How Much Will a Website Cost?
When thinking about designing your website, the cost will be one of the biggest factors for you to consider. Building a website will definitely require an investment, but exactly how much? Well, it depends. Do you want to build a one-bedroom studio or a two-story mansion?
Utilising a website design planner can assist in estimating costs more accurately and planning the investment efficiently based on your specific project requirements and goals.
Don’t worry, though. You don’t have to live with an uncertain cost looming over your head until your website project is complete. Instead, you can determine the cost of your website project by nailing down some details before you even start bidding the project out to a few designers.
If you begin a bidding process without knowing more about what you want out of your project, it will be impossible for even the most experienced professional to give you an accurate quote. Save yourself and your professional partner the frustration in the long-run by sifting through some specifics before you even reach out to them.
Know what you want before you start your search.
Start with Your Audience
Before you can begin thinking about the end cost of your website design, you first need to start with the people that matter the most: your intended audience. Think about their current experience on your company’s website. How easy is it for them to find what they are looking for? How quickly can they contact you or a representative to ask a question or make a purchase? What do they need from your new design to make their experience more engaging and enjoyable?
Jot down a list of challenges your audience might have. It is okay if you don’t know exactly how to solve these issues; you can work with a professional to learn about tools or gadgets that could eliminate those for your audience.
Consider Your Goals
Next, brainstorm and nail down your goals for your website project. Are you simply looking to increase online exposure for your company, or are you wanting to increase your sales conversion rate?
It is helpful if you go into a bidding process with a designer with a set of short and long-term goals for your website specifically.
These will help to guide them as they research and then recommend features of your website that could help you meet and track your goals.
Look at Competitors
Jump online and browse your local competitors as well as other companies in your industry. What do you like about their website and the experience you have while on it? Do you like the chat box that pops up when you are on their site or do you think it is annoying? Do you like how simple their ‘Contact Us’ form is to complete and allows easy follow-up calls? Perhaps you love the way their products are laid out on the page.
Remember, you don’t have to know how to make a chat box work, but you do have to know if you think it is a good addition to your website’s experience.
Think About Reporting
Do you love to crunch numbers and sort through data as a part of your marketing plan? If so, you’ll want to be sure you include this request as you begin to bid out your website project. Your designer can make sure they include different reporting mechanisms in your design so that you can pull data any time you need to and adjust your marketing or sales plan accordingly.
Scoping Is Important
The bottom line for your bottom line is that you cannot get an accurate estimate for your website project if you don’t know what you need or want. When you go to a designer with an incomplete vision, they can’t accurately estimate the time needed to complete it. This can lead to communication issues, budget surprises, and plenty of other stressful situations that you’d rather avoid.
Fortunately, when you go into the bidding process with your goals, audience, and data reporting needs in mind, your designer can guide you through a proper and thorough scoping process that will get everyone on the same page and excited for the end result.
