Getting a website built ? Naturally you would want some idea of the costs involved, but it can be hard to get a ballpark figure.

How much does a house cost ? The analogy of a house is often used as an illustration. If you were building a house, you wouldn’t ask a builder how much a house costs because he couldn’t tell you without a lot more information.

You might be able to get per square metre price, but the builder would need full plans to give a quote, as you might be talking about either a simple small house or a mansion with all the bells and whistles. Even if you knew the exact size then it would be necessary to get down to details like wood or carpet on the floor etc.

So both you and the designer first need to know to some degree how the website will look and function. This involves spending time analysing exactly what is needed. Some designers may do this with you for free, or you could do it yourself and put it out for tender to several companies. Beware though if doing this that you need to be quite specific and know what you are talking about or companies may over quote to cover the grey areas. Also, if you leave anything out or make an assumption that something is included when it isn’t, then you may have problems later; so this is not for the uninitiated.

Some designers would need the project worked out in fine detail before they would commit to a quote, and this can be chargeable, especially in the case of large projects. However it should be possible in all cases to at least get a good estimate.

Brochure sites. Basic sites are often known as brochure sites, because they only do what a regular brochure does, and many sites are exactly like this. There is little or no interactivity, and the sites are typically built to be static. For this reason they can be relatively inexpensive, typically ranging from as little as a few hundred ( depending on the designer ) up to a few thousand euro depending on such factors as:

• Number of pages
• Photos and content supplied ready or not
• Graphic and logo design
• S.E.O. work
• Flash
• Photo galleries
• Contact forms
• Any special functionality

If you only require a site of a few pages without any extras and if you are supplying all the graphics and content ready to use then you could probably expect quotes to be pretty low, but remember that you will usually get what you pay for in terms of quality.

At the top end, there is no real limit to the cost of a site like this, except that in practice, content management systems are often recommended for complex sites, as they can be more suitable for a variety of reasons.

Content Managed Sites: These are more complicated and thus more expensive, however they can represent better value for money, especially if you or someone on your team have an ability or interest to learn how to use one and get value out of it. A similar diversity of price is present here also, however a C.M.S. driven site could be up to two or three times the cost of an equivalent static site. Read more about them compared to static sites Here .

At the top end of the web design market budgets of hundreds of thousands and even millions are not uncommon. This is worth remembering when you are checking out the competition; at the same time remember that good sites can often be produced on relatively low budgets.

Setting a budget. Have a clear idea of your expected outcome and have a budget in mind. If you have a large budget for a simple site then (assuming you get a good designer) you should end up with a fantastic site, with all the bells and whistles. Conversely, if you skimp on the budget of a complex site, two things will happen, firstly, good designers may give the project a cold shoulder, and next, even though the site may look fine on the surface, it might be lacking in areas you won’t notice till later on.

If you are not sure how much to budget for then ask a designer, or ask several designers. If you get conflicting answers then go back and find out what you are paying the extra for [things like standards compliance, accessibility , cross browser compatibility, statistics, company email addresses and upgradeability among other things may have been left out of lower quotes] then you can ask the companies with the low quotes if they are including these things, and make your decisions about what you actually need.

Always remember that style and usability cost money. Ask yourself; Do i need a Ford or a B.M.W. ? … or more importantly which do your customers expect ! If you run a fashion boutique then you will probably need a site which “looks the money”; or in extreme cases it could potentially hurt your terrestrial business.

An Internet Forum such as the Irish Webmaster Forum is a great place to ask questions.

Other costs. Finally, remember that a website is a collection of different costs. Along with basic site design there are hosting and domain costs, and you may want to include things like search engine optimisation and/or a maintenance contract .

2 Responses to “How much do websites cost ?”

1. imechanic says:

   May 30, 2008 at 12:00 am

   Glad to see standards and accessibility got a mention here – too many owners cut corners with this. Good web standards are better for so many reasons.10 reasons

2. vigam says:

   September 15, 2009 at 12:00 am

   it’s often good to ask the developer to help you set your buget – especially if you are not as sure of what you should have. Or you might be paying for what you dont need

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