Website Pricing
Planning your web design budget
Every web site is different, which makes it impossible to give a flat price for any particular site. This being the case, all web developers use different methods to determine the cost for web design. We will describe some of the most common methods for web site pricing below.
There the common types of web design pricing used in the industry today.
- Hourly Rate
- Project Price
- Package Rates
Charging Hourly
A very common way for web designers to charge is by the hour. Depending on the experience, location, and many other factors, the hourly rate can be anywhere from $8.00 (outsourced overseas) to $500.00 per hour (For a high-level consultant)! This is a huge difference but I have seen both and just about everything in between.
The important thing is to make sure the web developer is worth the rate they charge. Always check with the designers past clients and remember – you really do “get what you pay for”.
Per Project Pricing
Many web design firms will give you a set price to complete your project. Make sure you have a thorough and complete requirements list before you begin the project. A good design firm will break out each section with a list of features, specification and assumptions for each section of your website. Make sure you get it in writing so you both have clear expectations.
Package Rates
Many web designers will have pre-made packages that are usually cheaper than a complete custom design website. The drawback with packages is that they are probably going to try and fit your business into a pre-made website that might not have all the bells and whistles a custom site has. Most designers will have a flat package rate then allow you to request customization at an additional charge.
Types of Websites
Corporate Web Site Corporate or commercial site goes beyond the basic on-line brochure. More complex sites feature a greater level of interactivity and database integration. You may need a private intranet for employee communication and document sharing, or an extranet to share information and track vendors and/or customers. Corporate web sites usually start around $5,000 and can go as high as $100,000 depending on the complexity.
Standard Corporate Web Design Pricing:
- Outsourced Offshore: $500 ~ $15,000
- US Designer: $3000 ~ $20,000
- US Web Design Firm: $5000 ~ $50,000
Interactive Database Site A complex interactive site has a large amount of back-end programming. More complex sites feature a greater level of interactivity and database integration. Most complex corporate sites consist of data driven content and dynamically generated pages. The amount of pages is not as relevant as the amount of programming involved. The most important aspect to an interactive site is that its easy to navigate, fast, and scalable. These web sites usually start around $15,000 and can go as high as $250,000 depending on the complexity.
Back end programming can be done in a variety of different languages, some of the more popular server-side languages are PHP and ASP. Web Interfaces are normally written in CSS and HTML. If you don’t know what these languages are, don’t worry, let your designer or programmer make a recommendation.
Corporate Brochure A “brochure” site simply means a website that serves as an on-line brochure that gives general information about your company products and services. A brochure site does not have complex database programming, e-commerce, or lots of interactivity. It basically serves as an on-line advertisement that features graphic design.
This kind of site is a great start for a company and can be expanded in the future as your company grows. In this day and age, it is essential for a company to have an on-line presence as well as a basic corporate brochure site. These web sites can start for as little as $2,000.
E-Commerce Site E-commerce websites can range from very simple to very complex. There are quite a few things to consider when preparing to budget an ecommerce site. These web sites usually start around $5,000 and can go as high as $250,000 depending on the complexity.
There are a wide range of service providers, more experienced and “in-demand” providers may charge premium prices, while beginners may work very cheap but lack experience. Different skill sets demand different pay scales. If you choose the lowest price possible you will probably not get any qualified providers to respond.
A basic guide for about 10 hours of work is:
Student: $100 – $200 ($10-$20/hour)
Freelancer: $200 – $1000 ($20-$100/hour)
Expert Consultant: (McKinley Media Group) $500 – $2000 ($50-$200/hour)
Company: $700 – $2500 ($70-$250/hour)
Recommended project budget:
| Logo Design: | $150 – $750 |
| T-shirt design: | $101 – $500 |
| 3-fold Brochure: | $501 – $2000 |
| Simple Website: | $501 – $2,500 |
| Complex Website: | $1,500 – $25,000 |
| Myspace like site: | $5,001 – $30,000 |
| Custom Applications: | $10,001 – $100,000 |
Common hourly rates:
| Student/Offshore: | $10-$30/hour |
| Freelancer: | $35-$100/hour |
| Expert Consultant:(McKinley Media Group) | $50-$200/hour |
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McKinley Media Group, an internet marketing company in Baltimore, Maryland & Washington DC that specializes in Conversion-driven web design.