How Much Should a Website Cost?

The essential guide to getting a new website

Quick Links

Brochure Websites
Online Store
Friends and Family Discounts
Migration Planning
Use a Well Known CMS
Common Good
You Are the Owner, Own It
Analysing Your Site
Websites Are Sales Tools
Manage Your Expectations

Don’t make the mistake of over or underpaying for your website

Some say you should think of your website as a shop window to the world. We disagree, we think your website should be considered your digital sales department.

Unlike a shop window, where you’re waiting passively for people to walk into the store and look in, your sales department is busy generating leads, selling your products or drumming up business. Would you prefer a shop window or a sales department?

No matter whether you’re replacing an old website or building one from scratch, it’s an investment in the future of your business. Let us now take a look at our top ten tips for “how much should a website cost?”

Join the 4th revolution

Brochure Websites

A simple brochure website of less than 10 pages should be less than £1,000 and you may also incur ongoing costs for hosting & any extra functionality, but these should be minimal.

Online Store

A simple E-commerce website with less than 100 products will be around £1,500, and you may also incur ongoing costs for hosting & any extra functionality, but these should be minimal.

Friends and Family Discounts

I can’t stress this enough, DO NOT USE FRIENDS, RELATIVES OR FRIENDS OF RELATIVES to design your website. Would you invite bob next door to build your shop in the real world? What happens if you fall out?

Migration Planning

If you have an existing site, make sure you have an SEO professional put a migration plan together to protect your search rankings, otherwise you could suffer a catastrophic drop.

Use a Well Known CMS

There are a lot of content management systems out there (the framework the site will be built on) but stick to designers who user WordPress or Shopify, they are the most common and flexible.

Common Good

Avoid companies using bespoke and other lesser known platforms as this will make them more difficult to improve later and harder to rank on Google. I would also avoid Wix, Squarespace, GoDaddy Web Builder and Weebly.

You Are the Owner, Own It

Insist on Administrator access once it is built, going back later when the company no longer exists, or you’ve fallen out is a nightmare.

Analysing Your Site

You should have Google Analytics and Google Search Console set up as part of the web design process, if not insist on it. It doesn’t matter if you don’t know how to use it now.

Websites Are Sales Tools

A website is not a piece of art! Avoid designers who prefer looks to functionality, you want it to work well AND look good.

Manage Your Expectations

Be realistic with your expectations, new sites don’t attract more visitors without some marketing support. New sites are not magic bullets.

So that’s our top ten tips on “How much should a website cost?” do you agree? Leave a comment below.

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