How Much Should Website Design Cost? (10 Factors you Must Consider First)

Note: This is a 2019 update of a post I wrote January, 2016: How Much Does Website Design Cost?

How much does website design cost? I’m asked this question all the time.

It’s possibly one of the top questions a potential client asks.

For good reason. When I interview any contractor, I always want to know: How much will it cost?

So, how much does a website cost?

It depends.

Every job is different. Each client is unique. And there are many factors that go into any site design.

It’s not uncommon for a small business owner to receive a group of website design estimates with dramatic price variations.

So, if you’re looking to hire a website designer you might have to play a guessing game when it comes to pricing.

Is this dramatic variation in price a result of the inexperienced vs. experienced? Reasonable versus unreasonable pricing? Or is it because there are freelancers competing with bigger web design firms?

Which leads the business owner back to the first question: How much should a website cost? Really?

Here’s the honest truth: There is no black and white answer because there are so many elements to consider. And you’re probably talking with freelancers and firms alike.

Before you do talk with any designer or developer you must ask yourself the following: What, exactly, should a new website do for my business?

Is it simply to help bring in new customers? Do you want to add blogging or video? And how will a site fit into your overall marketing efforts?

And if you want to avoid a ton of pain and frustration, a little research and planning is needed before you talk to any web design firm or freelancer.

The added benefit: you’ll go into the process feeling stress-free, confident, and organized.

Think about it. Before you embark on a kitchen remodel, don’t you want to go into the process feeling comfortable, confident, and ready? Knowing that having a plan and a prepared list of questions will lead you to the right contractor?

Of course!

So before you talk to anyone about your website redesign, create a basic website checklist.

The checklist will give you a framework and inspire questions that not only address website design but the marketing needs for your business.

“Before you do talk with any designer or developer you must ask yourself the following: What, exactly, should a new website do for my business?”

How much should you pay for web design? (And what 10 factors do you need to consider first?)

Having a completed checklist is the best way to answer this question and here’s why…

If you want a site that clearly defines what you do, how you will make your customer’s life better, and tells them what they need to do next, you must think about your marketing message.

If you want a website that clearly articulates what your business does, has the bells and whistles that are needed and is built to be a part of your overall marketing, you have to think about all the elements that go into it.

A website design checklist will help you go into the process prepared and ready. A checklist will help you think about your website as a powerful marketing tool. And a checklist will help you find the best person for the job.

Now, drumroll…

1. Branding should be your core focus

Branding is more than a logo and tagline. It’s how you position your business. I mean, you want to set up a website that proudly displays the soul of your business and is built to attract the right customers, correct? You need to think about the following…

Your visual brand—logo, fonts, colors, and brand standards. A site redesign is the perfect time to think about your company’s visual brand and how it can be improved. Creating a uniform visual style for your website and all of your marketing.

Your brand story—Copy that correctly positions your brand for success. A clear, concise description of how you want your ideal customer to see your brand.

To do branding right, you need to focus on key elements before you create any type of website or marketing.

The following post will help: Rebranding Your Business? STOP and Take These Four Steps First

2. BUT Your ideal customer drives this

Revisit the positioning from step 1 above, and pay particular attention to your ideal customer. Who is this person? Can you visualize them? What problems are you helping them fix? If you’ve taken the time to go through some positioning work, this should be a cinch.

It’s only after you’ve done this initial work that you should start thinking about copy and design. Why? Because your copywriting must align and support your positioning, and appeal to your ideal customer.

What about design? How you want your target market to see your brand in visual form? Is there a combo of colors, fonts, and images that you think will resonate with your ideal client?

Have you defined your ideal customer?

Does your messaging speak to them?

Will your website clearly articulate what your products and/or services will do for said person?

If not get busy. You can’t skip steps #1 and #2.

3. Content is still king

When you are designing a website, content (read: effective copywriting) should never be an afterthought. It should be one of your first steps.

So, why is it so important to focus on copy first? Because you need a brand story to effectively market your business. A narrative that guides prospects through your site.

Good copy should tell them who you are, how you will help them, and what they should do next—call you, email you, join your list, etc.

Think about the keywords you’ll use. Your tone. And who you are talking to—your ideal customer.

Content is story and story is your website. Your story is the heart of your brand. Your story is your spark, ignited by you.

Good content makes it a bazillion times easier to develop site navigation, design graphics, and promote your website.

Think about copy as an initial step and why copy is more important than design.

“When designing your website, content (read: effective and engaging copy) should never be an afterthought. It should be one of your first steps.”

4. You need a marketing plan (and system)

Marketing is the most important system in your business. But in order to bring in those customers, it has to be a system. And for your website to do what it’s designed to do—bring in customers—you need a marketing plan.

And to do marketing right, you need to focus on strategy first. A good marketing strategy is 100 times more important than any marketing tactic.

As John Jantsch, of Duct Tape Marketing, mentioned in this post, “Strategy without tactics is the slowest route to victory. Tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat.”
–Sun Tzu

Amen, brother John.

So, what about your marketing plan? Is it more important than your site? Well, you need both of course, but with a new website, a clear marketing strategy is a must.

Here’s what a marketing strategy is not: It’s not your company’s mission, or a document of year-end goals, or a business wish list.

Nope!

Your marketing strategy should be a clear set of incremental steps describing how you are going to complete your marketing plan and design a system (a marketing machine) to make it all work.

• Set objectives. 
• Detail how you are going to meet them.
• Review. Adjust. And keep moving forward.

This post should help you get started: 7 Core Components to Marketing Your Small Business

5. Functional website design (and the caveman test).

So, a potential customer visits your site. Will this person know what you do in a few seconds time? Have you done your homework and clearly identified your ideal customer? If not, see step 3. You need a marketing plan (and system) above.

TRUTH—you have a few seconds (roughly 5), tops. A fairly recent study tells us, “results showed the average human attention span has fallen from 12 seconds in 2000, or around the time the mobile revolution began, to eight seconds.” Yep, Humans have shorter attention span than goldfish, thanks to smartphones.

What happens when your ideal prospect lands on your home page? What next?

Picture someone finding you online and looking at your website.

As mentioned above, you have roughly 5 seconds to get their attention.

Donald Miller of StoryBrand.com talks about your marketing passing the “grunt test.” Could a caveman grunt what you offer after a quick peek at your site?

Maybe you’re a life coach. Caveman might say, “Me understand. Me break through what hold me back. World need special gift me have. Make difference. Be person me want be. Must contact and hire her.”

Caveman understand.

Website rock caveman.

Marketing good.

Your prospects… They’ll buy what they can understand the fastest.

To get them to buy you need a clear marketing message, hatched from your brand.

And your brand needs a way to express itself daily, in the form of functional website design! So…

Convey exactly what you do.

Talk to the right person (your ideal customer).

Have content and graphics that work in harmony to convey your message quickly.

And make it clear what they need to do. You can start here.

“Think about someone finding you online and looking at your website for the first time. You have about FIVE seconds to get their attention.”

6. Have you thought about photography?

Just about everyone visiting your site wants to see bright, happy faces. And that is why I think every company needs a rock-solid meet the team page. Plus, it’s easily one of the most important, and most visited pages, on your site.

And any about page, isn’t going to work without photos.

Sooo, this means that a photoshoot might be in order. You might also want to have a photographer take some shots of your team at work, a group shot for an “our team” page.

You may ditch custom photography for illustration, or use budget-friendly stock photography. Regardless, my opinion is that good photography needs to be included in your website budget.

7. How much time are you spending on the look of your site?

In our current phase of ready-made WordPress templates, and services like Wix and Squarespace, a more custom-designed layout that helps bring your brand to life is often sidelined.

So, what about the look and feel of your site? A unique look for your home page, interior pages, and navigation? Cool fonts, brand colors, and stylized opt-in boxes?

Buying and making a canned theme is getting easier every year. But if you want your site to stand out, to show your ideal customers what you do in your own unique way, you’ll need to invest time and money in good design.

Do you want a sure way to quash your reputation in a competitive business? Create a poorly designed website. So, don’t skimp on site design. Nuff said.

Graphic design should not be an afterthought.

8. Blogging and a robust content marketing plan.

You might be asking, what the heck is content marketing?

It’s blogging, video, lead-generating PDFs, and more.

And, if you want blogging and things like social media integration, perfect! If you go with the WordPress framework, this is all built in. Even better!

But have you really thought about marketing after your site goes live?

If content marketing is going to be part of your website, you need to include blog functionality and social media integration, and work with a pro to help you map all this stuff out. Or at least help you get started with an integrated marketing approach. (Again, see step 3 above.) And this all needs to be thought through and planned out before you get started.

Think about a realistic storytelling strategy that will work for your business.

9. Testing and making your site live.

Think about the following – You launch your brand new website, then get an email from a friend asking why you misspelled half the words on your site, or your fonts look funny on their end, or maybe (*gasp) they discovered some Lorem Ipsum dummy text on your home page.

With so many browsers, the need for responsive design, and bugs that always arise, you need to make sure your site works. From grammar and spelling to making sure your site looks fresh on mobile, testing is an important and necessary component with any website design.

And what about hosting? Are you planning to keep your current hosting plan, migrate to another, or start over? If so, someone has to do the work and make certain that everything is in proper working order before your site goes live.

10. And last but not least, Search Engine Optimization (SEO).

Each page on your site should be optimized so both people and Google like your content.

Google Analytics should be set up so you can track site visits. On- and off-site SEO is hugely important, and there are a multitude of SEO best practices to help your site’s search engine ranking (enough for a post all its own).

But here’s the thing—If SEO is important to you, and it really has to be these days, it should and must be part of the process.

Now, let’s review the 10 elements you should consider when you redesign your site:

1. Branding should be your initial focus.

2. But your ideal customer drives everything.

3. Content is still king (read: good copywriting is a must).

4. You need a marketing plan (and system).

5. Functional website design. (Remember the caveman “grunt” test?)

6. Photography and/or illustration. (Shiny, happy people ;))

7. Graphic design – the look of your site.

8. Blogging and a robust content marketing plan.

9. Testing and making your site live.

10. And last but not least, Search Engine Optimization (SEO).

“Every page on your website should be optimized so both people and Google LOVE your content.”

So, How Much Should a Website Redesign Cost?

You can certainly get a site designed in the $3,000-$5,000 range if you are looking to create something just a wee bit beyond a canned WordPress template.

So this range will get you a site for sure. But it will not be a custom design, and brand development and custom copywriting will not come with a website in this price range.

To clarify the range of website design costs, I’ve created three distinct levels of website design.

1. Silver – basic website design.

2. Gold – standard website design.

3. Platinum – advanced website design.

1. Silver – Basic Website Design Fee Range: $5,000 – $10,000

At the silver level, you can definitely get a customized design. A silver level site can and should be clean, look great, and functional, but it will not come with all the snazzy added features you might want.

You can also fit in some branding and copy help. But, in reality, if you’re looking to design a website in the basic price range, you should figure out a way to do the branding and copy work before you approach a designer. The focus of any creative time here is primarily on website design. Yes, there are consultants who will do everything for this price, but if you try to stuff everything into the can, you’ll get what you pay for and might end of spending more in the long-term because the site doesn’t bring in the new business you need.

What will you get?

A website built to current standards. Including basic SEO, staging/testing, and mobile responsive design.

A list what the silver website design range includes:

Planning and meetings
Sitemap and wireframes
Graphic design of the site
Development
Content porting
Site staging, testing, and launch

Photography and/or illustration (stock sources)

Training documentation

Basic SEO.

You may get a bit of help with:

Branding and logo design.

Copy.

Blogging and social media: Basic social media integration, and the standard WordPress blog setup.

Silver usually does not include:

Brand positioning, a marketing plan, blog training, and research.

Total average cost: $5,000 – $10,000

2. Gold – Standard Website Design Fee Range: $8,000 – $15,000

At the gold level, you’ll get more pages, extra functionality, and more time set aside for research and design. Basically the snazzy added features you might want.

You will also get more creative help with design and copy, training, and stronger keyword optimization.

What will you get?

A website built to current standards. Including basic SEO, staging/testing, and mobile responsive design.

Here is what this price range includes:

Planning, meetings, and research
Sitemap and wireframes
Graphic design of the site
Development
Content support and porting
Site staging, testing, and launch

Photography and/or illustration (stock sources)

Training and documentation

Basic SEO and more involved keyword optimization.

You may get a bit of help with:

Branding and logo design.

Copy.

Blogging and social media: Basic social media integration, and the standard WordPress blog setup.

Gold does not include:

Help with creating a customer journey, brand positioning, and creating a robust content marketing plan, are usually not included.

Total average cost: $8,000 – $15,000

3. Platinum – Advanced Website Design Fee Range: $15,000 – $30,000+

Platinum gives you the luxury of more pages, added functionality, and more time allotted to research, graphic design, copy, SEO, and training. It also includes what you really need – a detailed marketing plan.

Good news if you have the budget: This is where you can get most of the things you want and need. Quality time spent on fleshing out your brand story, logo design, and content—blog content, page copy, and keyword optimization.

Platinum is the best mix of creative, development, and often much-needed marketing consulting.

An added element

Strong, focused brand development is included–and this is how I always start a project. So, you’ll have rock-solid copy written for your ideal customer, and your customer journey will help create an optimal website experience. With this option, your site will most definitely pass the caveman grunt test.

Platinum can include:

Meetings, planning, and in-depth research.

A refined brand positioning statement

Full copywriting services
Sitemap and wireframes
Graphic design of the site
Development

More involved SEO strategies, including on- and off-site SEO

Testing and site launch

Custom photography and/or illustration

More in-depth client training and documentation

A style guide, business card, and letterhead design

Total average cost: $15,000 – $30,000+

With this range, you can obviously include just about all you want, and sites can cost waaaay in excess of $30K.

A few other things you should think about before you design your site

If you review Firms and Freelancers.

After reading this post and worksheet (the worksheet is a must if you are interviewing web designers), you will have a better understanding and more control of this process. And if you know what you’re looking for, and spell out the details, you won’t get a wild range of site design estimates.

After you receive estimates, it’s crucial that you interview the freelancers and/or firms and do the following…

a. Get all that you ask for, in writing.

b. Get references and thoroughly review what they’ve designed.

c. Trust your gut (it usually works for me).

It needs to be clear what you are getting. But it’s probably more important that you feel relaxed, secure, and confident when dealing with your final choice. Just make sure you go over all details, understand their process, and feel a sense of rapport. A balanced and honest relationship is an important, but often overlooked element of the site design and development process.

What to do after Your Website is Launched?

A live site is not the end of the story. In fact, I think you should plan out your “after launch” steps at the start.

Security, cloud backup, maintenance. Ongoing content marketing. Social media engagement. Site metrics. A/B testing. Etc. I could go on, and an “after site” plan could be a post all its own.

Try to work with a company or individual where training comes as part of the package, so you can do some or all of the above, or hire someone to do so after the site is live.

Marketing must be a focus

Last but not least, have a focused marketing plan and system. A marketing machine that will help your site do what it was built to do. Clarify your brand, attract the right customers, and grow your business!

This is all covered in the checklist, so make sure you download your copy.

Do you want to bring your brand to life? Taking a few minutes to complete our brand audit will help you think about your current marketing efforts and what might need to change. It will also help me suggest several ways to improve your branding and marketing now: Brand audit. 

After you complete the form, we’ll contact you to schedule a time to go over the results and see how we can help.

If you are interested in learning more about our marketing process, sign up for my email list below.