Nathan Yerian
Whether you are looking to design a new website for your business, or revamp an old one, a common question that comes up is -- just how much should a web design cost?
This seems like a straight forward question, but the truth is that this is a relative figure and it will depend on many different factors. Web design prices can range from a few thousand dollars, all the way into tens of thousands, depending on your exact needs and how you plan to utilize your site.
Before you let the figures daunt you, it is vital to understand exactly how you would like your website to perform and how to quantify your return on investment.
What Goes Into a Web Design?
Your web design needs to be a lot more than just pretty graphics and some text about your company. This is where your potential customer are going to come to judge the value you provide. What looks simple to the viewer is quite complex underneath the surface. Let’s start with the actual structure of your website.
First, you will have to define your target market. Who are they? What problems do they have? Why are they looking for your company? What can you help them with?
Once you have your target website visitors defined, you now need to create a plan to attract, engage, and encourage them to convert into a lead on your website. Your plan needs to include integrating the right target keywords into your website, creating a manageable navigation structure, delivering value based content, and strategically placing calls to action throughout your site.
Once the structure of your site is built, you’ll then have to fill it with content in varying forms. This will include web page copy, graphics, videos, e-books and other interactive elements. The more elements you need produced for your site, the more it will cost. Keep in mind that you do not need every element for site launch. Your website is a living thing that you will add to over time.
Consider how you are going to use your site and how visitors will be using it. If you strictly want it to be used for informational purposes, a simpler and less expensive site will do. However, if you want rich content that compels your visitors to stay, and more importantly to convert, you’re going to want to invest a little more in the element that make that possible.
The old adage, you get what you pay for, certainly applies in web design. If you go with a cut rate design that contains no interaction or compelling content, chances are you will not see a return.
This is the part that many business owners fail to take into account. The reality is that the "price" of the website is merely a calculation of time. The larger the website budget, the more services can be used on the website's development. Can you get a cheap website? Of course. The real question is, would you want to?
The True ROI Of Your Web Design
You’ve got to have the right efforts in place to get visitors to your website. Once they are there, you’ve got to do everything you can to keep them there, to get them to keep coming back, and to convert them into a lead.
The quality of your web design and your content is the key to accomplishing these tasks. It’s far better to spend a little more for a completely functional site, with professional and compelling content, than it is to spend a little, and get something that simply will not hold a viewer’s attention or convince them to convert.
Once your website is producing quality leads, it is now the job of your sales team to get out there, close those deals and deliver your ROI. It is even possible to connect your online marketing efforts directly to your sales department with closed loop marketing. This will allow you to realize your ROI in real time.
A website should not be looked at as a cost. It is an investment. Starting the process with this mindset will allow you to make the necessary decisions that will maximize the success of your website and your marketing as a whole.
