(Questions I Get All the Time)
Q: I got a website quote from JoesCheapWebDesign.com for $199. That's pretty good, isn't it?
A: $199 for a website is pretty good if you're eating PB&Js in a single-bedroom apartment and the company car is a 1996 Toyota Corolla. Joe's going to drop your logo in a template, cut and paste some text and voilą - you've got a website. Not bad if your anticipated gross revenue for 2010 is $1,200.
Q: OK, so how much does a website cost?
A: Some websites cost $2k, some websites cost $2m, and some cost a lot more than that. A professional startup should expect to initially spend at least $5k - $10k for a custom web presence. Most Roundup Digital projects fall in the $5k - $50k range. But, if you've got about $250k for marketing this year, call the Richards Group instead.
Q: I just want something really basic. How much does a really basic website cost?
A: Being really basic isn't going to differentiate your product or service among hundreds of competitors. Make a quality investment in communicating to your clients that your business isn't "basic". The return on that investment will be new revenue for your company.
Q: OK, so how much will it cost my business this year to NOT have a professional web presence?
A: Unless the majority of your existing client base is over 70-years old, not having a professional website for your business is expensive. Your competitors have better websites and Google is working hard right now to send them new clients.
Q: I got a bid for my website from some group in California and it's $20k! That's outrageous, isn't it?
A: It depends. Plenty of websites are worth a $20k investment. And plenty of websites cost $20m. If you're concerned about a bid you've received, shoot us an email - we'd be happy to go over it with you. Don't go with a group based on the price of their bid - go with the group that you feel comfortable working with.
Q: I hired a web guy to build me a website just like amazon.com for $1,500, and now he's disappeared off the face of the planet and won't return my phone calls. What happened?
A: In the brick-and-mortar world no one hires a single out-of-work carpenter to build a skyscraper. But in the web world well-meaning clients hire well-meaning "web guys", a few nails get hammered, and jobs get left unfinished all the time.
The secret to building a successful website is this: hire a professional web design group you trust. It's cheaper to build a website correctly once than to have to build it twice.