Ahh, websites. The digital dojo in which your business proves its legitimacy. You may not feel like you need one, but the internet (and your customers) sure do.
A website does more than cause headaches for business owners. It helps customers find you, tells them who you are, shows them what you do, and hopefully persuades them to give you money. Sounds great, but we’re sure you have some questions.
How do I build a website?
There are lots of companies to help you build a website yourself, or you can go through a web agency, like TechArk. There are spectrums of both, providing varying levels of quality, customer service, and support. It’s a good idea to shop around and determine what’s a good fit for you—which is obviously what you’re doing. Good for you!
DIY: A build-your-own-website company is not the most intuitive process, but we’re sure you can find your way through (with some assistance from Google and Youtube). Keep in mind that you’ll be responsible for any and all changes and updates, and support issues may take longer to receive a response.
Friend, Neighbor’s Kid, Freelancer: While this option is often the most appealing due to the cost savings, the time lost is retrospectively not worth it. Yes, you know smart people. Yes, they do great work. But, you get what you pay for. If you’re paying bottom dollar, be prepared for extended delays between emails, elaborate excuses, and ultimately, poor results.
Web Agency: The most costly of the options, a traditional agency will deliver quality results within the specified time frame. Even though it will cost more, there are agencies of all sizes, offering a range of pricing.
Your unique needs will determine the cost of designing and developing a website for your business. If all you need is a digital presence for search engines to find, your cost will be lower—but if you need help enticing those search engines, then you may need a full-service agency with a marketing department.
Snapshot of the Process:
Design: User Experience (UX) is a branch of design unique to graphic designers. It involves anticipating and planning for a website visitor’s potential needs and actions. This crucial skill is a service offered by quality web agencies, and while it may drive up cost, we highly recommend it for any website redesign. After all, what good is building a road if it doesn’t lead anywhere?
Development: Existing software can be adjusted, or custom-built for a clients’ special needs. A simple site doesn’t require much customization, but it will still need security/SSL, mobile-friendly responsiveness, and QA.
However, a made-to-order website will require more manual coding. If your site requires databases, 3rd party integrations, or web portals, it will increase the cost.
QA/Testing: Any good agency will include a testing phase in your website redesign. During this time, a team will push, pull, and bend your site until it breaks … then they’ll fix the break and do it again, until it doesn’t break. This should be a part of the website design process at your selected agency.
SEO: An initial Search Engine Optimization setup may or may not be included at various web agencies. Even if it’s not a line item in your proposal, you may be able to negotiate with a full-service agency for a one-time audit. Even if they provide a list of recommendations for you to implement, it’s worth it. If design is the destination of road and development is laying the pavement, SEO is ensuring that it connects to other roads and displays on maps.
So … How much does a website cost?
A professional website job will start at $5,000 and increase based on the agency, the website complexity, and the required customization. The reality is that no two websites (or agencies) are the same.
TechArk is happy to discuss your project’s needs and shoot over a proposal with a detailed breakdown of all pricing. We’d love to work with you, so get in touch today!
Ever wondered how much a website costs? We gotchu, boo.
