So, What Does a Website Cost?
Expect to pay anywhere from $1,200 to $10,000 for a CMS (content management system) website.
There are a large number of organisations offering cheap websites, so I looked into how they can do it for the price. Why do some websites only cost $300?
Well, at that price it is basically a brochure of 3-5 pages. No frills, no smart technology. If that’s all you need then that’s great, go for it.
However, there will be quite a few features that you don’t get:
- Your contact form won’t store emails address in your database or EDM program (like MailChimp)
- You won’t be able to embed videos
- You won’t be able to change the layout (standard design for everyone)
- You won’t get Google Maps integration for your contact page
- It may not be compatible with all web browsers
- It may not be compatible with mobile phone browsers
Maybe you don’t need all of these features. But if you would like to expand your website at a later date or you realise you don’t look as appealing as your competitors, you may find that you are hamstrung by your cheaper choice.
So what should you pay?
A new website is going to take anywhere from 20 to 60 hours (@ around $100 p.h.) to build and will typically be broken down as:
1. CMS install, setup and configuration: 5 – 10 hours
2. Website interface design: 10 – 20 hours
3. Interactive features: 10 – 20 hours
4. Blog set up and design: 5 – 10 hours
Complex Websites
If you have a requirement for the following, then your website is most likely going to cost you in the range of $10,000 min.
- o an ordering system
- a membership system
- an ecommerce system; and,
- an email marketing system
With web design, your money is going towards expertise, time and the ‘uniqueness’ of your site (also known as customisation). You really do get what you pay for!
