“How much does a website cost?” It’s a question we answer all the time. There’s no one way to respond to that question and a lot of factors contribute to cost and some of them may surprise you . . .
Starting each web design project with open communication is essential. An ongoing conversation between a client and their agency helps ensure fluid delivery of the final product—the functionality as well as the design. When your agency or developer asks questions up front, they’re making sure your needs are met and not just going off their own assumptions. It starts with laying out the goals of the site, and some common technical questions we ask every time—everything else is built on these basics. With a clear understanding of the business strategy and core functionality, the question of cost can be narrowed down based on the demands of four factors: size, design, development, and the mobile approach. Here’s what we consider for each.
Size
Size does matter. Determine how many pages are needed and how they should be used. If the site is being redesigned, an analysis of bounce rates and pageviews is needed to understand what works for the current site and what doesn’t. If it’s a completely new project and your company knows how many pages are needed, let your agency’s project manager know right away. If you’re unsure, it’s best to keep the site to the essentials (homepage, about us, products or services, blog) and build out later as the need arises, either by adding pages or posts manually, or hiring the agency that built the site.
Design
It’s easy to think that a new website will look good on its own, no effort required, but behind every website is a designer who took the time to make it conform to the client’s needs, be user-friendly, and communicate brand messages effectively. This takes time in listening, designing, making revisions, and reviewing progress, all of which contribute to cost and overall quality. Design isn’t the primary goal for most websites, but good or bad, it influences the success of all of them. Budgeting for design may be the most difficult part of estimation, but it’s essential to ensuring a successful project and happy client. If you know what you like, come to the web design kickoff meeting armed with a few good examples.
Development
Taking the most time of any web project, development is arguably the most crucial to cost. Developers take the design and size of the site and make it usable for a company and its customers. Web development of a website seems like something to leave up to your IT manager, but it’s also necessary for marketing to have a say in how the site works. If you haven’t discussed the right platform with your developer yet, you may end up with a surprise when updates are needed. Based on the goals of your company and your website, a good developer can make suggestions as to which platforms to use and train you on how it works. Conversations about development may be intimidating at first, but the results of a good decision can be powerful and positive.
Mobile
Technically, mobile-friendly design is a part of development, but it’s easily overlooked. Websites need to be mobile-friendly—it’s not even an option anymore: Google favors mobile-friendliness and more users are viewing the web on mobile. As a rule, it’s better to incorporate responsive design at the start of the project than to pay more to implement it later.
The more you know up front—the size, how the design should look, what content is needed—the more cost-effective developing your website will be.
A powerful website never stands alone in the midst of a marketing strategy, and cost is never isolated from the rest of a business’ operating budget. If you’re unsure of the right budget to set for website design and development, it’s useful to consider the value of your current website and desired return on investment within the first year and the next 5 years.
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