How much should a website cost in 2016?

We like to do this every year just to keep everyone informed on how website prices have changed over the past year.  Not that much has changed from 2016, but here is our 2016 analysis!

First and foremost, just like last year, we try to break it down for you as best as possible but all of our estimating below assumes the following:

• The website will be responsive, meaning it adapts to any device.
• The website will be optimized initially for SEO.
• Clients will provide content (text, images, media, etc).
• Estimates includes planning (meetings), web design, web development, testing, and launch (including page redirects).
• The website is an information website. Please see How much does an e-commerce website cost in 2016? for details on e-commerce websites.

Now a lot of this depends on the size of the company. We still tend to break our web designs down into three categories however we see less and less of the pre-built responsive designs.  Clients tend to go one way or the other with custom vs theme based sites.

1. Theme Responsive Design
2. Pre-built Responsive Design (not so popular)
3. Custom Responsive Design

We still tend to be below the industry average when it comes to the the cost of a website. We are making an investment in you for the long term. We want to gain clients, and keep them around. As you grow, you naturally will need more services from us and it’s a win-win.

Theme Responsive Design
A theme responsive design simply means that we will be using a website structure that is already pre-built, then choosing a pre-built theme, and finally customizing it to your needs. The key here is that because a lot of this is pre-built, there isn’t that much work that needs to be done on our end so it’s cheaper for you. Another benefit with going this route is that there is a pre-built admin panel that let’s you make updates to your website without needing to call us. The only downside to using a theme-based design is that if you wanted to expand your website beyond the confines of the theme, you may need to find “plugins” to allow you to do this. Let’s say for instance that you wanted to close the website down and make it a members only website. You would need to find a plugin that could help with that, because the theme you chose doesn’t have that built into it.

Overall, in our opinion this is a great route to go, especially for start up companies or small businesses looking for a fresh look at a low cost.

2016 prices note: Prices have increased slightly here vs 2015.  The main reason is that security is becoming an even bigger issue with CMS based websites.  They seem to be getting attacked by hackers every day.  So we have beefed up our security on these websites and taken extra precautions so our clients are safe.

Industry average: $5,000 – $10,000
Our cost: $3,500 – $4,500

Pre-built Responsive Design
A pre-built responsive design is a design that we have custom built for another client, and have their permission to repurpose and use again. I like to relate this to buying a house that’s two years old. The foundation and structure of the house has already been put in place, but you can obviously change the colors and decorations. The benefit here is that you get all the bells and whistles of having a completely custom responsive website without paying for the costs. But you do have to give and take some with the design.

It’s great for small to medium sized businesses and even start ups that want to get it right the first time.

2016 prices note: This used to be one of our most popular options, however as mentioned earlier, we really don’t see many purchases in this category. The main reason for this drastic change is that we feel you get a better bang for your buck with the pre-built themes and the amount of customization you can do within the themes has increased as well.  Usually we see purchases in this category when you need 1 special custom feature on a simple site that you can’t do within the theme based site.

Industry average: $6,000 – $12,000
Our cost: $3,500 – $5,000

Custom Responsive Design
This is the top tier of websites that we offer. It’s a lot like building a completely new home with a custom builder. You will sit down with our in-house graphic designer and go over every last detail of the design process. Your website will definitely be the only one of it’s kind and it will be something that you will be proud of. Honestly, it’s really a fun process for you and for us.

Regardless of whether you are a small, medium or large business, if you’ve already had a few websites and know exactly what you want, this may be the best route for you.

2016 prices note: The prices have stayed where they were in this category.

Industry average: $8,000 – $20,000
Our cost: $5,000 – $7,000

In conclusion, if you would like a quote that’s for your specific business be sure to visit our web design page to get more information or request a quote.