How much does a website cost?
So you need a new website and you want to know how much it’s likely to cost your and your business. Maybe you’ve already got a few quotes and the costs are so far apart you can’t tell what a good deal should look like. Well, you’re not alone. We hear this question a lot, so let’s walk you through everything you need to know.
We all know the adage – you get what you pay for – as with most things, this is certainly true with website design. Note that we just said “website design” not simply “website” and it’s this fundamental shift away from the idea of buying a product to buying a quality service that’s so important in understanding why defining cost is so difficult.
What’s involved in designing a website?
A website is something that a team of individuals – designers, web developers, strategists, copywriters and marketing specialists – have to put together. Website design takes planning and a structured design approach, which at its basic level includes:
- Planning: Mapping your corporate objectives, identifying your target market and analysing your competition
- Design: Designing for brand, for market and for usability
- Development: Implementing the design into suitable platforms
- Content Placement: Loading and styling targeted content
Building a website involves a complex level of planning. For every website feature, such as the ability to upload a picture, search for and buy a product or locate a store, there are hundreds of factors that can influence the time and cost of building each one. There are hundreds of technology platforms, such as content management systems, on which to build your website all of which offer varying features. That’s why it’s important to find a team you can work with and who understands your industry and target market.
A few recent trends that can influence cost
Technology is one of the major drivers of website design trends and with Apple’s recent launch of the iPhone 6, and Samsung’s launch of their Galaxy s5 earlier this year, there’s a big push to make mobile-friendly (aka responsive) websites and mobile apps. This has implications for design, layout and sometimes overall cost.
With the internet playing a huge part in levelling the playing field, businesses need to constantly find new ways to capture and maintain interest. When it comes to visuals and creative web design, there are clear trends with backgrounds and images that are emerging and depending on effect can impact the overall cost. For instance, images are getting larger, scrolling and backgrounds are becoming more complex (e.g. parallax scrolling and dynamic backgrounds), and grid layouts like Pinterest are also growing in popularity.
Seamless integration is also considered a must as more users are expecting supporting hardware and operating systems to be unobtrusive and even invisible. Where business can benefit in particular is in investing in integrated applications that support operations, such as a custom-built CRM that operates on a tablet allowing staff to manage each aspect of the sales process.
As screen space is limited on mobile devices, web designers are increasingly adopting colour and iconography to convey meaning. Red for stop, delete or close; green for go, next and OK; and scaled colour schemes to represent start to finish processes. Icons are great space savers too as they stand in place of words or phrases, making the content easily scannable. While there are plenty of icons available for free download, there may be some custom styling needed to adhere to your existing branding.
iFactory your first choice web design Brisbane team
To get an idea of the cost involved in your specific web design project you need to sit down (or phone conference) one-on-one, discuss your goals and work out a digital strategy that will work best for your business and your customers. From this, we can tailor a solution that will have the biggest impact.
Immersing ourselves in technology and the online world isn’t just what we do; it’s who we are. Since our inception in 2004, iFactory has worked on hundreds of digital projects exceeding client expectations with true innovation. Our clients operate in a wide range of industry sectors including education, health and community services, property development, construction, resources, transport, retail and technology. Whether you’re a national company or just starting out, our advanced web solutions will drive your business further.
Start the conversation with our Brisbane web design team today by phoning direct on 07 3844 0577.
Still need a little convincing? View our online design portfolio and offline design portfolio on Pinterest, or learn more on our Our way page.
