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What Should a Web Site Cost Print E-mail

Julie Vetter's Famous Analogy.

Shared thousands of times over the past decade to help those trying to figure out "how much should I pay for a web site" or  "how much should a web site cost? "

If your intention is to derive an annual income from your site, then it is probably worth as much investment as a Smart Car.
Learn to be a smart investor in your web presence in order to have the highest likelihood it will take you where you want to go.
Web site costs can vary widely because each project is unique. Below are rough estimates of what I would expect to pay or invest time-wise for an individual or a small business wanting to achieve a professional presence that works in 2009.

 

Go-Kart

Smart Car

Racing Car

Hey, you or a neighbor can build something that has four wheels and gets from point A to point B.

Pre-made blogs, sites, online stores can provide state-of-the-art transportation at lower price than your own vehicle. 

Designed by professionals to take you exactly where you need to go with the least delay.

go-kart.jpg
italian_train.jpg
bmw-csi-coupe.jpg
  • Yes, almost anyone can build one and it seems a lot less expensive than a Ferrari, although it can ultimately eat up as much time and money as a race car.
  • Friends may come along with you for the ride.
  • No-one else is going to come along for the ride unless your industry is go-karting.
  • The time investment is safeguarded within professionally provided designs.
  • You benefit from advanced features.
  • Depending on the one you choose, there can be terrific free support or expert help available.
  • If you are savvy, willing to put your time into learning marketing on the Internet, and won't be hindered by the constraints of prefab solutions, this can work for you.
  • You must be clear about what you need from your vehicle.
  • You must choose a reputable dealer.
  • You must invest in upkeep to maintain the value of your investment.
  • A web site with a great design will never get you anywhere if it is not kept fueled with ongoing promotion or buzz. That is the equivalent of leaving it locked in the garage and web sites don't gain value when they can be called "classic".
'73 BMW CSI Coupe
Common Misconception:
Web sites can be built by anyone.
Common Misconception:
A free blog or e-store will bring the customers I want.
Common Misconception:
Once I have a site , no ongoing investment is needed.

COSTS

The technology can be free for a total do-it-yourself tool but the learning curve and hours involved can run from 5 to 40 hours a week --from one week to every week.

There are always savvy individuals who can take a free tool and leverage it into an Internet presence that reaps big rewards socially, economically or otherwise. But these are the exceptions so it is best to determine quickly if your have timing, a knack, or good odds for being one in a million.

COSTS 

Free or cheap blogs/sites either run advertisements and host the blog for you, or you must host it and calculate the hours to make security updates, or add the cost to pay a professional to do so (to avoid site hacking and to keep your site working as upgrades continuously come out.)

Supported blogs or sites run from $8 to $125 a month (the more expensive plans can offer e-commerce). The cost to have a professional customize the design can run from $600 to $6000 for a professional look.

The cost to have proper search engine optimization, networking, site architecture and branding are usually about the same as the design cost. All of these should be done if you are investing in your success rather than just a pretty painting to decorate the Internet with. Great marketing and an ugly web site  is equivalent.

Blog -sites in 2009 are running from $1500 to $8000 including portfolio sites and small business sites without ecommerce from templated to custom looks.

COSTS 

Custom solutions or sites that generate an income have the largest up front investment. These estimates refer to small businesses that hope to supplement or make an income on the Internet.

For an e-commerce site that is properly branded, built, designed and promoted, the cost can run $200 a month for a supported solution like Yahoo stores --plus the monthly maintenance, marketing and accounting costs (from $200 to $2000+).

An original investment of $12,000+ is what I would expect to pay for a 20+ page custom-designed site that has ecommerce .  Success is seeing profits in the second year of dedicated publicity and promotion in the first year.

$40,000+ for a 100+ item catalog store with custom design, multiple languages and professional back end, or for a travel site that offers on-line reservations or other functionality and will generate $800,000 in anual bookings.

 

 I meet with many referrals who are trying to determine how much they should be paying for a web site and  am myself no stranger to the question. 

My career as a web site consultant grew from trying to answer that very question as a business owner in the 1990's.  Most entrepreneurs, organizations and businesses recognize that a web presence is as fundamental as having a business card or a storefront.  Many have attempted to create one for themselves, or had a friend's friend "who builds web sites", a graphic artist or a programmer create one for them which has either failed to produce results, taken them hostage to a missing webmaster, or both.

"How Did I Get Into This Mess?"

Common misconceptions that lead to non-productive investment of time, money or former friendship:

  • "The Birds-Eye-View Syndrome". When you look at something from a distance you don't see the details. The details become evident when you have already started down the road of little returns.
  • Creating a home page on Yahoo gives you the sense that anyone can do this. But a leaf is not a tree and a page is not a complex web site, which requires exponentially more organization or it won't end up working for you or your visitors.