How much does a web site cost?
The cost of a website very much depends on…
- the website’s function i.e. what it has to do – is it a brochure site, photography site, a blog or e-commerce website?
- how much involvement you have in creating materials for the site: the text, photos and logo. We call these “inputs“.
- how long it takes you to deliver these inputs if you don’t deliver them all upfront after accepting the quote.
Every web site is different and so are quoted individually. Efforts to make your project fit within predetermined “bronze, silver or gold packages” seldom works for the client or developer.
What is in a website quote?
A website quote can be comprised of the following line items…
- domain name registration (usually quoted annually)
- website and email hosting (some quotes/offers exclude email, so watch that. e.g. Wix and Squarespace sites)
- website development (this is where the rubber meets the road)
- photography & copyrighting (when required)
- search engine optimisation or SEO (this can be more than all the above put together!)
Also, there is a propensity for the website owner to add more content and functions as the website is being built. This new, unspecified work can be billed for separately.
How to save big bucks on your website
Ideally, you would sit down and make a list of all the pages (and products) you want on your web site. You can start authoring your web site’s text. You would gather all the photography you want on the site in Dropbox so you can just send a link to the images. Using examples of sites you like is often a great way to communicate your preferences to a web designer.
If you want an e-commerce website, collecting product data in a single spreadsheet that can be imported into the web site is going to be a big time saver, and therefore money saver. Ask your web developer for a “comma separated values” or CSV file that you can do data entry in. If you do this you will save hundreds and even thousands.
The Dream Client
While you gather quotes and find the best fit for the company to make your website, you can be the ideal “dream client” by:
- having a clear brief – being able to say plainly what you want
- writing compelling text for your site and having this ready before your web designer starts
- have great photography on hand, supplied in Dropbox
- giving the addresses of web sites you like as examples of what you have in mind
- if some does not go as you expected, communicate that calmly taking an inquisitive approach and not a blaming or aggressive approach
Read the T & Cs
It pays to note the terms and conditions of your quote carefully. It will specify payment terms, who owns what and what will happen in the event of a failure. Read more about getting a quote here.