Website Developer

A business owner asked three website development companies to submit a proposal to design her company website. She supplied the developers with the same “requirements document” that listed the website’s goals and functions. A week later each of the three web developers came back to the client with their estimates.

The first one had priced the project at $3, 000, the second had priced it at $12, 000 and the final web developer estimated the project at $32, 000.

If you’re waiting for the punch line… well, there isn’t one. That’s because the joke is on the client who now needs to figure out why these estimates are so wildly different and which one represents the most realistic and reasonable budget for her needs.

Believe it or not, we often hear stories like this. One business owner actually sent us four proposals she had received and asked us to explain the differences in pricing. Unfortunately, most business owners have no way of knowing which bids are unrealistically low, which are outrageously inflated and which are in the right ballpark.

Please note: When we say “small business website” we are talking about an informational website consisting of approximately 10 to 20 pages with some basic content management and social media widgets.

Basic Website Components and Costs

On average, the following figures can be applied to estimating the cost of a small business website (if you’d like a custom estimate for your website, call us at 310-754-3807):

• Domain Name – $10/year
• Hosting – $10 to $100 a year (depending on traffic and hosting services)
• Web Planning, Design and Development Time – 60 hours and up
• Continued Website Maintenance – $500 a year and up (depending on number/type of updates required)
• Marketing Your Website Online – $750 a month and up