5 January 2009
Hi Ella,

I always find it help full when clients has a brief project document prepared with some ideas highlighted because it will help a web design company to understand the project and to give a reasonable quote based on your brief.

I would suggest sending your project brief to few web design companies for a quote. But this does not mean you should go with the "cheapest quote"... have a look at the company's latest work examples, industry sectors they specialise and clients reviews.

Good luck!

6 January 2009
It would be best if you do send a full brief, or even a short bullet point list as quotes may vary alot depending on the time and resources required.

I am sure you will be able to find a list of companies that would fit your general requirements on WWDC.

Hope this helps.

6 January 2009
Hi Ella

Costs really do vary a lot, between agencies and also areas too - I suspect Scotland may have cheaper rates than the South East, for example.

Most quotations will be tailored to exactly what you want/need on the website, so the more info you can provide to an agency the better indication they can give you. Try to consider:

* Number of pages
* Type/amount of content on the pages e.g. lots of text, or a couple of images
* Will you need to make updates to the site
* Will your customers/users need to interact with the site - e.g. to register, add details, receive mailing lists etc.
* What sort of technical functions are needed, e.g. a filtered search facility is more expensive than a simple listing of all data.

Think through the user processes in your head to help you set out exactly what you need. If you then contact some agencies with these details they should be able to give you a cost estimate.

Kind regards


Emma
Clarified Web Design

8 January 2009
Hello Ella

Its a service industry so prices are varies on quality and kind of services you are getting from your web design company.

Consider you website as essential online marketing tool for your business, if your website is impressive then you can win lot of business from web site.

But you can get competetive prices from India as compare to your local market. You can get quick and quality services., We have been serving clients all over the globe since 1995.

Therefore quality always cost.

In case you have further query please feel frree to contact me.


Anoop Gupta

8 January 2009
Some excellent advice has already been provided, though I would suggest that you research what your potential design company does/can do beforehand.

It's worth applying common sense, some design companies charge obscene amounts to give the impression that they're the best when in fact they're nothing more than average.

Look closely at what your design company has done, check for examples in similar fields, try out their other customers websites, how usable and accessible do you find them? What they've done in the past is a good indicator of how your website will likely turn out, from a usablilty perspective, though it's equally important to not simply take example from their portfolio, try a few, and compare.

Other factors to consider with cost include:

* Hosting: what volume of visitors would you be expecting, would shared hosting be sufficient.
* Reporting: do you need the ability to report on usage of the site, both web stats of visitors, and stats of studios that have been listed on the website, such as how long a studio has been listed.
* eCommerce: A large number of directories offer both a free listing, and a paid for listing. This is usually to cover both the setup and running costs of the website, and to provide an income, this 'can' be a better source of income for the website than traditional advertising once the website is established and popular.

Good luck!

8 January 2009
Hi Ella,

As you may have gathered from the previous answers it's difficult to give a price when there are so many variables in your project that would need to be defined and costed.

I think the best thing for you to do would be to compile a list of designers whose work you like using a directory like this or one of the many others. Once you have your list contact each company separately with an outline of your project.

This will give you a feel for each companies strengths and skills and you can then get a list of prices to compare. However price isn't always the deciding factor and you should weight it against the quality of work produced by each designer to get the best value for your money.

Hope this helps,

Liam

12 January 2009
Hi Ella,

I thought it might be useful to post a rough idea of the prices I'd quote if you sent this request to me through my own site.

A basic website would start at around

13 January 2009
Reference URL: http://www.grantcom.us/pricing.htm

Obviously there are many factors that lead to an accurate price. Things like how developed is your marketing image and marketing goals, your available photography, how often you tend to make changes on previously approved materials, and so on.

We try to allow for your maximum input while maintaining our tried and true method of site construction.

For instance, a house is built from the ground up. You would not ask the contractor to build your roof first. You can, but it will cost you more. So when you ask us to do something that distorts our work flow, we will listen and try to accommodate you but if it runs up the price we will educate you and get back on track.

Through the many sites we have built, we have come to learn how to produce a site in the most efficient manner. Our procedures are constantly monitored and fine-tuned, then balanced against your inputs. This is how we estimate the cost of your site. However, your situation may require different needs. We will always let you know the pros and cons of your decisions and what possible up charges there may be, both now and in the future. The final decision rests in your hands.

5 February 2009
Hi Ella,

Has anyone provided you with a quote yet or taken this further (i.e. to the point of meeting with you to discuss). Please let me know if I can help.

Regards,

Mark Palmer.

13 February 2009
Hi Ella,

all profesionaly designed websites should be user friendly.
Many web designers or web design agencies will tell you a roughly price only per request (which means they are expensive, so there is no fixed fee or price).

you can compare web design prices here:http://brighton-webdesigner.co.uk
to get an idea what it cost.

All the best

Alex

16 February 2009
Before any company is able to give you an accurate quote you should provide them with a detailed brief outlining the project details and required features.

We have a detailed online quote request form that contains plenty of relevant questions regarding client needs and requirements. When our clients fill this out it allows us to provide them with an accurate quote.

Of course all the sites we build are simple to use - otherwise theres not much point having a website!

Alex

18 February 2009
Personally I hate putting a price tag on projects. I prefer to find out what the projects budget is and work to that, that way we keep the client in control of their project and there are no scary suprise's at the end.

31 March 2009
The responses you have seen so far have all raised very valid points but basically you should consider the cost of a web site as part of your overall business budget. Like anything else to do with your business you are looking for the best solution to meet your needs.

Think of it this way, If you were going to replace some essential piece of equipment for your business then you would look at quality, reliability, suitability and of course a price tag that falls within your allocated budget.

This is how you should approach obtaining a web site, first and foremost you should have a budget in mind and then set out see if it is possible to get a web site designed and built within that budget by submitting a brief outlining your requirement and then obtaining some quotes.

You should soon be able to see if you budget is going to be adequate and then you can either adjust your budget accordingly or follow up on quotes that you think will provide the desired solution.

Also keep in mind that their might be hidden costs like SEO, CMS, maintenance, etc., and try to ensure that these things are explained and included in the overall costing if they are required.

Hope this helps as a basic quide.

Regards,

Tony Green
Webography