When most businesses think web design, they often only consider the appearance of the site – not it’s functionality.
That’s why thinking about how much you should invest in your website is very important.
Simply assigning a certain £ budget to website design isn’t enough to guarantee you’ll get the most from your website and digital marketing.
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If your business is new to the world of digital marketing, all of the following efforts must to be undertaken for your website to be successful and deliver results to the business.
• Strategy
• Branding
• Content Creation
• Design
• Programming
• SEO (search engine optimisation)
• Digital Marketing
How do web designers determine website cost?
The primary factor in website cost is the complexity of your website.
At Firefly we first determine website complexity by gathering information from the client on the results expected from the website and its purpose. (some may refer to this as “Planning” or “Scoping” of a project).
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So, how much will you need to invest in a website?
In our 9 years in the business, we’ve found that the average 2019 website costs are as follows:
Small business marketing website: £1K – £4K
Medium business marketing website: £4K – 10K
Add eCommerce, customized databases, or applications: +£5K – £20K
How do you make the website cost-efficient and effective?
First, estimate the level of creative design required for your website.
The cost of your website design is a bit tricky because creative design is subjective. For example, we’ve worked with clients that have a hard time articulating their brand image. This can result in many days of additional effort before we reach an approved design. Websites that are designed by committee are also prone to additional time and effort. On the other hand, if the client knows their brand, and what they want to portray, the creative effort can be quite efficient. Additionally, creative media/content, like original video and photography, can sometimes eclipse the cost of the website.
Next, estimate the level of complex functionality.
The cost of the technical and programming effort is usually 50% of the total website budget. The majority of small to medium-sized, marketing-focused websites, don’t require much technical complexity.
Complexity, and therefore increased expense, starts when we require features like:
• Membership
• Ecommerce
• Custom application development
• Integration with external services
Fortunately, many of these “complex” pieces can be found in pre-made “modules”. These prebuilt modules or SAAS (software as a service) solutions mean that some complex functionality does not need to be built from scratch. If the right module can be found and integrated into the website, the business can save tens if not hundreds of hours of web development.
Ongoing Marketing & Maintenance Costs?
We would recommend that the minimum amount a business allocate is £1,000 per month.
For an average business, a website is 60% – 70% of their online footprint or presence.
The cost for consistent marketing depends on a variety of factors. How active does the business need to be in order to maintain profitability, compete, and grow? This answer is different for every business.
Call Barry Kirkham from Firefly New Media UK on
01207 438 292 for a free website and digital marketing consultation to help grow your business online.
