How Much Should a Website Cost Revealed…
Here’s another common scenario we see almost every day. The phone rings.
“Hi, this is Jeff. How may I help you?”
“I need a new website for my business and I don’t have any idea how much it costs. Can you tell me how much it will be?”
My typical response is, “Well, that depends. Do you mind if I ask you a few questions to see if we’re a possible fit to help?”
As you can see, I didn’t answer the original question and the reason is simple. We don’t know enough until you tell us what your challenge is and what you’re hoping to achieve. For example, we need to know things like:
- What is the goal of your website?
- What functionality is important to you?
- Who is your ideal customer?
- What do you want your ideal customer to know about you?
- Are you building a custom website or are you okay with a template to lower costs?
- Are you selling products on your website?
- And the list goes on…
Once we have these guidelines in place, then it’s much easier to understand what you want versus what you really need. Our job is to find the appropriate content management system for your site. Typically, we use WordPress but use others depending upon complexity. Let’s say you’re a small business and you simply want people to know you exist. You can probably keep the budget low and build a 5-page website that allows your prospects to do their research and find answers to these questions:
- Who are you?
- What do you do?
- Who have you worked with in the past?
- How do I contact you?
- How do I learn more?
WordPress websites start around $6,000 and include a mobile responsive theme that can be customized to your brand, copywriting stock photography, and typical functionality such as a lead form, social media feeds, and newsletter sign-up.
As your business grows, you’ll probably need more customization and more pages added to the site. These websites will run anywhere from $7,000 to $12,000. A fully customized website that includes a custom framework, photography, copywriting, and more can start at $13,000. Once you step into the world of e-commerce, the work our software development team does intensify. No longer is your website simply a way for people to research your business, but it’s also a place where they can buy products now. WooCommerce is a cost-effective solution we use with WordPress sites. You’re looking at a $5,000 and up investment to get started.
E-commerce sites, like BigCommerce and Shopify, are subscription-based, hosted, and maintained through the provider. We can help you customize your site to look more like your brand, but there are restrictions as to how much customization you can do. Once we have the site configured, the payment gateway integrated, and products uploaded and accurate, then you’re ready to start making money. This type of project generally starts at $7,500. For a more complex solution, like Magento, that is fully customizable with no restrictions, your typical starting cost is going to be $20,000 and up. This is a robust platform that can serve as your back-office system. While the upfront cost is high, the ROI can be off the charts!
Regardless of which website is right for your business, you’ll want to allocate dollars for ongoing support too. Your website is very similar to a car. They come in all kinds of shapes and sizes. Much like a car needs oil changes, your website needs maintenance to run at maximum efficiency. You never want your site to go down as it could cost you literally thousands of dollars in no time. For smaller websites, it’s safe to say that you’ll need about an hour each month to keep things running smoothly. For more complex sites, it’s not uncommon to need 40 hours or more each month to keep things running smoothly.
Your website is the first thing most people see as it relates to your company. CEB reports that 57% of the buying decision is complete before a customer calls a supplier. That’s how important it is to have a great website.
So, there it is. How much your website should cost in 2020. Call (865) 465-4040, text (865) 351-3883 or email us via our contact form, and we’ll schedule a meeting to find the right solution for you.
