How much does a small business website cost?

Having a website designed and built for a small business can be expensive, there is no doubt about it. The cost to build a website is partially relying on buying a domain, host, and a design. So as a business owner looking into a website, how much is a website going to cost?

DESIGN COST

There are a large number of factors that can cause price ranges to rise and fall for a website. The prices that we have collected show the average cost of a five page website design to be a broad range from $400-$1000. However, having a website designed through a freelance website designer can cost upwards of $1500. It’s also important to read the fine text, as you can expect to pay around $100-$200 for some web designers to make your website mobile friendly (80% of web traffic is on mobile devices).

WHAT TO LOOK OUT FOR

Every website design company is run differently, so when choosing who you are going through there are quite a few things to look out for. When viewing packages or communicating about custom work ensure that each of the following is discussed.

Make sure the website is mobile friendly:

When looking for a website, ensure that the web designer states their site designs are either mobile friendly or fully responsive. Having a responsive website design means that no matter the device a user is viewing from, the website will fit all the content on the screen. Having a non-responsive website will result in poorly arranged content and missing information on certain platforms.

Can you change the content of your page at any time?

Any good website designer/builder will be able to modify the content on your website to ensure everything stays up to date. Before you find yourself stuck in an expensive contract, do your research. Figure out the hourly rate or fixed cost your designer will charge you to make changes on the website.

If you plan on making changes yourself, ensure that your website host has an easy to use interface such as Wix. Finding a website designer that creates sites on easy to use hosts is a great choice to save money as a business owner. After they have created a design and crafted basic content, you can make small changes yourself down the road.

Check if custom images, logos, and potential content is limited to a capacity.

It’s an unfortunate truth, but many package based website designers will limit the amount of custom content you can have on your page. The difference between a web designer using 5 custom photos versus 20 will completely change the personal feel of your page. Aim to find a website designer that will allow you to express all the content that you want. Afterall, this is YOUR website.

Communicate to see if hosting is included in your package.

That’s right, not all website designers have their own platform to host a website. Dig around a bit and figure out which host your web designer is using. Additionally, figure out how much you will be charged for potential ad removal and domain purchasing through their host. With popular website hosts such as WordPress, Wix, and EditorX you can have free hosting websites with ads plastered over the screen. To avoid this, you will be charged on a monthly or yearly rate.

See if the website designer is using templates or creating custom designs.

Whether your website is designed custom to you, or on a template, you should have the right to know. Templates are often well created and give a visual before the design is started. However, custom website designs are unique to your business and can have more business themed features. The option is ultimately up to you as the buyer, this is just another idea to think about.

Check out additional products/features that are included in the website packages.

Purchasing a website through large website design companies will often come with additional content for your business. You can expect for them to offer you custom banners, business card designs, or logos that go along with your website.

Making sure you get the best deal with your website purchase

Before committing yourself to a website, compare a couple of different companies to see how prices match. Take into consideration all of the extra features that each business is offering you.

Check out your web designer’s portfolio. If there is a portfolio that you can see, definitely do so! Learning what a web designer can do is not only helpful to ensure you like their work, but can give you ideas as to what you want done with your own website.

Communicate with your potential options. Before making the big purchase, clear up any confusion and possible gray areas in the package details. Afterall, if there is no communication provided by the company, this is most likely a red flag.

Now that you know what to look for in a website, we wish you the best of luck in getting exactly what you are looking for! To learn more about website design check us out here. To connect with our company and learn about our website design work click here!