites that require more sections and planning or sites that use specialized technologies (like Flash, SilverLight, Augmented Reality, etc) typically fall more in the $5-15K range.

If all you need is a very basic looking page or two you may be able to locate a firm to do this for as little as a few hundred dollars. However, the design may not be everything it should be. Its hard to find a good designer willing to create a professional looking design for less than $1,500. Everyone wants a good deal, but consider carefully when bargain shopping for web design. The old adage ‘you get what you pay for’ applies.

Good design is a vital component for converting visitors into customers and creating value for your organization. This after all is the ultimate goal of any website.

Development

Development (sometimes referred to ‘building’ or programming) is the process of turning the design into a web format, setting up the server, installing a CMS, custom programming, etc.

For some projects the development costs are included in the design. This is typical of sites without Content Management Systems (CMS) or sites that utilize a preexisting or open source CMS.

For other projects that require custom programming (custom CMS, custom extensions, development of a new online application, etc) costs can vary. Depending on the size, time and resources needed to fulfill the request development can be a few thousand dollars upwards to over a hundred thousand.

Hosting

Hosting charges are based on the amount of traffic you receive to your website and there are several different types of hosting. If you know how to manage things yourself you can get hosting for under $10 per month for a low traffic site. The common charge for a firm seems to be about $20 per month. This price is relatively static for most sites but can increase as your traffic increases.

For example, if your traffic climbs from 50-100 visitors a day to 2,000 – 20,000 visitors per hour your prices are going to go up! With that amount of traffic you would most likely need a dedicated server or two. Those run about $400+ per month.

Don’t let this scare you however. Over 90% of websites are good with the standard hosting that runs around $20 per month. And, if your website had 2,000+ visitors per hour you would more than make up your increased hosting costs in advertising and/or new business!

Marketing

Online Marketing is similar in concept to Radio, Print or Television. If you have ever dealt with these forms of advertising you know that the more you pay the more exposure you get, so how much you spend is really determined by your budget. You can get minimal results with $50 – $150 per month. Larger organizations have been known to drop $50,000+ per month.

If you haven’t done so already you might want to start setting aside some of your advertising budget for online marketing and ask your web designer or marketing department how you can take advantage of this form of advertising.

The most important thing to remember with this is Return on Investment (ROI). Online Marketing campaigns should do more than simply increase your traffic. They should be targeted to entice specific actions from the visitors that translate into something of value.

So in conclusion…

The cost of a website can vary greatly and is determined by what you want and what you need. With all the possibilities your best bet for a solid price is to sit down with a rep from a design company. And it never hurts to get a second opinion :)

If you are looking for a bid for your next project we would be happy to provide you with a quote. Send your inquiries to hello( at )klovera.com.