What Are Average Web Site Costs?

What are average Web Site costs? This is a questions I get asked, and I know based on looking at search data, that many of you out there are asking as well. All in a quest to find out what is that magic number amount (in most cases seeking the least amount) necessary to get a Web site up and running.

Let’s answer a question with a question. What is an “average Web Site” anyway? I don’t think you would find a single business owner that would be satisfied with an “average” Web site. In my experience most want extraordinary.

Average: n
1. An intermediate level or degree.
2. The usual or ordinary kind or quality.

In order to succeed online, you need more than “intermediate” or “usual or ordinary.”

The fact is run-of-the-mill sites, generic sites, me-too sites, templated sites are simply not impressive or effective. To thrive online you have to stand out, you have to be unique, you have to look credible and “average” will not accomplish that for you.

So where are we at with “average Web site costs”?

You could visit 100 different developers and get 100 different price quotes based on your description. You have to realize that the price will vary based on the business experience and skill set of the developer, what their services include and what type of site you would like them to create for you. And, don ‘t be too surprised at how what you feel is a simple description, may not be so simple to implement.

One should not assume simplicity if they have no server, coding, or online marketing experience. Instead you would be better off to assume everything is more complicated than your exposure and personal experience would lead you to believe.

Since each and every site owner I’ve worked with over the past 15+ years has different desires and expectations, you can very quickly see how there can be no such thing as an “average Web site cost.”

What Determines Web Site Costs?

For example:

• How large and complex is your proposed site? This can make a huge difference in time/cost to integrate your data after the site is developed.
• How many interactive contact forms/polls and features would you like to have? The complexity of each will also contribute to the site’s development cost.
• Do you want any special functionality or scripts that need to be integrated? If we can use an “out of the box” plugin or application (like WordPress as a CMS) or existing scripts, the costs can be reduced.
• Is the functionality you desire something that has to be customized to your requirements? Reinventing the wheel or customization of established applications takes time, skills and additional cost.
• How many images or photos do you want the developer to create and integrate for your site? Quality graphic creation for the Web is a skill set in-of-itself in order to have visually appealing photos and graphics on your site. The number of quality graphics/photos you want integrated or created will also contribute to the cost of your new site.
• How much support and training will you require to run your new online operation? While I include coaching as part of my site packages, once your site is launched plan on needing even more direction and guidance to keep up and remain competitive.

Look at building a Web site just like you would do when building a house. Number of bedrooms and baths, attached garage, Jacuzzi, hardwood floors or vinyl or whether you have central air or not can and will effect the final price tag of your home. The very same methodology applies to determining the cost for Web sites.

Based on my 15 years of online experience, when potential customers are looking for the “average” cost, they are more times than not looking for the least expensive cost. And that can be a fatal mistake that dooms their project even before it starts!

Now that your Web Site will be your company’s face to the world, price shopping based on average Web Site costs alone, can many times have the customer choosing a less experienced and skilled developer. Which can result negatively on their online presentation and reputation — and more importantly branding.

You should not let your lack of knowledge or intimidation with technology prevent you from learning enough to be able to separate the wheat from the chaff. If you don’t make the effort to investigate your potential online partners, you may find you will not get what you assumed you were paying for. Nor will you experience the necessary ROI to grow your program.

Just as in any service business, those who are good at what they do, do not compete on price. They don’t have to because referrals keep their schedule filled with new customers who see the value in what their skills and experience can bring to their program. The same goes for technology consulting.

To gravitate to an individual or company solely based on them being the least expensive is surely not a wise business decision when you need to trust and rely on that consultant for your business image, branding and ROI.

In a day where almost everyone is (or has a friend who is) a “Web designer”, the onus is on the customer to determine who in fact has the professionalism, skills, experience and expertise and more importantly the ethics and integrity to help them reach their goals — for the long haul.

Customers also need to understand that those very same traits come with a price tag. To think you would get an experienced professional presentation at the cost a high school student or what a beginner who dabbles in Web design software may charge is basically naive.

That said, when you choose the right partner, for all the right reasons, you should have no problem recouping your investment by experiencing a strong ROI based on their ability to guide you appropriately. When looking for a developer, you should also be seeking a long term partnership. Not a company you can hire today who can go out of business tomorrow, but a true partner that will be there to help your program grow to its full potential as technology evolves.

Your “average Web Site cost” should also include marketing assistance and expertise. When it comes to creating Web Sites, you literally have to think about the marketing aspect before you type a single bit or byte of code. If your developer doesn’t have this marketing expertise or the ability to assist you with your marketing strategy once your site is launched, you are starting out with a major disadvantage.

So, I guess that old adage does apply to average Web site costs. You really do get what you pay for.

Need an Article Resource?

I get asked all the time about ways to put articles on your site without having to write them. With that I first advise my clients to write their own articles. Doing so will then reflect their personality and expertise, thereby soft-selling their skills and giving folks a reason to want to do business with them over their perceived competitors.

That said, there are always those who would rather buy than produce and when it comes to buying articles one has to be very leery about the source. There are tons of sheisters out there (just as with most things online) who are trying to tap into those who want short cuts.

Many of these services are selling articles that are either very poor quality (which will reflect on you), or they have no right to sell the articles because they do not have the author’s permission and have just copied them from other sites and modified them slightly.

By not seriously investigating who you get your content from, you risk copyright infringement complaints if the original author finds out. And, believe me — they can find out. Being an author myself, I have Google alerts setup to notify me if my writings show up online without my knowledge.

Your best bet is to make the time and to write your own material based on what you know your customers want and what you know about best. That way you can’t go wrong and it is time well spent!

If you want a credible and reliable resource for articles, check out EzineArticles.com. They do a great job of making sure legitimate and quality articles are provided for you to use (as long as you give credit to the authors per their instructions.) You can also learn a great deal about article writing dos and don’ts as well as how to get yourself motivated to write your own articles at the EzineArticles Blog. Check it out and get writing!

Top 5 Premium WordPress Themes

Anyone who talks to me hears in my voice my excitement over the potential that WordPress has brought back to the Web for small businesses and Netrepreneurs.

15 years ago when I started this adventure it was a level playing field. Then the “big guys” got online and priced out the average Joes and Janes when it came to getting found and paying for advertising. Add to that the bar had been raised as far as design and functionality. Quality sites became increasingly expensive to have developed, implemented and maintained which for small biz folks like you and I, meant it became even more prohibitive to compete.

Then, Blogging and WordPress started picking up steam. 4 years ago I thought to myself “Self, why can’t you use WordPress as a content management system?” I answered, you can!

My site had grown beyond efficient manageability and was a PIA to to update and intuitively organize. WordPress solved that for me. But what was more exciting was the fact I could finally offer my clients a positive answer to their most asked question:

“Can I make changes and do site modifications myself?”

To which I can now answer with a resounding, and confident, yes! The next step is then determining the look and feel of the new site — which is always subjective because that is all in the minds eye and clients have to like how the site looks. That’s where premium WordPress themes are so very important. They cover all these bases — and then some.

Several years ago there were two guys who were leaders in this new direction — they were ahead of the curve and then became the curve. They saw this wave coming and started creating feature rich, visually appealing and solidly coded WordPress premium themes. Brian Gardner of Studio Press and Corey Miller of iThemes were definitely leaders in this regard and whose themes I recommend and have used most. Much credit goes to these two gentlemen who create a superior — premium — product and back up their work with friendly, experienced and approachable support.

You may be thinking, but what about all those free themes out there? Well, folks, you’ve heard it before — with free you get what you pay for. Not to say that there are not quality themes available at no cost, but based on my experience, you have to deal with issues that simply do not exist when you use a premium WordPress theme.

For example; footer links. I don’t mind giving credit where credit is due but many free themes have encrypted links (meaning you remove the code and the theme breaks) to the author’s various affiliate programs as well. Sites you may not agree with or want to have a link to at the bottom of every page of your site.

Then you have the issue of quality — just because it’s free does not indicate the developer is skilled and experienced enough in WordPress and PHP to create solid bug-free code. And last but not least, who is going to upgrade that theme to keep up with WordPress and web trends — for free? These considerations are enough for you to not want to waste your valuable time and money having to deal with.

Instead, choose your site’s theme from the 5 sites below and you’ll not only look spiffy and be able to truly take advantage of everything Web 2.0, but you’ll have the confidence in knowing you are using a quality product backed with the type of support rarely found online.

Top 5 Premium WordPress Themes

1. Studio Press
2. iThemes
3. Theme Forest
4. WordPress Remix
5. Woo Themes

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