Given my role here at Lieberman Technologies, I get asked this question all the time.
How much does a website cost?
Most of the time this question comes up early in a conversation and without prompting. It’s a fair question, and I don’t blame a person for asking it. Price is an important factor in the decision-making process. My beef is with the question’s timing.
At first glance, it may seem simple, but there are so many factors that can influence price, delivery, and success. I get it. Not everyone has an understanding of the process and planning involved in building a website.
So, let’s put this into perspective and “frame” this question a little differently.
How much does a house cost?
Most people have a basic understanding of the concept of home-building and ownership. There is framing, roofing, siding, plumbing, electrical, heating & air, square footage, amenities, rooms, location, etc… lots of touch points. And if you have ever bought a home or talked with a builder, you know that all of these factors can weigh on the price. You won’t get a builder to commit to a price without knowing the details of the house. There are meetings, blueprints, walk-throughs, swatches, samples – the list goes on and on.
Building a website follows the same concept. The developer needs to understand content, conversions, successful visits, call-to-action, content management, navigation, design considerations, audience, branding, earning traffic, etc. Many factors come into play that make a one-size-fits-all answer to the question impossible.
So I have to answer that question with a question:
It depends. What do you want your website to do?
Be prepared to talk about the cost of a website.
An informed and educated buyer will ultimately lead to a successful project for the client and the developer. So prepare yourself for your new website journey by answering questions like these:
- Who should visit my website?
- Why would they want to visit my website?
- How will I earn traffic to my website?
- What do I want visitors to do when they get to my website?
- How am I going to manage my website?
- How much traffic will my website receive?
- What is my budget?
If you are prepared to answer these questions, then you will have a great conversation with a developer and be well on your way to a successful website development. Just remember – have realistic expectations and be willing to communicate with the developer or development team. It takes a collaborative effort to ensure a successful website project.
