What should a Website cost?
This is probably the most disputed question in the business of webdesign. What should a website really cost. But maybe this is the wrong way to ask the question, or mabye even the wrong question. The real question is, how much should you invest into your website and how much return should you get?
There is no simple answer to it, and it really depends on the way you think. It depends on multiple factor and one important factor is how you perceive the Internet as a platform to represent you or your business. In general we consider three investment categories when it comes to a website and one cost category. In the following FAQs we will try to explain to you a little what we mean with that.
Cost Factor Website (Bad News First)
Here is the bad news. Every web design that is offered for less than 1000 Euros has a hook attached to it: If someone makes you such an offer, he is not a professional. That alone is clear from the calculation even a one man development company has to do to cover its monthly fixed costs. This is practically impossible in this price range.
Then there is also the friend or acquaintance that can do it beside. The so called “Nephew-Design” is to be considered very carefully. This sites most likely lack professionalism and quality and will give the visitors of your site not necessarily the best impression of you. Above that, everything from eventual legal problems to direct damage to you or your business is possible, since the driving instruction map may have been copied from a city map into your site and eventual lawsuits against you or your business can be the result. This is a risk we cannot warn about enough.
If your budget is just very limited, you still can do the following. You can explain that you just can’t spend more than 1000 Euros on your site, but you will have to expect that many professional companies will just not make small contracts like that. You might find a freelance designer who will produce you something like an Internet Business Card for which you will have to deliver the content. Most freelance designer will deliver you a high quality Business Card for the Internet with a budget like that. This should in the best case, solve your problem of having an internet presence for a certain period of time.
Many professional agree that with a limited budget of less than 1000 Euros you should not attempt to create a presence in the internet. We have made the experience through our network of freelance developers, that you can produce a very good business card for the internet in this price class. But that is all there is a business card, which cannot be considered an investment bringing return, but just information about you, like you might get when you put you or your business into the phone book or yellow pages.
Design Firm or Freelancer
Despite that it is nearly impossible to make a general statement for price ranges for an internet presence it should be possible to create one for a price range of 1000 to 3000 Euros. At small Design Firms, you will get a reasonable complex internet presence in this price range depending on the general prices of the firm and your negotiation skills. The advantage of employing a design firm is its service and the use of professional tools. A design firm will introduce you to your site and the technology employed and also will give you the tools and knowledge to operate and maintain the content of your site. This service of course comes at a price, and most design firms will not make contracts in this price range with this kind of service.
Most freelancers on the other site are specialized in contracts for this price range. In this price range you will be able to get a professional internet presence from a freelancer. Also you have to consider that most freelancers work for design firms, and therefore you will get the top quality design firms have to offer with maybe a little less service for a good price from a freelancer. The disadvantage is that a freelancer most likely will not be able to offer you the complex support system a design firm will be able to offer, since most freelancers are one man shows.
So what can you really expect in this price range? You definitely should expect an individual site incorporating your or your business idea. You should expect an analysis about the possible visitors of your page and a design aimed towards them. You should expect help with the content for your internet presence, since there are slightly different criteria for websites than for ads and articles in books, magazines or newspapers. Further you should expect search engine optimization.
But over all, what you will get in this price range will mainly depend on your budget and negotiation skill with the design firm or freelancer.
Average Price Range
The average price range for web design without many technical extras is today 3000 to 8000 Euros. In this range the calculation of Design Firms starts. This is of course for many small businesses a substantial investment and therefore you should inform yourself exactly what you will receive in return for your investment.
Freelancers are also a very valid option in this price range, especially since most likely several specialists will work in a network on a project in that price range to give the client the Design Firms potential at a Freelancers price. The advantage of such a network is that if 2 or 3 freelancers work together on a project, they are unbeatable in quality. You will be even able to become database driven content management and ecommerce systems from a network of freelancers which would cost you over a hundred thousand Euros using a Design Firm to a fraction of the price. There are also some so called Star Designers, working as freelancers who can be retained in the upper area of this price range for projects.
So what can you expect in this price range? Of course you can expect performance. You can expect an online corporate identity design based on an analysis of your branch. Shortly you can expect a perfect presentation of your business in the internet. Further you can expect design suggestions, and consulting on the content of your website. You could expect a small product database (not a full scale online shopping system) for a small internet shop with some basic functions. This is the line you cross when you move from a presentation of your business in the internet into the marketing of your products and services through the internet.
Normally, these technologies do not belong to the general offer in this price range. Crossing this line brings you into the High-End websites where database driven systems start between 5000 and 10000 Euros.
Small content management systems are already available for small budgets. Content management systems are redaction and publishing systems which allow the customer to manage and administer the content of the website through a control panel. In average these content management systems cost from 10000 Euros upward, and this does not include the design and setting up of the website. Based on the market situation and the technology employed the direction will go to less expensive content management systems and more to service oriented offers from Design Firms and Freelancers.
Big Plans for the Future
From a professional internet presence to a portal from 8000 Euros upward everything is possible. Database driven content, forum systems, professional internet shops and e-commerce solutions are possible.
As comparison you can name the big internet corporations like Amazon and others. Here the development costs are in the two digit million Euro area. Of course it would be fatal for a company starting its internet presence to orient in this price ranges. The first internet presence should not be immediately in the 15000 Euro area if you have 10 employees. Except of course, you have a company that has to fulfill the high expectation of clients, which will happen in areas like the fashion industry. In this areas there is absolutely no way around consulting, and there are freelance consultants specialized in corporate identity design which are quite expensive. Design Firms in general offer here a good consulting, but they should be specialized in internet design or already having brought several clients into the internet. Traditional advertising agencies with big accounts also can be the right choice.
In a price range from 10000 to 15000 Euros, your website should really be thought trough and be integrated into an all over concept for your business. Online shops with average features, the same as small portals should also be able to be realized in this price range.
No investment in this price range should be done without professional consulting. It is true that companies and businesses should be represented in the internet today, but important here is a profitable efficiency. Do not invest without having considered the value of your investments return.
