What do you expect to pay for a website?

[Baz Watkins]

Hi all,

I offer web design, some of it at a pretty low cost, but I regularily have conversations of the 'HOW MUCH?' variety, even on a £200 package.

Even after you have explained it in layman's terms they still think your too high, knowhere I know is there such a void between the actual cost of something and the percieved cost of it, even when you explain it in layman's terms (Minimum wage x no' of hours).

I had a conversation with a client who had been quoted £60 for a CMS website, and could I beat that...I nearly fell of my chair.

I know enquirers will always try it on when it comes to price even if your really cheap, and it got me wondering...

...What do you expect to pay for a website, and why?

Thanks, B.

 

[Deleted member 61074]

How long is a piece of string?

Impossible to say as every site is different. For example I am currently setting up a wordress site for £200 and am working on a spec for a site we expect to come out at £30,000 to £40,000.

There are plenty of threads here that talk about pricing according to the perceived benefit to the customer.

In my early days I tended to work out how many hours it would take and then add 50% but that assumes you have a preferred hourly rate.

But you were correct not to touch the cms at less than £60!

 

[DesignerNick]

I know exactly what you mean. People expect to pay £50 sometimes for a site.

I had a guy call up who had been cold called and told he could have a 1 page website which would be top of "the google" (as he called it) for "driving school coventry" for £99 and it would be ranking number 1 within a week.

I told him that it wouldn't be as simple and tried to explain but he honestly wanted me to beat that quote for a website including SEO and when I said I couldn't he had a moan and said I was a rip off.

You need to explain why a website is worth that amount, you see plumbers and sparkies who are happy to pay £40 - £50 a week to advertise in the local paper. A website is just the same sort of thing if done properly so it is advertising.

80% of my work in the last month has been for people who had got a "cheap website" and it didn't work, do what they want, rank in google or their developer had disapeared.

I personally my quotes are quite low too but sometimes people still turn their noses up and go with "their mates son who can use Frontpage".

 

[Esk247]

I

80% of my work in the last month has been for people who had got a "cheap website" and it didn't work, do what they want, rank in google or their developer had disapeared.

thats exactly what will happen.

people will go around getting quotes and pick the cheapest or take the 'off the shelf' version..they'll be all pleased with it for about 2 weeks and then realise that it doesn't have the functionality they wanted..so they'll come back to you..hopefully.

remember to always be pleasant and just explain that they are free to choose the cheapest version and trial it. If it doesn't work they can come back to you and get a 10% discount (or some other incentive).

dont lower your price to get work though, it sets a bad example and where do you ever end? £1 websites?

time is money. value yourself at say £30 an hour (or whatever you find is appropriate) and then calculate the web building cost from there.

 

[MASSEY]

25 pounds, including hosting for a year.

 

[Online Optimisation]

Hi Baz
Great thread what a question.
It sounds like we are in the same boat, I also have come up against insanely low prices.
Having said that, it is what the client see’s as the perceived value and as 90% of websites get built and never marketed then why pay 4-5K for a site, they probably won’t get a ROI.
£60 for a CMS we could all do that and still make a profit if we used off the shelf templates and Wordpress.
Not knocking Wordpress because I love it it’s great....
It would take less then and hour to install, choose suitable theme and insert clients logo.. Then copy text in from client.
I use Wordpress for several CMS websites and the clients find it very easy to use. Loads of info on it as well if they get stuck and I even did a small manual with the first customer and now I give it to every client.
We all have to look at the alternatives to our bespoke services and they are companies like BT and Yell that offer monthly packages with small setup fees, or even google sites.
These companies seem to get a lot of clients with the monthly spread payment. Now I know the sites created aren’t very good, but for most small business owners that’s all their willing to spend.
You need to have some material to hand to the prospect explaining your services compared to the other brands...
James

 

[liams7]

You are infront of the wrong people.

If your getting people whoj dont want to pay £200 for a website you need to market your self in a different place.

 

[Baz Watkins]

Just in the process of doing that now, new agency website up at the end of the month. Will give the £200 budget brigade nightmares...

You are infront of the wrong people.

If your getting people whoj dont want to pay £200 for a website you need to market your self in a different place.

 

[liams7]

Do be-careful, If you put up an agency website make sure you are an agency. If you pretend to be something your not and clients come in they may feel a little mislead. You dont need to be an agency to increase your prices.

 

[ReformedGeek]

You're right about the 'my son's mate can do it in Frontpage' problem. People don't appreciate just how complex a website is and the effort that goes into creating a polished product that ticks all the boxes. We're trying to sell a technical product to, in some cases, non-technical customers.

When you're looking at prices though it's important to compare like for like and ensure you don't have to pay any extra to reach that finished product status.

 

[Dominic Taylor]

We paid £500 for our very first website which was very small and simple, and looked and worked great. It served us well for a long while

 

[RomTeq]

I live in London and have been trying my hand at freelancing in web design for a while now.

Sadly I've come to see that most new startups don't understand the value of a website to their business, and therefore they don't value it.

Add into the mix the fact that we have no physical tools as such and our entire business resides behind a screen, and people definitely begin to question our integrity, professionalism and the merit of doing a website itself.

All things aside, I've generally seen that without any education on the subject, most business owners would put the price of a website, however small or large at about £50.

Sad truth for all us designers and developers out there.

 

[Chris Ashdown]

What do you get for your money?

From a customers point of view, it's very hard to judge what value you are getting when you approach a developer

For instance we use a shop in the box Actinic Business Plus that costs a few thousand has 7 user workstations and eight sites, for this we get a development company spending mega hours bug hunting and solving, and also major upgrades every 18 months or so

A small plumber may only want a home page to give his phone number and consider it good value at £100, probably two hours of a developers time with the majority of that looking for a good image to use for the header

Yet people speak of a bespoke service for somewhere between say £8000 and £40-50,000 which seems quite reasonable for a bespoke service, but what are you actually getting, either a brought in package that is amended (so basically a shop in a box plus some design) not really a bespoke service, or a home made offering that in reality probably has mega bugs, little ability to spend following year bug fixing and no planned updates

If you go to a big company they probably have the staff to get the job done, but maybe charge the earth as their customers major PLC's and the like don't understand value for money, or a small firm or one man show who maybe talks the talk but there is a limit the small company can do unless you are the sole customer.

Just my penny's worth, sorry no solutions, just never ending problems i ask myself every time I swear at our systems playing up

 

[Chris Ashdown]

don't let this post die, it was getting good

 

[MatLamont]

Charge what you think you are worth. If they like what you do they will pay regardless of what Joe Bloggs can do for £60.

I like to focus on those who are passionate about their website and forget about "tight arse" who will not spend £200, these people dont deserve a website

 

[Paul Norman]

The issue of the price of websites is constantly rattling around. The reasons is, there is no simple answer. As in all areas, there are cheaper options. But they are seldom exactly the same.

Of course, the customer's negotiating stance will often be "I have been quoted £60". Indeed, they might have been. But they are free to take that cheaper quote, your challenge is to convince them that you are actually worth paying the extra.

This is, in part, about choosing your market place. I have been to networking meetings where people are, by and large, unlikely to be able to pay £200 for a website. Such a meeting is a pointless place to be if you are selling websites.

The reality is that for a basic website the range £500 to £1000 is not too expensive, and neither is it a big investment to make in one.

And it is true, as stated above, if you are talking to people who think £60 is fair, you are in the wrong room - as most of us find ourselves at some point in our marketing!

I spent many years in the motor trade, another industry where everyone likes to get cheaper and cheaper deals. Stood in a luxury car showroom you regular hear people protesting about price. Should every dealer chase the lowest price? No. Being absolutely the cheapest is only a good business proposition if you really can deliver at that price.

I suspect for most website coders, a £60 website allows you to spend two hours maximum, maybe one hour, building it. So long as it is an honest relationship, go for it. £60. But after 1 hour, you are paying extra.

 

[tallsdav]

from a customers point of view and i have had my fingers burnt big time by a web developer, i'd like to add this:

how many web developers have had proper training and are properly qualified? Those that are/have are not that common these days, the one's with great design skills too and true developer qualities should be charging a premium and avoiding the lower end 'cant see the value' customers.

However for everyone of those there's plenty more quick buck making, limited skill set web developers ready to ship out useless work which could be done by the friends son.

The market in my experience is saturated with 'i know a bit about IT so i'll build websites for people' which is why the consumer doesnt value the industry and product as it should.

I'm currently looking for a web developer for 3 different projects, from now on though i'll be setting the rules and not signing any contracts, i also wont be paying up front!

Bear in mind it's not always the consumer but sometimes the industry which is causing the problems, with web developers i think this is increasingly becoming the case.

 

[Chris Ashdown]

I'm currently looking for a web developer for 3 different projects, from now on though i'll be setting the rules and not signing any contracts, i also wont be paying up front!
.

Whats wrong with a contract, you are the buyer, you make the contract yourself of exactly what you require the software / site to do, how it will perform; and look like and any other items you need

Why should the designed work without pay for you, Sure it's a leverage against poor performance but a crap way of doing business, it must be better to make your contract with part payments at set intervalls for proof of completion of set stages and maybe hold back final payment untill all systems checked and working to contract

 

[Faevilangel]

Whats wrong with a contract, you are the buyer, you make the contract yourself of exactly what you require the software / site to do, how it will perform; and look like and any other items you need

Why should the designed work without pay for you, Sure it's a leverage against poor performance but a crap way of doing business, it must be better to make your contract with part payments at set intervalls for proof of completion of set stages and maybe hold back final payment untill all systems checked and working to contract

Exactly, I don't do any work anymore without an upfront cost unless I have worked with the person before and can trust them.

Almost every web developer or agency will want an upfront fee so they aren't working for free if you decide you don't want to go ahead.

Get a contract in place and if they don't meet deadlines then don't pay the next payments. Protect yourself but also don't screw the developer as if they aren't paid for the work, they aren't going to want to work for you imho.

Not many developers are qualified as there isn't any recognised national qualifications for developers. Some may have a media studies or a computer science degree but these don't cover huge amounts of development. A lot of developers are self taught and wouldn't have been near a university (like me).

Not every developer is out to rip you off, there are bad apples within any job sector. If you want a reliable developer then get recommendations from people, speak to previous clients and find out how the whole process went from the design to build to launching the site. Most developers would be happy to pass on their clients details so you can do some research.

Don't rush into your projects, do your research and you're less likely to get a bad apple.

 

[Edward Moss]

If you are Birmingham City Council, £3.3M

http://www.birminghammail.net/news/...using-out-of-date-information-97319-26732277/

 

[tallsdav]

Exactly, I don't do any work anymore without an upfront cost unless I have worked with the person before and can trust them.

Almost every web developer or agency will want an upfront fee so they aren't working for free if you decide you don't want to go ahead.

Get a contract in place and if they don't meet deadlines then don't pay the next payments. Protect yourself but also don't screw the developer as if they aren't paid for the work, they aren't going to want to work for you imho.

Not many developers are qualified as there isn't any recognised national qualifications for developers. Some may have a media studies or a computer science degree but these don't cover huge amounts of development. A lot of developers are self taught and wouldn't have been near a university (like me).

Not every developer is out to rip you off, there are bad apples within any job sector. If you want a reliable developer then get recommendations from people, speak to previous clients and find out how the whole process went from the design to build to launching the site. Most developers would be happy to pass on their clients details so you can do some research.

Don't rush into your projects, do your research and you're less likely to get a bad apple.

Fair points from you both, but no qualifications and minimal industry regulation weakens your profession imo, as it's so easily accessible for people, most like you are self taught, so only your portfolio seperates you from the 'friends son' which is why for the majority it's a buyers market. Too many charlatans in the industry and for most buyers it's so complicated to understand so we put all our trust in the developer as it's not something we can do ourselves. So no regualtion and qualification but full trust makes for uneasy ground.

as a buyer my only protection is small claims court if things go wrong and i dont set my own contract, a process i wish to avoid at all costs, it's long and ties cash up. Therefore if a web developer wants my work they will have to work to my conditions, if they decide not to, i'll research and approach others until one will, there are many that will as this thread proves competition is rife.

as you state yourself you no longer work without money up front, so at one point you did, until your reputation became good enough.

 

[SpeedDemon]

However tempting it may be to take on a lead that wants the 'cheapest website in the world', don't. From my early experience, Customers as such are an absolute pain, wasting time by continuous pestering etc. Avoid like the plague.

I think it's crucial that you have confidence in the quality of your work. As Professional Designers/Developers, we must stand our ground when 'forced' to set rock-bottom prices.

 

[Amethyst]

Recently, I have been trying to find someone to do me a website. My opinions are PRICE is not the first thing I would consider, I would be more concerned about service. If I can be assured to be given good service, I wouldnt mind paying more money.

And I have been looking for a hosting service too. Someone quoted at 20pounds, someone is 60pounds, i finally go for the latter as he is from a reliable source and this made me feel I can rely on him when I have trouble. I Anyhow, as a new startup, I would like to spend less, but I think more money sometimes saves me lots of hassels and worries.

 

[gemd89]

I pay 50/50 - 50% upfront to get the work started and then 50% on completion when they have done all I asked for them to do. That way they work hard to get it finished to get paid the rest.

I paid £50 for my website which was a basic CMS website - Ive had it made bespoke now with still some alterations left that has cost a couple of thousand. Its my shop window and I want every bit of my website to look professional and sell

Gemma

 

[FreshPage Web Design]

from a customers point of view and i have had my fingers burnt big time by a web developer, i'd like to add this:

how many web developers have had proper training and are properly qualified? Those that are/have are not that common these days, the one's with great design skills too and true developer qualities should be charging a premium and avoiding the lower end 'cant see the value' customers.

However for everyone of those there's plenty more quick buck making, limited skill set web developers ready to ship out useless work which could be done by the friends son.

The market in my experience is saturated with 'i know a bit about IT so i'll build websites for people' which is why the consumer doesnt value the industry and product as it should.

I'm currently looking for a web developer for 3 different projects, from now on though i'll be setting the rules and not signing any contracts, i also wont be paying up front!

Bear in mind it's not always the consumer but sometimes the industry which is causing the problems, with web developers i think this is increasingly becoming the case.

My current process is to not ask for any money up front, then ask for 50% once the initial design is finished and running on my server, and the final 50% once the customer is trained up with the content management system. This seems like a fair compromise to me and so far I haven't been burnt!

 

[cmcp]

You will be at some point.

 

[liams7]

I do think this is a terribly correct or fair.

I would question if everyone in every proffesion has the qualifacations they need to do a job to the highest level.

there is also a place for all people in web development / design at every price range. i would argue that some people only need a £50 website.

if you want some one qualified who can make you a website to do what you want then you need to pay for that.

everyone in our business has been trained. i my self have gone through my degree sponsered by one of the best companies in IT.

all our people are trained to the highest level. We work with multinational companies but we also have a price structure for smaller clients.

Also if you have been stung with paying then you need to look at who you are working with. If you tried to work with me with out a contract or paying up front i would laugh at you. No agency in the world works with out a contract or money.

If you want to do that you wont get the best and you will be dissapointed.

pricing depends on your skill set and your experience and a little about your life style and how your business is geared up.

But to say web developers are in dissaray due to people with a little it knowledge charge less is just wrong.

they do a great job stopping £50 people ringing my phone and delivering a service that is good for those clients.

if you dont want to use them then dont. If you want someone with training pay more money. Simple

from a customers point of view and i have had my fingers burnt big time by a web developer, i'd like to add this:

how many web developers have had proper training and are properly qualified? Those that are/have are not that common these days, the one's with great design skills too and true developer qualities should be charging a premium and avoiding the lower end 'cant see the value' customers.

However for everyone of those there's plenty more quick buck making, limited skill set web developers ready to ship out useless work which could be done by the friends son.

The market in my experience is saturated with 'i know a bit about IT so i'll build websites for people' which is why the consumer doesnt value the industry and product as it should.

I'm currently looking for a web developer for 3 different projects, from now on though i'll be setting the rules and not signing any contracts, i also wont be paying up front!

Bear in mind it's not always the consumer but sometimes the industry which is causing the problems, with web developers i think this is increasingly becoming the case.

 

[chip_y2kuk]

I face a similar problem with hosting and computer services and what you do find is that they usually come running back.

I offer hosting for 2.50 per month (with reasonable and sustainable limits) but X does "unlimited" for half the price Could i beat them? NO! (would i want to NO)

I tell people how much computer repair's are and they say my mate can do that for less, i'm not paying that so leave them to it

then..... a few weeks later i usually get phone calls from the same person asking could i go round and install drivers, fix this problem, that problem, stop the computer from blue screening or freezing and i end up doing more work anyway!

i would imagine it's the same for most things in life... people will always look for the bargain (cheapest person/service/tool/item) and it doesn't always turn out to be the best!

i also work for a large electrical retailer the most common thing i see is people comparing a £400 pound item to a £165 and expecting the same quality and level of service and performance out of it they buy the cheaper item and inevitably fails customer service is usually awfull and we have to pick up the pieces as best as we can

joe

 

[bozzie123]

i pay nothing for my sites, i like for people looking to build up a portfolio for their web development business and offer them the job, saves on costs and i provide them with equity in the long run

Nick

 

[holmewoodorg]

Hi all,

I offer web design, some of it at a pretty low cost, but I regularily have conversations of the 'HOW MUCH?' variety, even on a £200 package.

Even after you have explained it in layman's terms they still think your too high, knowhere I know is there such a void between the actual cost of something and the percieved cost of it, even when you explain it in layman's terms (Minimum wage x no' of hours).

I had a conversation with a client who had been quoted £60 for a CMS website, and could I beat that...I nearly fell of my chair.

I know enquirers will always try it on when it comes to price even if your really cheap, and it got me wondering...

...What do you expect to pay for a website, and why?

Thanks, B.

Baz your forum post has made my day so so true. I did a website for someone 100 pound all flash normal price 500 for a number of reasons then 6 months later do not ring me they contact me on facebook that I neever use and say that site I want my money back as I am getting no hits off course not it is flash and you paid peanuts so no seo for the 5 page site. I now charge a minimum of 250 if they do not like I do not do simple as.

 

[holmewoodorg]

i pay nothing for my sites, i like for people looking to build up a portfolio for their web development business and offer them the job, saves on costs and i provide them with equity in the long run

Nick

I would not touch you with a barge pole what do I tell my 3 year old son, sorry son you cannot have a school jumper at 7.50 or that trip to York to the Railway museum to be educated on engineering, etc, etc. I started doing a community site, we get 20k hits a month. From there went to create a professional agency in web design. You do NOT need to do work for free unless it is a quick overnight job for a 120 pounds that can be used as holiday spends. People have to realise we are not talking of picking up burnt crisps off a production line here. We are talking analytical work, comparing, creative and so on backed up by fostering community realtions through my community site by getting business on board that so called model works very well indeed. A concept thought up by myself. So quit your jibba jabba like the rest and say oh well do us a site for 60 quid or do me that free and I will help you. That old record has been played for far too long. A fair days pay for a fair days work end of.

 

[Paul Norman]

i pay nothing for my sites, i like for people looking to build up a portfolio for their web development business and offer them the job, saves on costs and i provide them with equity in the long run

Nick

Excelent idea. I am not sure what it is that you sell, but I have the same approach as you do. I pay nothing for it, but wait for someone to provide it free for me. So not much point, really, in you keeping your business open.

 

[anna2and6]

Hi

I was just wondering what i should expect to pay for a classipress website. I was going to try to do this myself but even wordpress is beyond me! so I am considering paying someone to set this up.

It would be using the classipress template but I would like to add advanced search settings.

Can anybody advise me what a realistic fair price would be for this service?

 

[FreshPage Web Design]

Hi

I was just wondering what i should expect to pay for a classipress website. I was going to try to do this myself but even wordpress is beyond me! so I am considering paying someone to set this up.

It would be using the classipress template but I would like to add advanced search settings.

Can anybody advise me what a realistic fair price would be for this service?

Just installing the theme is relatively straight forward for an experienced Wordpress developer. The main task would be providing help and advice on how to use it (setting up paypal sandbox for testing, for example). I would probably charge about £300.

If you wanted custom coding for the advanced search functionality, then that will push the cost up dramatically, but it's possible that your requirements would be covered by the existing system given a bit of configuration.

 

[holmewoodorg]

Excelent idea. I am not sure what it is that you sell, but I have the same approach as you do. I pay nothing for it, but wait for someone to provide it free for me. So not much point, really, in you keeping your business open.

So your sneaker site was designed for free. Well they are muppets then if they are working for free.

 

[holmewoodorg]

Just installing the theme is relatively straight forward for an experienced Wordpress developer. The main task would be providing help and advice on how to use it (setting up paypal sandbox for testing, for example). I would probably charge about £300.

If you wanted custom coding for the advanced search functionality, then that will push the cost up dramatically, but it's possible that your requirements would be covered by the existing system given a bit of configuration.

Im a web designer Fresh page that is a good price. Id recommend the guy to go with you as I just use Joomla/actinic/dreamweaver or Drupal.

 

[Fuzzy]

We paid £1000's for ours, paid half up front and half on completion.

Such an open question, how long is a piece of string

 

[RedEvo]

As someone on here has said before, websites costs the same as a car. Simple.

d

 

[holmewoodorg]

We paid £1000's for ours, paid half up front and half on completion.

Such an open question, how long is a piece of string

Many thanks Fuzzy

 

[Fuzzy]

Many thanks Fuzzy

huh, what for?:|