What to Look for When Choosing a Website Designer and a Budget
If you are wondering how much a website should cost in 2023, the answer is “it depends”. This may be a somewhat of a subjective topic, however there are some guidelines that will help!
I’ve seen the same type of website go for $1800 with one designer and up to $5,000 or more with another. Two different prices for the same thing. Therefore, when choosing who you work with and what your budget is, consider what you get for the price. There is no right or wrong pricing, just what is right for you.
- Are you getting a user experience optimized design that is built for conversions?
- Is the site SEO optimized (aka are people going to be able to find it on Google)?
- Does it come with a separate mobile design?
- Is there a monthly fee for every edit or do they teach you how to maintain your own website without monthly costs?
- Does the package include branding? Do they have any graphic design experience or are they strictly a programmer?
- What other websites have they built? Take some for a spin and make sure you like them!
- When they say “custom website”, do they mean truly custom or are they just customizing a template?
Now…. what are they charging? Do they include everything you want? Is there someone else offering the same thing for less or does it seem fair?
Tier 1: $0-$500 or less | The DIY Website
If you are just starting out, chances are you are on the DIY budget. If you want to build your own website I recommend Squarespace because it is optimized for Google and has the easiest editor on the market.
- Start with a professionally designed template. All you have to do is put in your logo, colors, text, and images and you are ready to go!
I’d recommend this over hiring someone on a site like Upwork. Cheap freelancer sites have designers that offer a low rate, but your website might end up on a platform that is hard to edit.
Tier 2: $500-$1,5000 | The Gap Website
Most of what I see between DIY and $1,000 isn’t Google optimized and won’t convert traffic into sales. Therefore, to help bridge the gap between DIY and the higher price tier, I now offer a customized website in this price range! If building your own website or customizing a template feels overwhelming, I’ll build you something you love at a price you can afford. Learn more about this package here.
Tier 3: $1,750 -$4,000 | The Professional Starter Website
If you are serious about growing your business, this is a good tier to start with. Most professional website designers will charge at least $2,000 or more. This is because it takes time to build something with a lot of customizations and features.
In this range, most website designers start from a template. They may start from a template someone else designed, or one of their own. It will be customized to fit your brand, colors, font, images, text, etc. As well as setting up the extra integrations you need.
Tier 4: $5,000-$10,000 | The Custom Professional Website
Not all website designers are UX experts (user experience experts). Knowing how to code a website doesn’t guarantee the website designer knows how to optimize the layout for conversions, write conversion-based copy, do a deep dive on your marketing goals, or build you a site you can maintain 100% yourself.
I know many web developers that build template-based websites at this price point, or higher. My recommendation is to look for a website designer that offers the complete package in this price range. Look for someone that includes branding, marketing, UX deign, SEO, training, and more for this price. (ahem, I do! And you can read more about my website packages here!).
Tier 5: $10,000+ | Corporate Websites
I have seen agencies charge almost $100,000 for a website! I do not agree with this approach unless you truly get what you pay for. This price range often is often best for large corporate companies and organizations needing a custom website that requires a ton of programming. Additionally, these sorts of agencies will often have a separate UX designer and a full team complete with programmers, graphic designers, and more.
