How Much Should a Website Cost?

How much does a website cost in 2024?

Short answer? It depends.

What matters most to you: time, quality or cost?

The cost of a website varies depending on your priorities: time, quality, or cost. Placing a greater emphasis on one factor puts added pressure on the others.

It’s crucial to strike the right balance to achieve your desired outcome.

One (loaded) question I definitely hear a lot when talking about online marketing with potential clients is:

“How much does a website cost?”

My response is usually something like this…

“Well, how much money do you want to make from your website?”

This exchange will reliably result in a brief moment of silence accompanied by a blank, deer in headlights stare…Mostly because most business owners don’t see their website design & development, or online marketing in general for that matter, as an investment – rather, they only see themselves as losing that money when spending it for websites, content marketing or advertising online. They see a website as a commodity, a consumable product, instead of a living breathing business asset. 

So, I go on to explain what i mean so they will start blinking again… 🙂

Your website is an investment, much like real estate. As a matter of fact, that’s exactly what it is – digital real estate.

And like all investments, it needs to show you a return on your investment (ROI). So, in fact, it really doesn’t matter what your website costs — IF — it makes you a ton of money. Makes sense right?

What’s your budget?

Your website is an investment

Any agency worth its salt will never tell you how much a custom website costs before diving into your specific business objectives and website budget.

Think about it like building a new house – you are the homeowner; your designer is the builder

Would you ever hire a contractor and tell them to build you a ‘3 bedroom house’ without providing the budget? No, right?

One story or two? Pool or deck? Open floor plan or traditional?

What level of finishes do you want? Luxury or off-the-shelf?

The same holds true when it comes to custom website design. It’s important that your web designer understands what your budget is so they can properly scope out all of the deliverables for the project.

Without defining these things, it leaves a lot of room for assumptions and guessing.

So rest assured it’s not about finding out how much money you have so we can spend all of it. It’s more about knowing what we have to work with.

I get it, it’s hard to trust marketing agencies – we get a bad rap sometimes.

But, once we understand your requirements and budget, we can look for creative solutions to make sure you get the most bang for your buck, while still delivering an amazing website.

Do yourself a favor and tell your web design agency your real budget.

Why should you share your actual budget?

A few good reasons to spill the beans and get real when getting bids from web design agencies.

It can be a really good filter for quality

If you have big goals, don’t settle for an agency whose only competitive advantage is being cheaper than everyone else.

If you don’t disclose your actual website budget (or at least your marketing budget) upfront when requesting quotes from multiple agencies, you’ll receive a wide range of quotes, and the inexpensive ones might be tempting.

You could end up wasting weeks or even months interviewing every web design company on the list, only to discover that they can’t deliver the website you actually want.

Sometimes, life hits you with a “Ctrl+Alt+Del” moment, and you have no choice but to restart the whole process from scratch.

When you get real on your website budget upfront, it’s like a magic trick—you can feel the focus shift from price to outcomes, value (bang for your buck), top-notch quality, and building a relationship instead of just a transaction.

You’ll stop hunting for the best deal and begin looking for the perfect partner.

You may not even know what you can afford

If you’ve never really built a website from the ground up you probably aren’t familiar with what can drive cost and timelines.

If you’re upfront about the website budget, the agency can educate you on what can and can’t be achieved with that budget compared to a bigger investment.

So it’s really not about what you’re willing to spend, it’s about whether the budget supports your objectives.

I’ve had plenty of clients approach me with a website budget that’s simply not enough to achieve their goals. But I explained why and then gave them advice on the budget required to actually hit those goals.

This keeps the conversation going and arms them with the information they need to make the decision or bring it back to their leadership team to get the budget increased.

Your specific requirements & goals will be considered

If you are looking for certain features or levels of customization, it should be taken into account when you get a proposal.

By being upfront with your goals & budget expectations, the agency can create an accurate proposal that won’t cause sticker shock and work within your constraints.

A website project can quickly become overwhelming if this isn’t clear from the early stages.

If you and your agency are on different pages from the very beginning, it’s only going to get worse as you move forward.

The cream will rise to the top

When it comes to agency pricing, don’t just settle for the same old song and dance. Take a closer look and you’ll see who truly brings the added value to the table. Sure, multiple agencies may offer content strategy, but there’s always one that goes above and beyond, delivering strategic value that’s off the charts. It’s like a feature comparison battle where you spot the winner with the most checkmarks. You’re not searching for a bargain-basement website price; you’re after the unbeatable value that will give you the biggest bang for your buck.

Build trust from the get-go

Building a relationship based on trust and shared commitment to the project can be one of the most difficult things to overcome when first considering an engagement like this.

Sure, of course, this is a business transaction, but keep in mind that you could be working with this company for years to come so establishing open communication paramount.

The right agency will step up and show that they’re always looking out for you and your best interests.

How long does it take to design a website?

When it comes to website design, the timeline is determined by the project’s scope and complexity and some external factors as well.

Things such as:

• The scope of the project
• Project pricing vs. hourly
• How experienced the team is
• Market specialization of the agency
• Template vs custom build
• How streamlined the agency process is
• How much involvement you want to have in the process

A simple website can be delivered within a few weeks, while a larger one may take multiple months due to its more complex features.

When selecting an agency for your web project, make sure you ask about their estimated delivery time before signing a contract.

Also consider factors such as how quickly they respond to requests, how flexible they are, and whether or not they have results to show.

Can I build my own website for free?

You can get a website for $200 or $20,000 or even $200,000.

I mean sure, you can even get one for free if that’s what you’re looking for.

The fact remains that if the site doesn’t make you more money than it cost you, either in leads produced or sales made, then it’s just a fancy brochure and not worth the pixels it’s printed on.

How much should I budget for my website?

When you’re budgeting for your website, the most important factor to consider is what you want it to accomplish.

Do you need a simple one-page site or an e-commerce store with integrated payment processing?

The complexity of your site will determine how much time and money to invest in it.

Factors such as hosting, SSL, domain registration, search engine optimization, and maintenance to get an accurate estimate of what you’ll need to budget.

Ultimately, the goal should be to create a website that gets results and is worth every penny of your investment.

Here are some general guidelines for what a website costs:

See a much more detailed breakdown of costs in this article from Forbes.

Consider a subscription option

Get more from your marketing dollars in the long term

Not every business has the capital to fund a full website build upfront, or maybe they’d rather just not spend it right away.

Especially if you’re a startup or new business trying to limit expenses and control spending.

Another way of getting the same custom website but only spending a fraction of the cost to get started is subscribing to a website service.

Not every web agency will give you the option for this type of website payment plan, but CLK Media offers website packages that have all the features, strategy, and marketing built-in to make it a no-brainer for some businesses.

Is it worth paying for a website designer?

Why web designers are so expensive

Let’s play a game… Let’s say I offered you a website with a polished design so impressive it would win awards and impress your neighbors.

It would cost you north of $10,000 to develop, but only made you $100 per month. Would you take it?

My guess is, if you’re pausing right now, you’re imagining that shiny award glistening on your mantel…OF COURSE YOU WOULDN’T!!

Look at it like a typical investment anywhere else, and I think you would probably agree with me, this is not what I would call a sound investment.

On the other hand, what if I sold you the worst looking website anyone has ever seen for $10,000, but this one makes you $100,000 per month?

Ok, I know you can see where I’m going with this by now, so of course you’re going to say: JUST TAKE MY MONEY!! Who wouldn’t with that kind of return? That’s what i call a NO LOSE DEAL.

This is what makes a website worth the money they charge.

When you get right down to it, you’re also doing this for the money, right?

Right – it’s business after all.

So when you need a website for your business you want to talk to a web designer that talks about strategy – not just the costs or features.

How does a website make you money?

Let’s keep it real for a minute, that’s what we’re in business for, right?

To make money.

Sure we want to help people, but whether you’re selling puppies or penthouses, you’re in it to make a profit.

Your site should actually work for you to make you money or provide a measurable return for your investment.

It should be able to generate leads, and sales, and help you build your brand in the long term.

It should have the features you need to satisfy business objectives like shopping carts, funnel pages and payment processing to help you sell your products or services.

It should also have SEO optimization so you can get more visitors who want what you’re offering.

And it should include analytics and tracking so you know what’s working and what needs improvement so you can dial in and optimize the customer experience.

Cost vs. Return

That said, I’m not naive – cost is always a factor, don’t get me wrong; but here are a few things you want to hear from your web designer:

• You want to hear them tell you how you should market and promote your site to get seen by more people.
• You want them to tell you what it takes to make money online as it relates to your industry and market.
• You want to know what conversion tactics they’re going to create for you to build your list and eventually turn them into customers.
• You want to hear them say we have done this before and we can do it for you too.

Your website will be the single biggest marketing tool for your business, so don’t limit your potential by crippling your most powerful weapon.

Unfortunately, a lot of web designer folks overly concern themselves with price alone because that’s what they think clients care about most. So that’s what they allow the discussion to ultimately focus on. Either that or they spout off a whole bunch of stats about all the other technical mumbo-jumbo that completely misses the point.

I completely understand how a website’s technical capability can enhance a business’s efficiency, and how a stunning and strategic design can go a long way to improve conversions and build brand equity. But, wouldn’t it be nice to have someone actually speak to you (in terms you can understand) about a website and the marketing behind it? The stuff that actually makes a website work for a business?

Because trust me, it’s not the $10,000 or $20,000 you spend on functionality or cutting-edge design that will get you a result, it’s a holistic strategy and its execution that net you a positive result.

A result that you can be proud of and take to the bank.

Why invest in a website

Remember when you first launched your business?

Remember that feeling of pride? You did it. You made it work.

That’s the feeling of having a website that improves and advances your business 24-7, 365, and never stops working for you day or night.

It’s your best paid salesman, and it never takes a vacation or needs dental insurance.

Imagine finally feeling like it’s all (finally) just clicked and come together.

Clarity of purpose and seeing the path forward is a beautiful thing.

I’m telling you all this because not all web designers are created equal.

Let’s face it, anyone can build a “website” these days.

The majority of web designers can create a great looking website but fail to deliver the results you deserve. 

The results that will make your website actually “work”.

I’m a little different. I’m ALL about getting results. (I’m weird like that).

Final Thoughts

So in conclusion, the question “how much should a website cost?” is somewhat of a loaded question.

Don’t look for the cheapest solution, look for the best one for you.

I can give you a dollar figure that would get you a great website. But that’s not the only true cost – there is also the cost of not properly executing an online marketing strategy for that website.

If you and your web designer miss this critical piece of the puzzle, even the best site can fall flat; and your cost could be greater than the dollar figure to build it.

Lost sales and lost opportunities are a very real consideration.

If you want to finally get the results you know your website should be giving you, then I’d love to help!

You can request your free, no-obligation strategy session right here and let’s talk about your business.

Schedule a Call