How to Get the Best Quote for Your Website
When you are looking for a web designer to build your site, take some time to consider a few things before you request a quote:
- What’s the scope of your project? Are you a large company or a one-person show?
If you envision a website with dozens of pages or an online store with hundreds of products, you probably need a web design firm that can handle volume. I recommend a company with several employees. You will pay more, but it will be worth it to get the site you really need.
Are you an individual who is just starting out? Find an experienced freelance web designer or small web design firm who can build a solid site that will get you results. You will pay less and still get a quality product.
TIP: Look at the web design company’s About Us page to see how many people they employ. Also, look at their Contact Us page to see if they have a physical location. If they have a team and an office, they are a larger company, which means you will pay more. Individual designers usually work from home. Therefore, they have less overhead and charge better rates. Most often, freelance designers are best for smaller projects. However, since they are the sole proprietors of their craft, they generally have less time for extensive work.
- What is your budget? How do you know if you are paying too much?
Pricing varies depending on the designer’s experience, the scope of the project, the size of your company, and other factors. Here are some quick guidelines:
The larger your company and the scope of your project, the more you should expect to pay. Your budget should be in the thousands, anywhere from $2000 and up, depending on what kind of website you want. Your site will likely have more than 20 pages and possibly some advanced features such as an online store. Go with a larger design house to get your project done faster if you have a bigger budget.
If you are an individual or small business owner, you should expect to pay in the hundreds for a small site of up to 10 pages without a lot of extras. You can sometimes get a simple PayPal shopping cart to sell a few services or products for under a thousand, but be prepared to spend $1500 or more for additional options. Look for an experienced designer for quality work with the best rate.
TIP: Practically all web designers offer free quotes, so get several estimates to compare services, but don’t automatically take the lowest bid. Remember that you get what you pay for. At the same time, don’t feel like you have to spend $10,000 to get a great website. Unless you are building a proprietary site with lots of options and special programming, or a site with hundreds of pages, a quote this high is likely to be a rip-off.
- How quickly do you need to launch your website? Do you have all of your content prepared and ready to go?
Make sure you ask your web designer how long they think your site will take to build. A reasonable time frame for a 5-page site is generally between 7 to 14 business days. Some designers will expedite your design for an extra fee. Building a website requires several steps, including an initial consultation with you where you discuss everything you want on your site, a research phase where your designer looks at your competitions’ websites, an outline and mockup of your website’s structure, and the actual initial design of your site. After you approve the design, your designer will lay in the content, add any special features, and then launch your site.
Having your content ready at the outset can save on development time, so your site gets launched more quickly. Also, taking the time to think about your site’s content will help you hone in on what you want as well as help you give your web designer direction on your project.
Requesting Your Website Quote
When you request a quote from a potential web designer, make sure to send these 3 bits of information, so you get the most accurate pricing:
- The number and names of pages you want on your site. For small sites, the crucial number is around 5 pages, which most commonly include: Home, About, Services (or Products), Testimonials (or FAQ), Contact.
- Any other special features you want on your website, such as: social sharing buttons, photo gallery, mailing list, blog, logo design, online payments, SEO, etc.
- Links to sites you like, so your designer can get a sense of your style and expectations.
Get a free quote for your website now.
