This is probably a question that ever web designer blogs about at some point in time so I figured I might as well get it out of the way. The answer is:
It depends
Prices for professional web design vary wildly, even in Corpus Christi. Businesses can expect to pay anywhere from $0 to $100,000. Paying more won’t necessarily give you something extra special. I recommend you set a budget that you are comfortable with and a good designer/developer will explain exactly what you can get for that price.
I swear, every time I try to answer the question about price I find myself saying “it depends”. If you called me, I would ask you quite a few questions before I could determine whether to recommend a $0, $500 or $3000 website. If you are absolutely satisfied with your current business performance and online presence, then I would likely recommend a spending $0 on a website and we would end it there. Otherwise, let’s keep talking and dive into your business by asking the most important question.
Why do you need a website?
Products are meant to solve a problem or fulfill a need and websites are no exception. The question that has to be asked is how deep is the need and is it worth it to you to fix it? How much is fixing that problem worth to you?
Let me give a few examples of what I mean when I say “problem or “need”.
Embarrassment
When I first started freelancing, I didn’t have a website of my own. Yes…a freelance web designer without a website. At the time it didn’t matter to me as all I was doing was minor updates and touch-ups just to make a bit of extra cash. I had no intention of turning this into a business at the time and wanted no additional clients, so paying for a domain and hosting wasn’t too appealing. After a while I started receiving requests to build complete websites starting with the Art Center of Corpus Christi.
Nothing was more embarrassing than saying I didn’t have a site of my own.
Perceived Value
The lack of a website or a poorly designed website can decrease the perceived value of your business. Have you tried to get a bank loan for your business in recent years? What about investors? Are your customers constantly questioning the value of your service? What about your website says that you are truly passionate about what you do and should be taken seriously?
A Lead Generating Website
Perhaps you are spending too much time tracking down your next client. When done correctly, a website can save you time in the sales process and generate leads.
Memberships and Reoccurring payments
Perhaps you offer a monthly service and would like to streamline payments to save time.
Job Searching
I was given some of the best advice recently and here it is (paraphrased):
Everyone claims that they are passionate about what they do. Almost no one can prove it. When is the last time you did something just to see if you could? With no intention of getting paid. Did you bother to document the experience? Employers want to see that you are internally motivated and require no direction to act.
A website can be a great place to store a CV/resume as well as documentation of your work.
Why does that matter?
Asking you why you need a website is the most crucial component to determining price. What it tells me is the stage you are in with your business and the direction your website, or online presence, needs to go in. For example, some may only need a portfolio or brochure type website just to serve as a repository for their achievements and/or place for general information about what they do. Others may need the website to do the sales for them, create leads and increase profitability. The latter takes far more research and design to implement appropriately and therefore costs more. Unfortunately, it is generally impossible to give a generic price with any real accuracy.