Probably your biggest advertising asset, your website is one of your most critical drivers in terms of getting leads for your company or business. In fact, it’s where the majority of people will get their first impression of you, what you have to offer, and often the difference between whether or not a person will reach out to you or one of your competitors.
But, what factors actually determine the cost of building a website? Here are some of the main aspects that affect the overall cost of creating a website.
1. Who you hire to build it
By far, one of the main factors behind a successful website is the team that develops the overall design. Even though you may pay more money, working alongside a capable team of experienced designers who know their craft is essential and can literally make or break your project.
For instance, there are a number of different aspects to creating a successful website that many teams with less experience fail to notice and therefore address. Experienced website marketers understand the importance of leveraging emotional triggers concerning both the images and copywriting in order to enhance overall performance.
Also, it may benefit you to work with a team that’s focused in your particular niche. But, using a specialty group can sometimes cost more as well. However, in the end, you should view as an investment, rather than as an expense.
2. The process that goes into building it
James Brands from WilliCreative a web design company based in North Wales states “there’s hundreds of ways a website can be built, unfortunately some methods are a lot more expensive than others”.
As crucial as it may be to have a stellar team create your high-profile website, it’s also as equally important that they follow a tried-and-true process that they’re already familiar with. To have an effective website, every aspect has to be carefully considered and fully incorporated in order to reach a high level of success.
Skilled organizations will professionally implement a number of factors, such as goal setting, brainstorming, character creation, design, strategy, testing and development, etc. Every one of these key phases will demand a great deal of thinking, incorporation, feedback, and making multiple revisions as well.
Given that you’re collaborating with professionals, the greater the degree of thought that goes into your site, the better your chances of achieving the best possible end product. But, keep in mind that spending more time and energy will inevitably cost more. Then again, it’s an investment that will benefit your business over and over and therefore worth it.
3. Specific integrations and general functionality
If your particular site demands more functionality, such as incorporating a system for registration, forum, or a comprehensive calendar, ultimately there’s a strong chance that it may drive the price up as well. As such, this will likely impact which tools you decide to implement for your site, which is why it’s a good idea to make a detailed list of everything you require in terms of functionality that you’ll need.
Furthermore, if your site needs to be integrated into your eCommerce, ERP, CRM, or any other type of system, expect more costs. Overall, integration expenses will vary based on the way the two different systems that you’re attempting to connect are setup in order to adequately interact with one another. On one hand, it may something as simple as just installing a pre-made connector or as complicated as building one from scratch.
4. Creating content for your website
Most people would agree that creating content for their website is very time consuming, but extremely important. Essentially, it’s the “meat and potatoes” of your site that creates the connection between you and your audience in order to build your brand and drive business. Content isn’t only the actual text of your site, but the videos and pics that you incorporate into it as well.
Good copywriting is a skill in and of itself. It’s a delicate balance of successfully communicating your message in an easy-to-read context while maintaining a sense of inspiration and motivation. Therefore, large websites with multiple web pages full of rich content takes a considerable amount time, energy, and money to develop.
If it’s your intent to create all your own content for your site, be prepared to spend a lot of time planning and writing. Professional agencies who write content for websites spend a great deal of time writing, editing, and making revisions in general.
Other Aspects to Consider
Naturally, there are a number of smaller aspects that can also determine website cost. Some of these may involve detailed SEO tasks that include URL mapping in addition to which tools and/or platforms you choose to use for your website. In the end, several of these aspects will come to light once you start working with an expert website development agency.