The question of how much a website costs can have business owners peeking through their fingers, dreading the worst.

The answer is, it depends. As with most things in life, you get what you pay for. So yes, you can technically get a website made through Airtasker or similar for $500. Will it be a perfectly branded, SEO optimised, and hard-working site bringing in consistent $$? Unlikely.

A $600-$2000 website made by a web designer new to the field, and still learning ‘on-the-job’. This one will be better in terms of overall performance however, it will likely need to be completely redone within a year or two.

Why?

Because there will be either too many parts hard-coded (and therefore impossible to update yourself), or the design itself will be too trend-based rather than brand-based and date incredibly quickly. But it will work well enough for many businesses that can’t see the value in paying more.

Many clients come to me desperate to undo the messes caused by these projects. And often, the cost of “quickly tidying it all up” reveals further issues that need fixing (=more $$). The result costs almost as much as a new site, but with none of the swish functionality and stunning custom design.

For the next price range, $2500-10,000, you will be working with an established web designer (that’s me!). Someone who will research your business, competitors and customers to deliver the high-converting website you need. And they will work on popular platforms that are easy to update yourself.

But the best part? You have your own, personal web designer who knows how to perfect a website for your brand strategy, delivers consistent results, and can help you learn what you need to do your site updates yourself.

And once you get too busy (which you will!) they can usually do updates for you, as and when you need them. What an asset to your team!

Plus, these talented sole traders often know a whole range of other talented humans to create the essential website content.

Paying for clever, Google-friendly words and scroll-stopping images is worth its weight in GOLD!

If you are a well-established business with revenue $500k+, it would be worth paying a digital agency that has the full stack of talent on staff. The price will be $15,000+, but if you have the budget, the returns will be equally exponential.

Where do I sit? I am the experienced web designer with mad custom coding skills who brings in results AND knows a whole posse of other talented women to make your website work for you.

What’s my advice if your budget is under $2000? DIY your own site on Squarespace or Shopify. Then after one year, get your branding polished up. And only then pay a creative and skilled web designer to create your online home in line with your new brand style. The visual consistency will be irresistible to your audience!

Ready to create an irresistible site that brings in the $$?