If your looking for a web designer to build your website your likely to see a huge difference in quotes for your websites development – depending on who you ask.
Ultimately however, its not about the initial cost – it’s about the long term value offered.
For instance if a website costs £10,000 but brings in £1 million worth of business most people would see that as a very good investment.
And that’s the best way to approach your web design project – not as a one off cost but rather a long term investment.
Some websites are better than others
Now it may be obvious but not all websites are created equal. A quick google search will bring up numerous websites in your industry, some google will rank 1st some 500th. Some websites look great, others like they are from 1985. Some easy to navigate, others a complete mess. And the list goes on.
So why does this matter? Well there are a few basic factors that determine how many enquires your website will get. And it’s this that determines the real value of your website .
- On-line VisibilityIf no one can find your website what’s the point? This is where thorough research and planning of the websites structure and search engine optimised content together with standards compliant CSS & HTML code pays off.
- Bounce RateFirst impressions count! In less than a second visitors have made their mind up about your website. Its purely emotive based on design, colour and layout. Not content. On average 50% leave within a few seconds. Having a fantastically designed, good looking website really does matter!
- ConversionOnly a small number of visitors will contact you. Typically somewhere between 1-10% of the 50% left (See bounce rate above!) Good userbility and intuitive interface design together with a website that builds trust and has the right calls to action at exactly the right time will all increase your conversion rates, enquiries and ultimately your websites ROI.
Great websites are an investment
Effective websites can deliver fantastic returns-on-investment so when deciding on the amount to invest ask yourself how much a web site that delivers sales enquiries and customers is worth to your business.
Lets imagine you spend £1000 on your website and it brings in 1 new customer worth £300 profit each week. Your website earns you £15600 per year (£300 x 52wk) or £46800 over 3 years.
Now if spending more time on the website build; optimising it for search engines, visitors and potential clients means not only doubling the initial development costs to £2000 but also doubling the enquiries and profit to £93600 over the 3 years would you?
£1000 more investment for £45800 more income? Well obviously most businesses would say yes!
How about if it was possible to receive 10 times as many enquiries? How much is that website now worth to your business? How much would you be prepared to pay for that website?
It’s easy to see the value of your website is not its initial cost.
Web design is a bespoke service
Websites aren’t products. You can’t shop around and get exactly the same website from two different designers. A website costing £3000 isn’t the same as one costing £250. And in reality the biggest disparity in quotes and costs are due to the amount of time spent on your website – not the designers hourly or daily rates.
Obviously a web design agency that take times to research your market and thoroughly plan your website, craft and test the design to maximise trust and convert your visitors into customers and finally hand code and optimise your website to maximise search engine visibility is going to take a little longer – and perhaps cost a little more – than one thrown together in a few days without any care. But ultimately this initial investment pays off – big time!
The real cost of your website is not the initial invoice total, but rather how much of a long term investment it is to your business. This is why a £500 website from your brother’s son’s friend’s uncle, or the cheapest ‘web designer’ you can find, may not be the ‘bargain’ it first appears.