Business
How much should a website cost?
How Much Should A Good Website Cost in 2022? So... you are in need of a website/upgrade for your practice. Perhaps your practice's website is dated, inaccurate, or just plain embarrassing. But there are a million (literally) options out there for website design. How much should a website cost? What makes a website good?The first step to figuring out a fair cost of a new website, in 2022, is to assess if the website work you need falls more into the design or development category.WEBSITE DESIGN VS WEBSITE DEVELOPMENTWhat is the difference? Do you need web development or web design?We have a thorough, helpful info page dedicated to web dev VS design you can check out.In brief:WEBSITE DESIGN IS...The look, the surface interaction, the layout, the colors, the graphics, the fonts, the copy - and how it all plays together in the experience of browsing a website.WEBSITE DEVELOPMENT IS...More tech and custom feature-centric including custom software needs and coding for specific website user functions & areas, or a design built completely from scratch via code.WHAT ARE THE QUALITIES OF A GOOD WEBSITE?"How I know if I need a new website?"Here we are in 2022 - How do you qualify a website as "good?" This can come down to care, knowledge, creative and presentation want, and engagement needs. Just like clothing, office decor, music, and even food - presenting current and on-trend gives the signal that you are active, fresh, vital, and in touch with modern business and its needs.A Good Website Should:Look ProfessionalReadily Communicate What You OfferReadily Communicate Who You Offer ToBe Very Easy To NavigateDisplay Your PracticeVerify Your ExpertiseHave Current Styling Trends So You Feel Relevant Rather Than DatedConvince Potential Patients YOU Are The Solution To Their Need / Want / ProblemEasily Guide Visitors On How To Engage With YouYou May Need A New Website If:You Or Employees Are Embarrassed By Your Current WebsiteInformation Is InaccurateYou Don't Look As Good As Your CompetitorsThe Style Doesn't Match Your Branding ElsewhereFunctions or Features Are BrokenYou Get Poor Google ResultsPatients Complain About Difficulty In Using Your WebsiteYour Offerings Are Not Showcased WellIt Makes Your Practice Unappealing To New HiresIt's Old. It's Dated. You Haven't Updated It In Years.You May NOT Need A New Website If:Your Patients Could Care LessNo One Ever Looks For You Online To Verify Your ServicesYour Website Is Never Used As A Referral TargetIt Doesn't Matter As A Marketing Tool For YouIt Doesn't Affect The Presentation, Engagement, or Growth of Your Business, At AllYou Could Care LessHOW MUCH SHOULD YOU PAY FOR A WEBSITEIs it worth spending money on a website? Do you need a good website?As you have probably googled, "How Much Does A Website Cost?" you have found ads for $149 websites and articles telling you to spend $50k+ to get a pro, custom website.Sorry to back up that info but a wide website cost range DOES exist. There are a few things to consider when deciding how much of your marketing budget should be applied to your website build. Those options include:CREATIVE TEAM Freelancer, Small Team, Medium-Sized Agency, Huge Advertising Company, and all the bits in-between each of those.SUPPORTING LOCAL vs INTERNATIONAL RATES Cost is greatly affected by hiring lower-wage overseas options, local companies who subcontract such VS all employees receiving fair wages for your country VS tightening in to your state or city to support your local economy.HOLISTIC APPROACH vs PLUG N PLAY Some website designers or developers will work with you on styling, messaging, SEO-focus, business goals, etc. Others will simply ask you to give them your text and photos and plug it into a template then call it day. How deep do you want your web developer to go into your practice, industry, competitors, goals, and the whole picture of communications with you (colors, stylings, fonts, photography, copy (aka text), visitor experience)?CUSTOM vs TEMPLATE Do you want something created just for you, your patients, and your goals? Or do you want to look closely like others in your industry or others using similar, basic templates? Does this matter to you?WEBSITE RESPONSIVENESS This is how your website adapts to changing screen size - varying laptop, desktop, mobile, and tablet spaces. A website which is beautifully responsive in all environments means 2-3 times the amount of time and budget to create.DEVELOPMENT How much help do you need here? Do you have what you want/need to communicate with your content and messaging goals locked in? Do you need custom or advanced interactions or functions? Are you not sure what you need, at all, and need expert guidance through the process?Once you know about all of the above, consider that a good website has many little pieces which must work together on both the front and backend on both desktop and mobile. Every element should be refined and purposeful to present a cohesive, "simple," and obvious experience for your website visitors. A good-looking, simple-to-navigate website takes the most expertise and time to create. Because good design and engineering is not when there is nothing left to add but when there is nothing left to take away.Now, consider how many specifically-skilled professionals will be working on your new marketing space (i.e. your new website), the value of that space to you, and how long the process will take. So, what is a fair rate for a business to invest in a new business website build in 2022?You are going to get what you pay for.$0 to $500UNFUNDED START UPA brand new, "I just had an idea!" start up using personal funds should probably build their own website on Squarespace, WIX, or the like. Or hire a junior freelancer or student to help you get something very basic up, to start. At this rate, there will be little to no professional development, design touches, clean backend tech, SEO details, creative rounds, or business development support.$500 to $2500MICRO PRACTICE with a little cash for marketingYou have customers, your offerings are clear. You are ready to have a website that doesn't look DIY. You can pay a web designer to clean up what you have or create a new one for you from a template.$2500 to $7500SMALL PRACTICE ready for an upgrade but nothing too fancyYou need your website to present more professional but maybe don't have the capital to dive in very deep on the business development, cross-site marketing messaging hone, or full custom design. In this rate range, you can get a next-level website which will not be embarrassing and have its tech and SEO tightened up.$7500 to $15,000ESTABLISHED PRACTICE ready to get seriousYou need a professional business partner to help you get a custom website covering all the "A Good Website Should..." and "You May Need A New Website If..." lists above as well as developing a unique experience accurately repping your company, its offerings, and enticing visitors to take specific next steps with you via professionally refined site mapping, navigation, messaging, design, copy, and perhaps some minimal custom coding involved for that svelte, smooth look and feel.$15,000 to $30,000ESTABLISHED PRACTICE in need of high-standard, custom developmentAll of the above with a specialized team working on your project, really digging into your business from a business growth development standpoint, perhaps some specialized functions, features, or interactions conceived and strategized with a slick, refined design skin atop.$30,000 to $50,000MIDSIZE - LARGE PRACTICE with more advanced marketing needsYou are now working with an established marketing company and your new website is part of a multi-piece marketing strategy across various platforms.$50,000+MIDSIZE - LARGE PRACTICE working with an agencyCongratulations. Your business is thriving and you are handing off marketing to the big whigs working nationally or internationally with large teams of experts in many disciplines. Google can guide you to a plethora of website development pricing opinions different from this list. And there are probably plenty of people who will tell you that you CAN get a professional website for $500 (please don't heed advice from your teen nephew or the guy at the coffee shop who says making websites is easy and he can do one in a few hours). Others will tell you that you can't get a professional website for less than $20,000. As with all creative services - do your research, ask questions, read reviews. Figure out the aspects of website design and development which are most important and relevant to you and interview several options. Good luck!
