How much should a website cost?

Well that depends, but we’ll try and cover the basics of website design costs.

How much does a good an auto mechanic cost? I pay about $50 an hour, in a market where $100+ is the norm. I might be able to find an adequate mechanic for $20 or even $15 an hour, or pay through the nose at Midas or some other large shop.

I feel I get the same quality of service, if not better, from my mechanic. The reason is, he doesn't have a commercial shop, he has a lift in his garage and does the work there. He keeps his overhead low and undercuts the other major shops.

Why did I say all that? The same is true with almost any service, including web design.

The numbers

I have estimated it takes our web design company about 20 to 30 hours to build a good website. Sure,  we can skimp on things and bring it down under 10 hours if I was asked, but I would not want to attach our name with such a product. Just like when yo uget new tires on your car, you need an alignment and all that other stuff, sure the car will drive as -is, but for how long?

At Wavestatic we work for about $75/ hr, a creative agency would charge well over $100, I've seen as high as $150. In contrast, a student out of college or high school might charge  $15 to $25, to be honest sometimes those cheap freelancers have talent but just aren't good with business, but more often than not it's the quality and experience they lack.

So for the same type of site you could pay:

  • $5000 from an agency
  • $2500 from a good freelancer.
  • $500 from an outsourced company or entry level free lancer.


Website Design Cost vs Quality

This example is for, 10 - 15 pages, contact form, using existing artwork, content formatting, organization, and basic design work with 2 or 3 revisions.

That's quite a difference, but what is the difference besides price?

The agency

The main advantage here is you hire an experienced team, with multiple creatives and dedicated account reps. Your website should be top of the line from design to function and the technology it uses.

The experienced freelancer or small startup

Here you trading in the dedicated account people and multiple creatives for one person to do it all and save some money. You should expect communication to be less than the agency but enough to get the job done. The website should be on par with any agency site.

The entry level freelancer

Honestly you're playing with fire here, a website that works is expected, looking good and using proper technology is a bonus, if it comes at all.

Conclusion

A good basic site should cost $3000 to $5000. Adding features and hundreds of pages can inflate this price, but you understand. Going with a cheap web designer or company is fine, but be aware of the risks, another tip is to give them your budget and if they want your business an agency that is slow or a start-up might just take you on and skimp a little, and maybe you can scrounge up a bit more and meet in the middle.

Remember when you're quoted a price think about the time they'll be spending, can they live on that price?

Finally, if you have questions on building your own website, give us a call 763 639 3584.  We'll even evaluate other offers as a B.S. check, if you want a 15 page site and you get quoted $10k, that's high but we've seen it.  We're on your side! 

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