Are you a new company and need a website design? Have you considered a budget? Before you make a purchase, read my guide on how much to pay for a website.

Maybe you already have a site. How does your website look and perform? Is it time to upgrade?

The first question business owners ask is “how long with this take and how much money will a website design cost”? How much does a website cost to build?

The more you know about the costs associated with a website, the more informed you can be when hiring web designers.

Before we dive deep, let me give you my no holds barred cliff notes.

Simple, straight honest advice from someone who has been in the Internet business space for 20 years. In fact, I started a design firm after dealing with the painful and costly inconsistencies in the business for my online marketing and consulting clients.

Cliff Notes About Site Design Prices

Fact 1: Most web design companies will charge based on your industry. For example, a lawyer may pay $15,000 for the same website that a locksmith would pay $3,000 for. Shady business tactic. Yes, a lot goes into building a website but no reason to rip off the customer.

Fact 2: As an average cost of website design for small business, budget $2,000 to $5,000 for a quality website. Anything less, and you will get what you pay for. Anything more is overkill, or you are being overcharged. Granted, there are exceptions if you require customizations or have unusual needs.

Fact 3: 90% of design companies will sell you a design, and the work will be done offshore. Does a designer in India understand your business? How will the support be?

Fact 4: $499 designs are garbage, and you will regret your decision. Avoid the temping Google ads for $29 logos, $499 websites. These are produced by overseas subpar website designers.

You get what you pay for. Cheap designs use a template. Templates are the same layout used for 1000’s of websites, with images and text swapped out — literally 2 hours of work. A template also lacks the ability to grow, are your business. Customizations down the road like adding payment options, forget it.  Also, templates tend to load slower and perform poorer on Google search.

Fact 5: Agencies with big fancy offices, you are paying for those shiny digs. The high priced developers thank you.

Fact 6: Avoid hard sales. If a company is offering a price that is only good for “today” and pressuring you to sign, this is a sign to take your business elsewhere.

Fact 7: Never, I repeat never do a monthly fee or lease for a website. You will always end up OVERPAYING and may not even end the website at the end of the term.

Fact 8: Watch for upsells when hiring a company to build a website. Hosting and website maintenance are the biggest upsells. For 90% of clients, hosting should be under $40 a month. Website maintenance is worth considering, but do not overpay and make sure what it, and what is not included.

Before Your Hire A Web Developer

If your site is not producing results, but you do not know what to change, you are not alone.

Join the millions like you that have no idea how much a website cost or how far your money can go. It’s not uncommon for companies to grow tired of their old website and want to upgrade with a new look and new tools.

With the changing landscape of an Internet-driven economy, you must to stay up to date to remain competitive.

Price is the most common concern for business owners. Your primary goal should be to establish your business online.

Some companies are looking for a website redesign but lack understanding of the total cost. Knowing these answers upfront will help set a budget that fits your needs.

bill on white counter

The cost to build a website is more than a dollar.

Most business owners are clueless where to start. The bad news is, 2019 web design prices are no different from any other year. There is still no magic formula to reach the exact amount of money you need in implementing your plans. Many factors determine the cost of a new site or website redesign cost.

Examples of these factors are, what type of website do you wish to have and how do you want the site to function?

The total amount will depend on your unique needs.

Website prices Will Vary

Many website design agencies have contact information on their website but not rates. Why?

Because the value of creating a professional site depends on the individual project, sure we can provide a quick website cost estimate, but that is just an estimate.

There is more to it than what you wish for and what you need.

One reason many don’t post prices is the importance of having one-on-one communication. It is essential to talk to clients to gain a clear understanding of expectations and goals.

In the U.S. and abroad, web design and freelance professionals rates vary. The variation in price is the reason why you should educate yourself on what it is you need.

Before soliciting prices, you need to know what you want, at least have a solid idea, maybe find a few websites you “like.”

Do You Know What You Want From Your Website Design?

Building a website is best left to professional developers and designers.

Keep in mind that the more complex your website, the more it will cost.

High-end websites come with a premium price tag. Heck, BMW spent $3million on a website.

The good news is, whatever your budget, there is something for everyone. On average, the cost of creating a new site starts around $1,000.00 for a basic website.

The price then increases depending on the scale and complexity of the site.

Full sites can cost up to $10,000 if you wish to incorporate top quality.

Original, high-scaled design and industry-leading technology can be costly. It is always in your best interests to hire an experienced web developer.

how much does a website cost to build

Website designers are working on a plan.

Before you get quote ask yourself these questions:

  • Will you be selling products, e-commerce?
  • Will you need back-end integration with internal systems or databases? (accounting, warehouse/inventory system, AMS, CRM)
  • Will your website be an informational, marketing, or for online sales?
  • Is your brand already established?  Will your site be creating your name from scratch? Are there already established brand guidelines?
  • How tech-savvy are you and your staff? Will you need help updating the website? Or will you need to work with developer long term?

How Valuable is Your Site to Your Business?

For instance, if your business is for an at home sewing business, a significant investment does not make sense.

But, if your business relies on online leads, or sells products online, you need a different strategy.

Examples of What You Can Expect to Pay in 2019 For Website

Starter/Informational: The site contains the essential information of the business. Built with the very basic pages.
Basic Website Costs: $2,000 and up

Professional Corporate Website: Up to 20 pages,  with many custom features and tools including online payment, custom design

Professional Corporate Website Costs: $5,0000 to $10,000.00

Enterprise: Fully custom website, can be 20 or 20,000 pages with a database and multiple custom integrations

Enterprise Website Costs: $15,000 to $100,000+

E-commerce Pricing: Where customers have browsing and purchasing options will need a credit card gateway. Also, required ar CMS, and custom integrations.

Average cost: $5,000-$40,000+ (depending on the number of products and customizations)

Now you should have at least a concept of the cost involved in developing a site for your business.

Keep in mind these are not “black or white” examples. Each website is unique with its own set of formulas and requirements.

Other site Components Their Costs

apple computer with a plant

Sorry, there is no magic website cost calculator on my desk.

Domain name

Your domain name will be one of the fundamentals of your brand. The unique address will work to strengthen your brand name. You need this to provide credibility and authority.

Your domain name is what searchers type in the search engine browser to get to your website. Without a domain name, typing in the IP address would be the only way for a person to find your site.

You will need to buy a domain and renew it on an annual basis unless you choose to pre-pay for many years up front. The cost will run between $10.00 and $20.00. For a distinct customized domain, such as. .newspaper, .restaurant and .edu you will pay higher rates $200.00-$300.00.

Domains that are popular will cost more due to it being high in demand. If you are keen on a name that is in use, you could start the process by buying that domain from its owner. However, be ready to pay a higher price, a domain is worth what someone will pay. I have spent five and six figures for a domain.

Domain name providers will offer various price options. The options you choose affects the cost. The key is to deal with a distinguished professional service.

SSL Certificate

If your site takes credit cards, forms,  or personal info of your customers, an SSL is a must to protect against ID theft.

If your business is an e-commerce site, you will need the security of an SSL to protect your shopper’s. That is what ensures personal information and sensitive data is safe.

Prices range from Free, to  $10.00 per month.  This is a recurring fee unless you opt to arrange an up-front payment for a few years in advance,

Website hosting

The host you select is a critical decision.

A website host is a service which allows your site to be accessible globally. You already have your domain name, and now, you need somewhere to put your “stuff.”

What a host will do is sell you space on their server for your website to be “housed” there. This is an annual fee. This step is one of the most critical steps to take. You need to make sure that you take the time to contemplate the severity of an excellent web host.

room full of hosting servers

A high-quality hosting service will ensure that your website loads fasts. Thus, it enables your subscribers to get data from your site quicker with no delays. If there are malfunctions, the host’s technical support must be efficient.

A hosting service can make or break the success of your site. So, this is not the area you want to pinch pennies. Never choose the cheapest host. Invest the time needed to research the different options available.

Also, forget the $1 a month or discount hosts.

The average yearly cost of an excellent website service ranges:

Small Business Website – $200-$500 a year

Corporate High Traffic Website: $5,000-$10,000+ a year

High Traffic E-commerce Website: $10,000+ a year

Keep in mind, the traffic to your site may influence the cost as well as the features provided.

There are several types of web hosting.

The primary options are:

  • Shared hosting: Shared hosting is the cheapest route for web hosting. What shared hosting means is you share a hosting platform with other sites. You share the expense as well. But, the bad news is you also share the bandwidth. That means you are sparring over server space with your roommate websites. The starting price is around $20.00 per month.
  • Virtual Private Server hosting. VPS is a combination of a shared host and a single dedicated server. It is one server that allocated several different servers onto its site. Prices can range anywhere between $100.00 to $300.00 per month.
  • Dedicated hosting: Dedicated hosting is for more extensive and more complicated websites. When you have a dedicated site host, you are not dependent on an external factor to make it more reliable. With this added cost, prices start around $250.00 per month.

Content Management System

For a website to be responsive and easy to update, it must incorporate a content management system (CMS).

CMS is a tool that does involve sensitive files and complex coding to make changes and manage the website. That is important when you and your employees add or remove features from the site.

It is essential to keep your website relevant and updated. There are free versions of Content Management Systems. The type you need will depend on what functionality you need.

The annual cost can range from free to unlimited.; depending on what you choose and need. Investing in a CMS will give you more flexibility and power.

E-commerce Functionality

With this section, think about eBay and what all must be available for that site to operate at its best.

There can be a significant amount of work that goes into incorporating an e-commerce app.

e-commerce website design finished product

Building a website on a laptop.

 

Your typical ecommerce website design requires the basics of:

  • CMS with database
  • Shopping System
  • Shopping Cart
  • Product Pages
  • Payment Options

Moreover, each must be appealing as well as intriguing to the consumer. The time invested to ensure all parts are working together is what makes it costly.

Maintenance and updating is a separate fee you will need to consider.

Theme Creation and Website Design

When choosing a theme for your site, keep in mind, your website should reflect your company.

Your goal is to appeal to more consumers while identifying your brand. There are free site themes while at the same time, there are high-end options available as well.

design service using 2 monitors

Choosing a unique theme that will make your site stand out from your competitors is the goal.

The more custom the design, the higher the cost. So, investing in a personalized theme is what you should aim for instead of being another ordinary website.

The initial investment depending on what theme and design you choose can cost between $50.00 to $20,000.00. There are plenty of themes online under $250 with mind-blowing features and functions. However, you should decide what is best for you and your brand. If you need a fully customized theme, expect to spend $10,000+.

Copywriting and Content

Copywriting is one of the most overlooked sections of a website and yet it is one of the most crucial elements. Your site cannot function without an excellent and relevant content.

First, in the earlier stages of the design phase, you will decide on how many pages your site needs. The more pages you have, the more content you will need.

fancy set up at a design agency

A quality professional writer will create keyword rich text that both Google and consumers will love.

The way to succeed is with unique, high-quality content. The more, the better. Without great content, surfers leave your website.

Having a quality website requires not just good text but consistently updating. You or your web designer will spend time adding to your site.

The cost you can expect to pay, whether per page or article, ranges.

Content costs:

Blog Content: 5 to 20 cents a word
Website Content: 25 cents to $1 a word
Research or White Paper: 50 cents to $2 a word

If you choose to write yourself, you will need to invest a lot of time. Significant time is required to research, create, and edit compelling content.

Search Engine Optimization and Online Marketing

Search Engine Optimization helps sites produce the tools to rank in search engines.

Your site needs to be more significant and visible to people through search engines.

SEO, like content, will be a part of your site that ongoing cost.

computer code of a siteThe purpose of SEO is to enhance visibility, gain traffic, and lead generation.

Dallas SEO companies use keyword targeting, link building, and research, to name a few. Having a results-oriented expert on your team is the key to reaping the benefits of good SEO.

Cost can vary between $1,000 and $10,000 a month.

 

 

Other Marketing Costs to Consider

As there is a broad range of marketing tactics that can apply to every website, you can imagine how the cost can vary.

Typical online marketing consists of:

  • Social media
  • SEO, local and National
  • Digital PR
  • Advertising
  • Content Marketing

Marketing expenses center around the goals and efforts of the client and designer.

Based on these deliverables and initiatives, marketing cost can range from $500.00 to $5,000.00+. It depends on how competitive industry and your goals. Targeting Dallas maid companies will, of course, be cheaper than targeting expensive jewelry on a national level.

Hire Dallas Website Design For a Fairly Priced Quality Website

Web design services pricing and website budgets can range from low to very high. The bottom line is how extensive and involved the scope of your site will be.

Your site needs tools, features, and consistent care. Your website needs our team. With over twenty years in the industry, we know how to bring more income to your company through your site.

planning a web design project
Is your website earning money for you?

If you answered no to that question, then you need our services. Our team at Dallas Website design believes there is more than getting rich off of clients.

We want to see you succeed. Why? Because when you succeed, we succeed.

do not break the piggy bankThe best step you can take as a business owner is to work with an experienced professional digital agency.

There is more to making a customer happy than website design cost.

You need a team that understands how to bring your company to the next level. We are that team. Reach out to us today!

If you are considering a new website or a redesign, we can help.

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