Finding a website that fits your price range is important. For a small business, it is equally if not more important to find a website that works to accomplish your goals. If the website doesn’t work then all the money is wasted.

The price of a website has a huge range, depending on a lot of factors. The old mantra, “you get what you pay for” is true, but there is more to it than that. We’ll discuss everything that goes into pricing a website so you can choose the Franklin web design partner that’s right for your business.

Factors that impact the website price may look like this:

  • Who is building the website
  • What pricing model is the company using
  • What does the website need to do
  • What level of risk does the website present
  • What considerations of branding are necessary
  • What is required on the website to ensure success

We’ll dive into each of these factors and how it can affect the price so you have an idea of what to expect.

Who is building the website

There are primarily four types of companies who build websites. Each ranges in size, professionalism, and the types of services they offer but there are outliers, of course.

  • Freelancer or consultant
  • Boutique website company
  • Advertising agency
  • Large advertising agency

We’ve broken down some of the differences in types of website providers here. The main takeaway is the cost gets more expensive as you go up the list. The quality, professionalism, and results provided can go up but there are tiers within each category that must be determined when vetting the provider. For instance, we can’t assume Home Depot is always better than the mom and pop hardware store up the road, but we know things like pricing, product inventory, contractor payment plans, and return policy will be consistent and this may be important in some cases.

Pricing model

The pricing model for websites the provider uses can be a big factor in price. Some companies bill hourly, in ranges, at a fixed price, or in blocks of time as the project goes and evolves. It’s important to understand that any pricing model except a fixed price could exceed the expected estimate. With a fixed price, an agreed upon scope is critical (unless the projected is priced at value pricing which means the provider is guaranteeing results and pricing it significantly higher) or the website provider could lose steam with a demanding client.

What does the website need to do

There is a big difference between a website for a restaurant that offers a menu and hours versus an e-commerce website that sells a product, ships it, and puts an order through a supply chain management system. We call this functionality and we ask what functionality does your website need. Generally, the less functionality that a website has, the cheaper it will be. There are some factors that drive up the cost of a website with low functionality, including risk, branding, and what is required to determine success.

Level of risk does the website presents

We determine risk in three ways: the size of the company, the visibility of the brand, and the cost of failure. There will be a higher price tag if it’s a large company with a lot of decision makers, if the brand is well known and there will be lots of eyes on the website, or if failing to deliver will result in damage to the company.

While some companies may charge a higher price simply because of the name on the business’s door, there is usually a fair reason. Working with a large company means more admin time, extra project management efforts, and more revisions to pass through all the stakeholders. A well-known brand requires more creative work, understanding the brand guides and requirements to deliver, and may lead to a mix of a larger company and more risk. The level of risk can be determined by the complexity of the project or the monetary loss if it goes wrong (see the Gap logo fail that cost about $100 million).

Branding

There is a difference between branding and marketing. Some would argue differently but we believe most companies don’t need branding until they hit a national scale, become very successful, and have multiple locations. Frankly, branding is more expensive. Pepsi creating a new logo is a brand move. Or Five Points Pizza scaling across Nashville by opening locations outside of Five Points, needing to nail down the logo, menus, and look and feel is branding. Proof Branding did a great job on the Five Points project by the way and we recommend them for branding (and Five Points for their Pizza).

Ensuring Success

What does success look like? As a casual restaurant success usually means people finding your menu on Google and ordering takeout or making a reservation. A restaurant needs a winning Google Maps strategy and referrals, not an expensive website. A niche service company like an accounts receivable collections company for nursing homes that gets limited visitors and offers an expensive service needs a website that is sure to convert a visitor into a lead. This website needs great messaging and a sales funnel to capture leads that aren’t ready to buy yet to convert them into sales.

Price Ranges

With all the factors we’ve discussed, the price range of a website is going to be vast. According to hundreds of designers, marketers, and website companies the average price of a website is between $5,000 and $20,000. Adding e-commerce or more complex functionality can increase the price between $5,000 and $15,000.

With a normal website, some freelancers work as low as $1,500 and some advertising agencies build around $40,000. E-Commerce has added between $1,000 on a do-it-yourself website builder and $120,000 for large companies with a complex website and connecting with other services for customer, product, and order management.

See also  The Stakes in a StoryBrand Website: Enhance and Improve your Message

When pricing the options, working with a provider who helps make sure the website is a success is essential to getting a return on investment. Using StoryBrand website design and a sales funnel is one way our Franklin web design company does that. Working with a StoryBrand certified guide means the content of the website helps engage customers and those who aren’t ready to buy are captured into an automated email marketing campaign that brings them closer to the sale. According to many certified guides, prices for StoryBrand website designs range from $7,500 to $20,000 with the average price around $15,000 for an experienced guide.

What do we do?

Our Franklin web design company is a boutique website company offering StoryBrand website design. Using six years of experience as a StoryBrand certified guide, we create websites that help businesses stand out from their competition so their customers choose to do business with them. Additionally, we have a strong development team and often build complex e-commerce websites and integrates. Our team has white labeled for many companies around Nashville, quietly building websites for them.

We have a great team of six employees and we partner with other marketers and agencies to offer additional services. The services we offer are key to making sure the businesses we work with have a website that works to set them apart from the competition.

Working with us you can expect:

  • messaging that engages and converts your customer
  • design that is beautiful, unique, and professional
  • development that is customer and search engine friendly
  • sales funnel that will capture leads that would otherwise be lost
  • support, maintenance, and hosting that gives you peace of mind
  • traffic from search engines to help grow your business

Our ideal client is a business that wants to grow by improving their marketing and has the capacity to do so. Businesses we work with typically offer a service and have a valuable customer. This usually means they offer a pricey service or recurring service with good customer retention rates, or have products with lots of website traffic that we can help convert into sales.

It’s easy to work with us or get more information. Schedule a call today.