New websites are expensive. That’s no secret. You can expect to pay between $500 to $5,000+ for a new website. But what do you get for your money? A new website is an investment in your company’s future. It’s an opportunity to show yourself in the best light, create a great user experience, and provide your clients with the information they need to make a decision on who they want to work with.
The issue at the front of every small business owner’s mind nowadays is how much website design should cost for their small business. Websites are powerful and, oftentimes, the only marketing tool a small business has and because of this, it’s important to make sure you fully understand the costs and work involved and invest your money in the right website design, platform/content management system, and web designer for your growing small business.
The first thing to do is to figure out what you want out of your website design. Is your goal to create a website that is easy for customers to view and purchase your products or do you want to develop a website that leaves your customers fascinated by your company and the story it tells?
Some of the most important features for your site are:
- Responsive design
- A clear layout
- Compelling content
- Easy navigation
- Calls to action
Let’s dive into the nitty-gritty of the pros and cons of each of the major ways your small business can get its website designed.
In this blog, you’ll learn the cost and pros and cons of:
- How much your website should cost in 2022
- Do-it-yourself web design with Wix & GoDaddy builders
- Agency design using WordPress CMS with easy-to-use plugins
- Why Problem Solver’s Consultants can help you improve your brand and lower your web design costs
How Much Should a Website Cost in 2022?
Hiring a web designer or team as a solopreneur can be challenging or downright cost-prohibitive. The time and iterations involved in website design can truly slow down the progress a solopreneur is trying to make and overwhelm in a short amount of time. Large website design firms may place costs for designing an entirely new website at a range from $1,500 to $10K for a fully functional powerhouse website.
Some of the major factors that contribute to the high cost of website design include:
- Responsive web design
- Content migration
- Content development
- Content integration
- Custom animation
- Uniqueness of your page templates & design
5 Powerful Reasons Why Well-Designed Websites Bring Customers For Small Businesses
Here are 5 more reasons why a well designed and developed website is a good investment for a small business:
- Establishes credibility: If you have a website, you’re credible. If you don’t have an online presence, you lose that credibility. This is one of the biggest reasons you should have one. But don’t forget, having a website online isn’t enough. You need to keep it up to date. Now that we live in a digital era, customers expect to see updated designs, creative layouts and websites that are easy to navigate on any device. If you’re running an ancient site, you begin to lose that credibility again.
- Build your brand: Your website design, logo design and marketing materials all help build your brand. A website is a huge part of a company’s image.
- You don’t lose to your competition: Competition is digital these days, which is one reason why small businesses rely on websites. While creating a Facebook profile, LinkedIn, Instagram and Twitter are great for your business, social media alone is not enough. If you rely on third-party platforms to build your brand online, you lose control of your brand’s visibility.
- You can showcase your products and services: More and more consumers are shopping online which means customers that find your products can purchase them instantly! Using your website to sell products can be more complicated, however you can always showcase your products and services online to drive customers into your store.
- Connect with your customers: A website is a great place to gather leads, or customer information. It’s an easy way to collect information about your customers to use in future interactions. For example, you might have a form where you can gather customer contact information, which you can then use to send out emails or newsletters, or to notify them of upcoming sales, events, etc.
Local Small Businesses With A Website Perform Better Than Those That Don’t
There is a wide variety when it comes to designing, developing, and launching a website, from spending less and trying to do it all yourself, to hiring freelancers, a small agency, or even a large-scale marketing firm to produce fancy imagery, videos, and copy in a custom design and code.
But for the most part, the cost of a website comes down to four general price ranges:
- Under $500: This usually means having one person design and develop it. It’s usually a small microsite with a select few pages covering basic information about your business, products, and services.
- $500-$1500: In this range small business owners can expect strategic insight, copywriting, and possibly new photography or social media marketing along with the cost of design and development. Some basic customization could also be possible.
- $1,500-$3,000: This is the ideal range for most small business websites that will get you a comprehensive, thoughtful input on design, development, copy, and more. This supports business goals and social media integration and includes calls to action, landing pages, and new photography or infographics.
- Over $3,000: This is the cost of larger websites and/or those with e-commerce functionality, both of which cost more in design and development.
Do-It-Yourself Web Design With Wix & Godaddy Builders
Do-It-Yourself (DIY) web design is one of the first (and most widely used) forms of website design by solopreneurs or small businesses. This method of web design has some major issues and can really cause problems for a business down the line. Why do small business owners choose to use Wix or GoDaddy? Simply put: they are budget conscious and feel that the DIY solution will quickly solve all their marketing woes and they can move onto more pressing issues (such as bringing in more paying customers to fund their business).
Wix and GoDaddy do have some powerful tools and can definitely give a jumpstart to a small business owner who doesn’t need all the complexity and just needs a few pages but as time goes on questions begin to arise:
- Who owns my content?
- How much configurability do I have with my DIY website?
- Can I integrate the latest plugins?
- Can my website function alongside or with my CRM?
- Is eCommerce an option with these websites?
- Am I really getting the best bang for my buck?
Pros and Cons of DIY Web Design Solutions
Do-It-Yourself (DIY) web design Platform/Tool | Pros | Cons |
Cost | DIY website builders are often inexpensive or free. | You get what you pay for. Free plans may include ads or distractor buttons. Hidden monthly costs begin to increase for the builder as new features are added which adds to the lifetime cost of the design. |
Ease of Use & Difficulty Level in Creating Your Website | DIY websites are easy to use and quick to develop | Some of the advanced features may overwhelm users who aren’t familiar with plugins or extensions. |
Outside Integration | Many newer DIY web design tools feature fantastic outside integration tools with all-in-one CMS tools such as Fantastico which has plenty of plugins. | Unforeseen costs may arise due to configurability and interoperability |
Barrier To Learning Web Design | DIY templates are easy, accessible, and even fun learning tools | The long-term configurability of many of the DIY platforms is limited. Many of these solutions offer limited features that may hinder your business’ scalability over time. |
Ease of Use & Difficulty Level
Let’s talk about the pros: DIY websites are easy to use and quick to develop but have their own downsides as well. A small business owner is often looking for the quickest solution to their marketing and web design woes and may overlook some of the distant issues these seemingly one-size-fits-all solutions bring. DIY website builders like Wix and GoDaddy can have your basic website up and running in a matter of hours. These solutions are easy-to-use and can be described as “drag and drop” but that is often where their configurability and easiness ends.
A bit about the cons: a few of the advanced features may overwhelm users who aren’t familiar with plugins or extensions. As with any new technology, the learning curve may cause small business owners to scratch their heads or run off in frustration.
One of the costs that often gets overlooked is the ongoing monthly costs of the builder that seem to grow as time goes on.
Outside Integration
When you begin to look at the technical aspects of DIY solutions and websites like Wix and GoDaddy, there are obvious pros and cons to each of the different platforms when it comes to outside integration. Getting access to the most popular plugins or efficient tools to integrate eCommerce solutions or CRM tools such as Salesforce or Quicken is possibly non-existent with these basic DIY web design tools so it is important to really plan for the future of your website.
Cost
Cost is a major issue for most small business owners. DIY website builders are often inexpensive or free. You get what you pay for with DIY tools, though. Free plans may include ads or distractor buttons which causes your customers to think your brand is cheap and that you may not have put much effort, investment, or thought into the design of your brand’s image.
Hidden monthly costs begin to increase for the builder as new features are added which adds to the lifetime cost of the design. Small business owners are often forced to shoulder these cost increases without any real option due to their need to use the builder and its new features.
Agency Design Using WordPress with Easy To Use Plugins
Agencies like Problem Solver’s Consultants can help you get your website up and running with some of the latest tools that integrate with the latest eCommerce plugins and are supported by many updates and ongoing bug fixes. One of these platforms/tools to build your website is Elementor.
Pros and Cons of Agency Designs Using Elementor
Agency Web Design Using Elementor | Pros | Cons |
Ease of Use & Difficulty Level in Creating Your Website | Agencies usually take care of all the leg work and it is more of a “hands-off” type of design project | You may end up with a design that isn’t as configurable as you would have hoped. |
Performance/Site Speed Issues | Many tools can be integrated into Elementor to attempt to improve some of its older version’s site speed/bulkiness. | Elementor’s previous versions have been known to be bulky and slow down a website’s loading speed which leads to user frustration |
Upgrades/Large Patches | Elementor often offers quick upgrades, tiny patches, and detailed release notes for its users | Upgrades and large patches have led to tiny glitches all the way to long website downtime. |
User Interface (UI)/User Experience | User interface and the overall “look and feel” of Elementor’s templates are much better than DIY tools | UI can be limited due to the release of plugins or templates that change the look and feel |
Cost of Elementor and Agency Design | Each year your Elementor license will auto-renew. Costs for Elementor’s basic license and installation software can range from $49/year to a premium version which is $89/year. | The installation is one cost to factor in but the agency’s design fees and labor may be quite different. It can be costly to hire an agency who isn’t focused on providing overall value and cost savings to their clients. |
Ease of Use & Difficulty Level
Agencies usually take care of all the leg work and it is more of a “hands-off” type of design project. This allows you to focus on your business and get more revenue entering the door or to focus on other pressing priorities you may have. With less hands-on contact or involvement in the web design process, your business may end up with a design that isn’t as configurable as you would have hoped.
Performance/Site Speed Issues
Elementor often offers quick upgrades, tiny patches, and detailed release notes for its users. Many new tools and releases by Elementor have been shown to integrate well with Google and improve crawlability of its websites.
Cost
You get more value for the money you pay with an agency specifically using Elementor.
Agencies can charge more than just DIY web design platforms so be ready for sticker shock if you aren’t careful. Each year your Elementor license will auto-renew. Costs for Elementor’s basic license and installation software can range from $49/year to a premium version which is $89/year. This cost is waived when a client uses Problem Solver’s Consultants for web design (an added value).
Cost is a slippery slope and with an agency you may end up adding unneeded configurability or “must-have” upgrades to your website. The installation is one cost to factor in but the agency’s design fees and labor may be quite different. It can be costly to hire an agency who isn’t focused on providing overall value and cost savings to their clients.
Well Thought Out Website Brief Saves Business Owners’ Time & Cost
There are a few ways that business owners/clients can speed up and ensure lower development costs and surprises during the website development process. They include developing and sharing a thought-out, complete website brief.
9 Key Areas to Cover in Your Website Brief
- Your website’s “big picture”
- List your target audience
- Goals and objectives for your website
- Your current website & content you’ll need to include on your new domain
- List your 5 closest competitors
- Project management and timeline (who does what and what’re the dates of delivery?)
- Web hosting and CMS plan (technical brief)
- Document your eCommerce preferences (any particular plugins you’d install to receive payment from your customers?)
- Outline your budget (be sure to think very hard on this one)
If you’d like to know more about Problem Solver’s Consultants and learn how we can streamline your website design process, Book a Free Consultation today!
Full Custom DIFM Web Design Solutions
Full custom Do-It-For-Me web design solutions have some amazing pros and a few cons that we should discuss before we wrap this blog article up. DFIM web design brings with it its own benefits and certain drawbacks but it is all up to the business owner and comfort level with cost, time commitment, and long-term maintenance tasks. This web design project definitely may take a toll on an organization’s budget.
Pros and Cons of Full Custom DIFM Web Design Solutions
Agency Web Design Using Elementor | Pros | Cons |
Ease of Use & Difficulty Level in Creating Your Website | Design is usually taken care of completely by the outside agency. It’s whatever you want your website to be | It may be time consuming and many decisions on your part may need to be made. |
Branding & User Interface (UI)/User Experience | DFIM designed websites accurately reflect your brand.UX/UI are completely customizable and are created (usually) to fit your every whim. | Fully customizable designs take time and an immense amount of effort if every small detail needs to be supervised or decided on by the small business owner. |
Cost of Fully Custom DFIM Website Design | This is highly variable but can be extremely high and may require ongoing maintenance costs. Initial costs can range from $5,000-$50,000 and up. | Overruns and changes in complexity may send the costs for this type of project to the moon. Careful planning and design/feature discussions are extremely important to control costs of initial design and maintenance costs. |
Hiring a boutique firm like Problem Solver’s Consultants can save your organizations thousands. Schedule a free website design audit today.
The Problem Solver’s Consultant’s Difference:
Problem Solver’s Consultants is so much more than just a group of web design and marketing experts. We treat each client like family and take the time to understand and truly interact with our clients to understand their brand voice, goals, and their vision for the company’s future.
We firmly believe in delivering innovative content and websites that fully express and promote your brand. We tell your story in a way that provides results. We focus on your customer and delivering a message they want to hear when they want to hear it, where they are! We work to be as cost-effective and efficient as possible and that is what sets us apart.
Hiring Problem Solver’s Consultants will help you:
- Focus on running your business
- Work with experts
- Stay competitive in your industry online
- Understand and get measurable results
- Cut down on overall costs
Building a new website? Contact us today to learn more about our web design services.
Hosting Your Website: What Works Best & Which Price Fits Your Organization’s Budget?
In today’s day and age, businesses need to have a website in order to get the word out about their company. The question is: where do I host my new website content? Many small business owners can’t afford to get their own website hosting. Fortunately, there are many 3rd party websites that offer website hosting for people who can’t afford to get it. Some of these sites are Wix, Blogger, or GoDaddy. The issue with these 3rd party solutions is that they can lack many important features that can leave a small business’ website up for grabs for hackers or anyone who’s computer savvy enough to know how to do a directory search in their browser bar. We’ve discussed some of the downsides to the DIY web design solutions above and these often package web hosting along with their services. Be sure to really weigh your options carefully before picking a hosting provider.
How Problem Solver’s Consultants Gets You Hosted & Secures Your Spot on the Internet
Every website hosted with Problem Solver’s Consultants includes Secure Socket Layer encryption and the option to include other privacy protections such as masking the ownership of your website and/or auto-renewing your domain so you never lose your precious domain address.
Price Matters: Problem Solver’s Consultants Provides Value With Our Unique Client-Focused Process
Problem Solver’s Consultants takes a client-first approach where we treat you as a member of our family. We strive to provide a streamlined process that helps you quickly get your website built and reach your goals in the quickest time possible whether they be brand awareness, improved brand image, or higher conversions and/or email signups. We also endeavor to be the highest quality, fairly priced website design and marketing firm in the industry.
Our unique process of building your custom website includes:
- Initial Client Meeting: We meet directly with your team to discuss your business or non-profit and your goals for the new website.
- Brief Questionnaire: We’ll ask you to complete our quick website brief questionnaire online giving us all the information we need to begin the website design process.
- Homepage draft: We create a homepage draft for you to review/approve our design, UX, colors, fonts, etc.
- Full Buildout: We’re off to the races! We’ll finish building out the rest of your pages.
- Content & SEO Writing: Next, we’ll write all of your content and SEO blocks (ensuring they meet the highest, and most up-to-date, best practice standards.
- Final Approval: Then we send your newly designed pages and optimized web content back for your final approval.
- Responsiveness & UI/UX Audit: Once approved, our designers and expert programmers go back to each page and optimize each for responsiveness on both tablets and mobile devices. We leave no stone or device unturned! We ensure your website works on all devices.
- Launch Day!: Once the final responsiveness and user experience are tested and no bugs are produced, your new website will be ready to launch!
Designing and developing websites is one of our favorite projects to help our new clients with.
A website is a solid investment that not only builds brand awareness but is a foundation for all digital marketing.
Interested in a new website design? Or learning about easy ways you can improve your current website?
Sign up today for a FREE WEBSITE AUDIT TODAY!
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