“How much does a new website cost?” Given the current economic climate, web pros – myself included – hear that question a lot. It usually comes from cost-conscious small and midsized business owners who know that they need help but have little idea how much they should expect to pay for it. As with many other wants and needs in business and life in general, the only short answer to the question of cost is: It depends. The cost of a web site is affected by many factors, some of which you can control – more on that later.

what’s your budget?

The smartest approach is to first determine how much you can or should spend. Some business owners call several developers or designers and ask for prices in order to decide how much they have to spend. This approach does not take into account the business owner’s financial situation, nor does it allow him or her to effectively compare web pros in an apples-to-apples fashion to learn what can be expected from each for the money. Yes, you need to know costs. But if you are working with a limited budget you need to know your limits, determine your needs, then find out how to meet your needs within that budget.

what do you need?

It’s very common for web pros to receive requests for pricing with little in the way of background information to go on to determine needs. Due to limited web site development experience, the business owner often doesn’t completely understand what he or she needs, so the developer will make some assumptions based on his or her experience. Ideally it’s the kind of experience that leads to solid recommendations, but this often isn’t the case. The uninformed business owner assumes he’s asked the right questions about what’s included, but oftentimes winds up with a learning experience down the road.

Do as much as possible to find out what kind of a site you need before beginning your search for the right person to build it. Visit web sites you like – or dislike – and take notes about specific details that will or will not work for you. Seek out others with similar businesses or similar needs, and find out about their site building experiences. You don’t have to have a rigid plan in place, but doing some homework in advance should give you basic information that you can share with each pro you talk to so that all are quoting on the same scope of work. If the developer or designer you finally choose has experience and input that suggests a deviation from your initial plan, your decision to alter the plan will be a more informed one.

5 things to help you keep web site development costs low

1. Employ a Content Management System (CMS). Even though it costs more up front than a static HTML site, a CMS will save you time and money when you need to make changes. Instead of gathering your changes, sending them to a web developer and waiting in his or her queue, you can log in and quickly make most common changes yourself. Most small and medium sized businesses can make use of WordPress as a CMS; the WordPress platform is open source and thus free and quite flexible.
2. Clearly communicate all requirements – in writing – before design begins. Making sure your designer or developer knows your needs will ensure that the job is done right the first time. Put all requirements and specifications in writing so that all parties have something to refer back to. Revising a design can be costly.
3. Make sure your hosting is ready to go. If you have already purchased hosting and can provide your web pro with login credentials needed to set up files and databases, this saves time and money. The hosting space must usually meet certain minimum requirements that can vary depending upon the type of site that will be built for you, so check with your developer to ensure your hosting plan is adequate.
4. Write your own copy and headlines for each page. You know your business best, and if you are a good writer you are the best person to communicate your message via your web site. Caveat: Writing that is ineffective, unfocused or that contains grammatical or punctuation errors just makes your business look bad. If you can craft a good message but tend to have typos and other errors, go ahead and write but hire a proofreader. If you’re not a good writer, it’s worth the expense to hire someone that is.
5. Provide high-quality source files to your web pro at the beginning of your project. Provide original files (i.e., not resized) so that the designer or developer has files of sufficient quality to work with. If you have a good eye and a good camera, providing your own digital photography is a way to save money. But as with writing, if you can’t do it really well, hire a pro so you don’t look bad. If you don’t need shots of your products, people or business and just want to convey a concept, there are many low-cost stock photography sites where you can purchase images. Send your designer or developer links to any stock photography you are considering to make sure it will work in the layout.

5 things that increase the cost of a new web site

1. Multiple page layouts. Each page with a unique layout requires a significantly greater investment of time than what would be needed to simply flow its content into an existing layout. To lower costs, use the same basic template for multiple pages. Caveat: Too few unique layouts can lead to poor information flow and usability problems when the same format must be used to serve up varying types of content; also, seeing the same design page after page can be monotonous for visitors. Sites for small to medium sized businesses typically use two or three templates.
2. Multiple change requests. I work best when requests for changes are provided as a single response to my request for feedback. Review your web pro’s work thoroughly and note any questions or items you think should be changed, then provide this feedback to him or her in a single e-mail. It’s far more efficient to make several changes at once to files in active development than to switch gears several times to go back and make changes that were overlooked, repost the files for review, then notify the client.
3. Bells and whistles. Things like Flash, video integration, photo galleries, promotional banners, contact forms, forums, online stores, online payment acceptance, member registration and a host of other options can add a lot in terms of development costs. If you’re trying to cut costs, some extras might be best put off, but money-making helpers like online shopping are a necessary investment.
4. Having the developer or designer handle everything.If you have no experience with anything web related, your customer-facing business web site is not the best place to learn. But if you have common sense, a little time and a willingness to try something new, you may be able to shoulder some of the load and reduce your costs by:
   • Securing a domain name and hosting before work gets underway.
   • Providing detailed input about any desired design or functional elements.
   • Gathering all of your access data (FTP, hosting control panel logins, credit card processor information, etc.) in one place and providing it to your web pro at the start of the project.
   • Locating photography that works with your design.
   • Inputting all of your page content (if your site will have a CMS).
5. Having rigid requirements that hamstring your developer or designer. Experienced web pros can make almost anything work given sufficient time and budget. But if you let your developer or designer know what’s important to you as well as where you can be flexible, he or she may be able to give you a design you’re happy with at a price you can live with.

I wrote this post hoping to help clients and prospective clients understand why sites can cost more or less than they expect, and to suggest ways to reduce costs where appropriate. I hope you’ve found it helpful. If you think of something I’ve missed, please leave a comment and let me know.