Curious to know more about website design pricing or how much does a website cost? You’re in the right place! Whether you’re running a startup or a small business or managing an established company, your website is where it all starts. It’s much more than just an online brochure; your new website communicates who you are and what you do in the blink of an eye.
If you send the same web design proposal to 4 different website builder companies and you will get back with four different quotes. Often with a very wide range regarding pricing.
As you might have noticed already, web design costs can be tricky. Because of this, the question shouldn’t be “how much does a website cost?”. Rather you should ask yourself the question, “what should my expectations be for the budget I have?”
Generally speaking, website costs can range from free, to over $100,000. The cost factors to build a website depend on the type of website that you need, the duration for which you need it, how frequently your website maintenance and updating are, website hosting, and other ongoing fees. Therefore the best solution for you will not just depend on the website cost. Rather how you, your goals, and your budget align together.
With this in mind, this article will give you a sense of exactly what you can expect from a new website price range. Furthermore, we also offer suggestions and solutions that might be right for you based on your budget.
Alignment
To make the right decision about what price you should pay for your own website, your goals, budget, and personal involvement will all need to be factored in together.
Website Design Pricing
Pricing Table
| TEAM | FREE | $1,000 | $2,500 | $5-10K | $10-25K | +25K |
| Firm | ||||||
| Developer | ||||||
| Project Manager | ||||||
| Content Writer | ||||||
| UI/ UX Designer |
| DESIGN | FREE | $1,000 | $2,500 | $5-10K | $10-25K | +25K |
| Wireframe Mockups | ||||||
| Photoshop Design | ||||||
| Revisions | 2-3 | 3-5 | 5-10 | 10-20 | ||
| Landing Page Design | ||||||
| UI/ UX Prototyping | ||||||
| Branding |
| DEVELOPMENT | FREE | $1,000 | $2,500 | $5-10K | $10-25K | +25K |
| CSS/ HTML | ||||||
| CMS | ||||||
| Theme | Template | Template | Semi Custom | Custom | Custom | Custom |
| QA Testing | ||||||
| Sitemap Architecture | ||||||
| Front End Devlopment | ||||||
| Backend Development | ||||||
| External API Integration |
| FEATURES | FREE | $1,000 | $2,500 | $5-10K | $10-25K | +25K |
| Pages | NA | 5-10 | 5-10 | 15-20 | 50-1K+ | 1K-50K+ |
| Page Templates | 3-6 | 7-15 | 15+ | |||
| On Page SEO | ||||||
| OffPage SEO | ||||||
| Search Engine Marketing | ||||||
| Mobile Responsive Design | ||||||
| Training/ Support | ||||||
| Content Marketing | ||||||
| Contact Form Integration | ||||||
| Payment Processsing | ||||||
| Web Application |
| TEAM | FREE |
| Firm | |
| Developer | |
| Project Manager | |
| Content Writer | |
| UI/ UX Designer |
| TEAM | $1000 |
| Firm | |
| Developer | |
| Project Manager | |
| Content Writer | |
| UI/ UX Designer |
| TEAM | $2500 |
| Firm | |
| Developer | |
| Project Manager | |
| Content Writer | |
| UI/ UX Designer |
| TEAM | $5-10K |
| Firm | |
| Developer | |
| Project Manager | |
| Content Writer | |
| UI/ UX Designer |
| TEAM | $10-25K |
| Firm | |
| Developer | |
| Project Manager | |
| Content Writer | |
| UI/ UX Designer |
| TEAM | +25K |
| Firm | |
| Developer | |
| Project Manager | |
| Content Writer | |
| UI/ UX Designer |
| DESIGN | FREE |
| Wireframe Mockups | |
| Photoshop Design | |
| Revisions | |
| Landing Page Design | |
| UI/ UX Prototyping | |
| Branding |
| DESIGN | $1000 |
| Wireframe Mockups | |
| Photoshop Design | |
| Revisions | |
| Landing Page Design | |
| UI/ UX Prototyping | |
| Branding |
| DESIGN | $2500 |
| Wireframe Mockups | |
| Photoshop Design | |
| Revisions | 2-3 |
| Landing Page Design | |
| UI/ UX Prototyping | |
| Branding |
| DESIGN | $5-10K |
| Wireframe Mockups | |
| Photoshop Design | |
| Revisions | 3-5 |
| Landing Page Design | |
| UI/ UX Prototyping | |
| Branding |
| DESIGN | $10-25K |
| Wireframe Mockups | |
| Photoshop Design | |
| Revisions | 5-10 |
| Landing Page Design | |
| UI/ UX Prototyping | |
| Branding |
| DESIGN | +$25K |
| Wireframe Mockups | |
| Photoshop Design | |
| Revisions | 10-20 |
| Landing Page Design | |
| UI/ UX Prototyping | |
| Branding |
| DEVELOPMENT | FREE |
| CSS/ HTML | |
| CMS | |
| Theme | Template |
| QA Testing | |
| Sitemap Architecture | |
| Front End Devlopment | |
| Backend Development | |
| External API Integration |
| DEVELOPMENT | $1000 |
| CSS/ HTML | |
| CMS | |
| Theme | Template |
| QA Testing | |
| Sitemap Architecture | |
| Front End Devlopment | |
| Backend Development | |
| External API Integration |
| DEVELOPMENT | $2500 |
| CSS/ HTML | |
| CMS | |
| Theme | Semi Custom |
| QA Testing | |
| Sitemap Architecture | |
| Front End Devlopment | |
| Backend Development | |
| External API Integration |
| DEVELOPMENT | $5-10K |
| CSS/ HTML | |
| CMS | |
| Theme | Custom |
| QA Testing | |
| Sitemap Architecture | |
| Front End Devlopment | |
| Backend Development | |
| External API Integration |
| DEVELOPMENT | $10-25K |
| CSS/ HTML | |
| CMS | |
| Theme | Custom |
| QA Testing | |
| Sitemap Architecture | |
| Front End Devlopment | |
| Backend Development | |
| External API Integration |
| DEVELOPMENT | +25K |
| CSS/ HTML | |
| CMS | |
| Theme | Custom |
| QA Testing | |
| Sitemap Architecture | |
| Front End Devlopment | |
| Backend Development | |
| External API Integration |
| FEATURES | FREE |
| Pages | NA |
| Page Templates | |
| On Page SEO | |
| OffPage SEO | |
| Search Engine Marketing | |
| Mobile Responsive Design | |
| Training/ Support | |
| Content Marketing | |
| Contact Form Integration | |
| Payment Processsing | |
| Web Application |
| FEATURES | $1000 |
| Pages | 5-10 |
| Page Templates | |
| On Page SEO | |
| OffPage SEO | |
| Search Engine Marketing | |
| Mobile Responsive Design | |
| Training/ Support | |
| Content Marketing | |
| Contact Form Integration | |
| Payment Processsing | |
| Web Application |
| FEATURES | $2500 |
| Pages | 5-10 |
| Page Templates | |
| On Page SEO | |
| OffPage SEO | |
| Search Engine Marketing | |
| Mobile Responsive Design | |
| Training/ Support | |
| Content Marketing | |
| Contact Form Integration | |
| Payment Processsing | |
| Web Application |
| FEATURES | $5-10K |
| Pages | 15-20 |
| Page Templates | 3-6 |
| On Page SEO | |
| OffPage SEO | |
| Search Engine Marketing | |
| Mobile Responsive Design | |
| Training/ Support | |
| Content Marketing | |
| Contact Form Integration | |
| Payment Processsing | |
| Web Application |
| FEATURES | $10-25K |
| Pages | 50-1k+ |
| Page Templates | 7-15 |
| On Page SEO | |
| OffPage SEO | |
| Search Engine Marketing | |
| Mobile Responsive Design | |
| Training/ Support | |
| Content Marketing | |
| Contact Form Integration | |
| Payment Processsing | |
| Web Application |
| FEATURES | +25K |
| Pages | 1-50k+ |
| Page Templates | 15+ |
| On Page SEO | |
| OffPage SEO | |
| Search Engine Marketing | |
| Mobile Responsive Design | |
| Training/ Support | |
| Content Marketing | |
| Contact Form Integration | |
| Payment Processsing | |
| Web Application |
Website Design Pricing
Free Websites
If you want a better website than your existing site but don’t have any money, that’s no problem! There are plenty of free options available. However, most of these solutions are DIY website builders which offer you a limited range of templates to choose from.
In addition to website builders, another option is to install free WordPress website themes on a self-hosted server. In this case, you’ll still need to pay for website hosting, which isn’t free and this option will require a lot more technical knowledge to implement. Provided that you have the time and the patience this is a viable option.
What You Get
TEAM:
- Yourself
PLATFORM:
- Online Website Builder
DESIGN:
- Pre-Made Template
SPECIFICATIONS:
- Pages – N/A
- Page Templates – N/A
- Revisions – N/A
- SEO – None
- Responsive Design – Not usually
- Social Media Integration – N/A
PROS & CONS:
Pros:
- Affordable
- Quick Setup
Cons:
- Generic template design
- Generic template design
- “Free” Branding on site
- Lack of customization
- Lack of S.E.O.
- Unprofessional look
WHO IS THIS RIGHT FOR?
- First-time blogger
- Personal website
- Small club or group
RESOURCES:
Here are some of the better free website builders available:
Website Design Pricing
$100 Websites
If you have a little bit of money to spend your website building option expands. You can go in a couple of directions. Either you can use some more expensive website building platforms such as Sqarespace.com or Godaddy’s website builder. Or you can purchase premium website themes on a site like Themeforest and upload them to your self-hosted WordPress site. If you go with the WordPress option it will require a bit more technical skill and more time to implement. In any case, you will be trading your time for a cheaper website cost.
What You Get
TEAM:
- Yourself
PLATFORM:
- WordPress
DESIGN:
- Pre-Made Template
SPECIFICATIONS:
- Pages – N/A
- Page Templates – N/A
- Revisions – N/A
- SEO – None
- Responsive Design – Maybe
- Social Media Integration – N/A
PROS & CONS:
Pros:
- Someone to help you design & develop your website
Cons:
- Difficulty in communication
- Difficult to manage your project
- Inconsistent results, often unusable
WHO IS THIS RIGHT FOR?
- Individuals with small budgets who are comfortable managing their projects.
RESOURCES:
Here are some of the better free website builders available:
Website Design Pricing
$2,500 Websites
Overall, if you have up to $2,500, then you will likely be hiring a local freelance website designer to help you modify a premium theme.
Generally speaking, when working at this website builder prices range you are paying for a ‘semi-custom’ or ‘customized’ design. Although in some cases freelance web designers at this price range don’t fully disclose that they are selling ‘template’ websites. By that token, if you are only paying $2k-$3k for a website it is almost certainly not a custom website.
What You Get
TEAM:
- Local solo designer
PLATFORM:
- WordPress
- Joomla
- Straight CSS / HTML
DESIGN:
- In summary, these designers often use templates though claims to be custom
SPECIFICATIONS:
- Pages – 5-10
- Page Templates – 2-3
- Revisions – 2-3
- SEO – None
- Responsive Design – Maybe
- Social Media Integration – Limited
PROS & CONS:
Pros:
- Local person to communicate with
- Decent quality work
Cons:
- All in all not high enough quality work for medium and small business website
- As has been noted, uses templates without informing clients
- Usually overbooked with work and rarely delivers on time
IN SUMMARY, WHO IS THIS RIGHT FOR?
- Definitely good for an individual marketing their personal services who is on a budget
- By and large, good for a very small business starting out that needs a web presence in digital marketing
RESOURCES:
All things considered, yelp is probably the best place to find a freelance web designer. Obviously, the quality varies greatly depending on who you hire:
Website Design Pricing
$5-10k Websites
Once you reach the $5k-$10k range you have way more options on the web design services you will get. First, you will be working with legit website builders. Second, you will be getting a truly custom design. Third, you won’t just be getting a web designer and a web developer. Instead, you will be working with a dedicated project manager. Additionally, your project manager will help to organize and manage the entire design and website development process, making your life a whole lot easier.
Although, beware, some web design agencies at this price range will still try to sell you a ‘semi-custom’ premium theme template without letting you know. Therefore be sure to do your due diligence before hiring a website builder.
To sum things up, at this price point you are getting a ‘real’ website for a ‘real’ business.
What You Get
TEAM:
- Agency
- Project Manager
- Web Designer
- Web Developer
PLATFORM:
- WordPress
- Joomla
- Drupal
DESIGN:
- Custom Design
- Layered Photoshop Design
SPECIFICATIONS:
- Pages – 15-50
- Page Templates – 3-7
- Revisions – 3-6
- SEO – On page
- Responsive Design – Yes
- Social Media Integration – Yes
PROS & CONS:
Pros:
- Generally speaking, professional quality
- Significantly better design
- Hands on project management
- Notably higher quality development
Cons:
- Obviously, more costly
IN SUMMARY, WHO IS THIS RIGHT FOR?
- By and large, small or medium-sized businesses looking to refresh their website design. Of course, quality still varies depending on who you hire as your website builder.
Website Design Pricing
$10-25k Websites
As usual, many factors affect the price of a web design in the $10-$25k range. First, you should consider the type of website builder agency you work with. Next, the scope of your web design project, the additional features, and the site’s functionality. So, to give you an example a $20k project might be a tiny 4-5 page micro-site from a large web design agency for a pharmaceutical company or it could be a 300-page brochure-type web design from a local website design firm. In summary at this price-point, you are paying for the reputation of the website builder firm and are more concerned with the quality of the work and the assurance of a web design project being successfully brought to completion.
What You Get
TEAM:
- Agency
- Project Manager
- Designer
- Developer
- Copywriter
PLATFORM:
- WordPress
- Joomla
- Drupal
- Magento (for shopping cart websites)
- Proprietary CMS
DESIGN:
- Custom Design
- Layered Photoshop Design
SPECIFICATIONS:
- Pages – 50-300
- Page Templates – 8-12
- Revisions – 7-12
- SEO – Yes
- Responsive Design – Yes
- Social Media Integration – Yes
- Custom front end functions
- Extensive backend database management
PROS & CONS:
Pros:
- Professional Design
- Professional Development
- Project Management
- Dedicated Support
- Custom Functionality
- Content Writer
Cons:
- Higher cost
WHO IS THIS RIGHT FOR?
- Medium-sized businesses with a +100 pages website
Website Design Pricing
+$25k Websites
Once you have reached the +$25k range for website design pricing, you are fulfilling a very specific need. You may be looking for a high-functioning e-commerce business website. Or perhaps a web application, like a membership site with robust back-end functionality. In other cases, you might need a very big website with thousands of product pages, or a flashy high-functioning business website with a unique front-end interface. In any of these cases, you will mostly be engaging with larger web design firms.
What You Get
TEAM:
- Agency
- Project Manager
- Designer
- Developer
- Copywriter
PLATFORM:
- Custom Application Development.
- Sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and Yelp are not websites, they are web applications.
- At this price range, you are getting a web application with a much more sophisticated custom
function than a ‘regular’ website.
DESIGN:
- Custom Design
- Layered Photoshop Design
SPECIFICATIONS:
- Pages – 50-300
- Page Templates – 8-12
- Revisions – 7-12
- SEO – Yes
- Responsive Design – Yes
- Social Media Integration – Yes
- Custom front end functions
- Extensive backend database management
PROS & CONS:
Pros:
- Professional Design
- Professional Development
- Project Management
- Dedicated Support
- Custom Functionality
- Content Writer
Cons:
- Large agency pricing
- Work handled by junior staff
- Expensive overages and delays
WHO IS THIS RIGHT FOR?
- Large businesses with several thousand employees and high-security needs.
Website Design Pricing
E-Commerce
If you thought website design pricing was all over the map for ‘regular websites,’ that’s nothing compared to an E-Commerce company website.
Because you’re dealing with so many additional factors and advanced features such as payment processing, security, fulfillment, inventory, and inputting many different products skews on an E-Commerce website. It is typically far more expensive and complex than other regular business websites.
However, if you’re looking for an affordable option to having an E-Commerce website, sites such as Shopify offer a turnkey solution for opening an online store.
Another great eCommerce platform option is X-Cart which only has a one-time setup fee and is otherwise Open Source. Without any per-transaction fees, this can save you in the long run vs the many other “free” options out there.
Otherwise, when working with a reputable professional web design and development firm, be prepared to pay anywhere from $10,000-$50,000 and above to build a website for eCommerce.
Opportunity Cost
Warren Buffet, the world’s greatest business investor and the second richest person on the planet, said that the key to making good business decisions is understanding Opportunity Cost.
Opportunity Cost is not just asking ‘Will I get a good return on my investment’ it is asking the question ‘Of all the things I could do with this money, is this the overall best thing I could do’?
So, when choosing a new web designer the question most people ask is ‘How much to design and build a website?’ but that’s not the best question to ask. The real question to ask is ‘Which website is going to produce the most value for my business to succeed online?’
If someone gets a “free” website, they might think they got a better deal or were able to save money than someone who paid $5,000 for their website.
But the $5,000 website cost might have generated more site visitors, more leads, and more business than the “free” website. Regarding total dollars, the “free” website might have cost the business $100,000 in lost business it might have otherwise gained.
Conclusion
Website builder cost includes the skills to create custom websites and to code those designs into HTML, CSS, and Javascript. The site also needs to have a responsive design for tablet or mobile devices. Plus it has to be optimized for search engines for people to find it.
And you can’t just build a website and expect it to generate business for you. You also need the skills to drive traffic towards your website, whether it be through search engine optimization, digital marketing, social media marketing, email marketing, content marketing, or paid advertising on Google Ads or Facebook Ads.
As you can see web design cost is a little all over the map. It’s hard to have an apples-to-apples comparison because the website design quality of what you get is so different from one option to the next.
First, consider your goals for the project and the value of your time. Next, put together a budget that works for you and that you can afford. Finally, search for a solution that works with your given budget and goals. It may not be the perfect solution, but it could be the perfect solution for your situation right now.
A great web design can make all the difference.
Remember to do your homework before you hire a web designer.
If you have a website project you need help with and you think our pricing may be a fit for you based on this article, please inquire about our Free Mockup Offer and how we will make a custom mockup of your new website at no cost and with no future obligation.