Choosing the Web Designer That’s Right for You
Not too long ago, the success of a small business depended a few different factors. Physical location was, of course, very important to success. On the marketing side of things indoor and outdoor advertising played a huge roll in addition to radio and television commercials. Word of mouth promotion contributed significantly to brand awareness, a factor that still holds quite a bit of weight today. All of the above are still admittedly very important. However, the age of internet marketing has caught its stride, leaving many business owners struggling to keep up. Web presence is of tremendous importance these days. Without an online brand you could be significantly limiting the potential of your business, no matter if it is fairly young or established. It is for this reason that we will be looking at web design. How much does it cost? What should you expect for your money? Most importantly, how will it help you business grow? For the answers to these questions and more, read on.
The Cost of Web Design
Before moving any farther, first you need to decide what you want out of your website. Will you be selling products through your website? Or will it be purely informational, drawing people to your business through your sales pitch? When shopping around for the best web designer, create a list of requirements that you need in your website and give the same requirements to each firm. This list should contain everything from number and types of pages, to the intended purpose for the site, to long term business goals you want the site to accomplish.
In addition to knowing what you want, you should also know who you want for the job. Don’t bother with single-person operations or off-shore firms. Both will present unique challenges that could be avoided by working with an established local or semi-local team.
Below are different types of websites you may be considering, along with ballpark estimates of how much a trusted design firm would charge.
Small, Informational Websites
This type of website is for the new business. It doesn’t do anything outrageously fancy, it has no special plug-ins or expansive databases, it just informs potential costumers about your business. In most cases, any e-commerce will be done through hosted carts or PayPal. If this sounds like the website you are after, you will fall on the low end of web design costs. Web designers are paid hourly, and for a small website such as this you can expect to pay about $5,000 to $12,000 dollars with a trusted group of local web designers. Or, for an extremely basic site, you can pay as low as $500. This price range is also fairly typical for the redesign of a small website that involves a significant amount of reprogramming.
Enhancements for Medium to Large Sized Sites
For websites with 30 to 40 total pages, most web design work will involve updating the design or functionality of the website. Many business owners desire a website that is mobile friendly. In this case web designers often have to completely redo the framework of the existing website. Since there is more content to work with, these types of jobs will take longer and require a heftier payment. Prices range from $7,000 all the way up to $30,000 depending on the size and requirements of your site.
Remember, these are just estimates. The true cost could go up depending on any additional features or requirements you want for your site. You should also factor in maintenance costs. Between your domain name, hosting, plug-in cost, continued upgrades, stock art, and online marketing/SEO expect to pay at least $1,000 a year, in many cases more.
Hiring a Firm
Once you’ve established what you want out of a designer and how much you expect to spend at a few different firms, you have to decide which firm will do the best job. It isn’t all about upfront cost, or how artistic their designers are known to be. The most important question to ask is “what can they do to make my business grow?” You want to work with a company that has an established business, at least 10 years with a group of experienced employees. A company that stays up to date on the latest in design, programming, social media, technical writers, online marketing, and SEO is extremely important for the best results. Firms that focus on these elements in addition to website building will generate the most business.
You will also want to find a firm that fits in with your business’s culture. Find other business owners who have hired this firm before and pick their brain a little. A web design firm should be easy to deal with and share your goals for your website and your business.
At Integrative Consulting Group, we can connect you with the best web designers in the business. Our partners have years of experience with SEO and web design. Whatever project you have, they can handle it. Optimize your site, large or small, for mobile platforms and search engines by working with one company. They also offer social media management, content writing, creative branding, and more.
As a solutions brokerage company, we first listen to your goals, strive to understand your business and demographic targets, then work within your budget to find the best company to work with. We save you time and money by providing the research, interview and quote analysis to locate the best vendor. Our consultants consist of former C-level executives and management experts that utilize simplified analysis tools for speeding up the decision process.