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If you've inquired online, or anywhere about the cost of having your website professionally designed, then you've likely seen that there can be quite a wide range of numbers when it comes to website pricing. The price of a website depends on many, many, different factors and we'll get into those soon. Some things I'd like for you to keep in mind while we talk about what a website costs, is what your goals are for your business that you're looking to accomplish through your website.
Are you looking to bring in more leads and inquiries? Are you looking to sell more digital products? Are you looking to use your website as an online learning platform, or are you using it more as your portfolio? Depending on your business' goals, and what you're looking to do with your website, the price of what it might cost to design and develop your website might vary drastically.
According to a recent study in 2022 by WebFX, the average cost of a website in today's digital world is anywhere from $12,000 - $150,000, no matter if you're working with an agency or a freelancer. Since this is such a wide range of numbers, I want to break down some of the reasons as to WHY a website could cost thousands upon thousands, since I'm sure you're thinking "WHY does a website cost that much!?" So let's break it down!
Competitor Analysis and Market Research
This is often an extensive and in-depth process, and the first step of the design process. Your designer should be researching your competition and analyzing what they’re doing, what’s working for them, what’s not, what common trends are for other businesses in your industry, etc. The goal is this process is to identify gaps in the market where your brand could be excelling and taking advantage of, that others might not be, in order to help you stand out.
The other part of this is market research. Market research not only includes competitor analysis, but a whole host of other things, such as researching your product or service, looking at what consumers and what your target audience is looking for in that product/service. It also includes getting inside the head of your ideal customer or client, and figuring out what their buying habits are, what's important to them, what they look for in your product/service, how much are they willing to spend, what brands do they resonate with and how can you mimic, if not make better that brand experience for them in order to turn them into your loyal clients and customers. It's seeing what they respond to and don't respond to, and so much more. There is a lot to do when it comes to market research, and the more in depth your designer goes, the more expensive it'll be.
Search Engine Optimization
Search engine optimization is often a big factor in pricing when it comes to website design pricing. SEO, or Search Engine Optimization is the process of designing your website in a way that helps your business get discovered easily on search engines like Google by implementing a lot of different best practices and procedures, keyword research and implementation, and so much more. SEO is such a crucial part of the web design process if you're looking to get discovered by more ideal customers and clients through Google, and want to make Google one of your top lead sources.
Since I've been in business for a little over two years now, I've noticed a lot of designers that are around my age (25) or are newer to web design, don't offer a whole lot in the way of SEO services. That's partially because SEO can be an intimidating thing to learn, since there is so much to it, and there are always changes in the algorithm. You can have a pretty website all day long, but if no one knows how to find it, it's pointless and you might as well have wasted your money on paying someone to design your website without any SEO practices in ind. You need search engine optimization in order to get found, and once you get found, people are hooked when seeing the gorgeous design. Good design and SEO most certainly go hand in hand. Given the fact that SEO is extensive, and requires lots of research, implementation and monitoring, it's most definitely a large factor at play when it comes to website pricing.
Number of Pages
I think this one goes without saying. It’s a lot of work making sure each page is set up properly, has all the technical SEO in place, making sure there's enough words and content on each page, strategically designed, etc. The more pages your website needs, the more expensive it's going to be. For example, if you're just needing a 6 page website, it's gonna cost a lot less than if you’re requesting a 25+ page website that will take much longer. Average turn-around for a lot of designers is roughly 6-10 weeks for a 5-8 page website. Think about it... If a designer is working for 6 - 10 weeks, that's 6 - 10 weeks of pay they need to be compensated for.
Copywriting
Copywriting is one of the most important parts of the web design process. It's the words! The words are what's going to help compel your audience to work with you or buy from you. You don't just buy the first hair dryer you see on Amazon, right? No, you click on the products, read the descriptions, the benefits, the specs, and the reviews, and then you make your buying decision right? That goes for any website, and for both products and services.
Copywriting is no easy task, and that's why I don't offer copywriting services. And that is why I always recommend when inquiring to work with me on your website, that you also consider paying for professional copywriting in order to truly make the biggest impact on all your website visitors. I do have a list of copywriter recommendations for you if you're interested!
Website copywriters typically conduct their own market research, keyword research, etc, and use that as the basis of helping them write captivating copy that converts for you and your business, and it's definitely well worth the investment.
Experience & Freelancer VS. Team
This one probably goes without saying, too, but experience plays a huge part of what you're paying for when you invest in a professional website. I've seen newer designers (like me, back in the day) who charge little to nothing for their services, which is not okay to begin with— everyone deserves to get compensated fairly for their services (we'll talk about that another day). But often times you'll see these newer designers with not a whole lot of experience charging close to nothing for websites, in the $1,000 - $2,000 range, and that's most definitely cheap for a website. But they don't charge a whole lot because they're trying to sign more clients so they can gain more experience, so they can feel more confident about charging more.
Back to experience— the more experienced your designer is, you can bet it's gonna be more expensive, because, well, of course they know what they're doing, since they've been doing this a long time. They know what typically works and what doesn't, strategies to use, what to avoid, best practices, etc. Their speed also comes along with this, typically. The more experience a designer has, usually the quicker they can work on your website, unless they prefer to take a slower more intentional approach to design.
Another very important factor that impacts pricing is whether or not you your designer is a one-man-show (or woman), or if they've got a team of designers that they can add into the mix for your project. If it's just a freelancer, it's typically a little more affordable than hiring an agency, who has employees and lots of other expenses to pay for.
In Summary
To summarize, there are a lot of different factors that come into play when it comes to how much a website costs in 2022 and 2023. Experience, number of pages, SEO, team vs freelancer, copywriting, market research, business goals and so much more are key factors in a website that's built to succeed, and anywhere you look you'll find different designers and agencies of different skills, capabilities and creativity. It's hard to put one set price on creative services— because each person has their own unique spin on creativity, their own ideas, their own experiences, their own unique views of things, and that is so valuable when it comes to helping you in your business.
So if you’ve been wondering why websites seem like they are super expensive, I promise it’s for good reason! Building a website is a lot of work, a lot of time, and requires extensive knowledge, design skills, and a lot of technical and SEO skills if you want a website that’s built to convert, and that will give you a good return on your investment!
Ready to get started on your new website? Use the button below to book a free 30-minute call with me and let’s get the ball rolling, friend!