How much should my website cost?
When the internet was young and exotic, pricing was over the place. One company might go to a well established .com firm and pay millions of dollars, while the next would get the would hack it out with his neighbor's child, still struggling with junior high school. Companies like Phantom Babies often took a loss on development work, with the promise of future business or to help build a portfolio. Other companies took dramatic loses from projects, only to pass the work onto a solo designer working in his/her basement. There was nothing with which to compare pricing. The result was that many clients ended up with only part of their required internet solutions, or website they didn’t quite want, run by a guy they couldn’t get in touch with.
Over time, full-service web design firm was widely adopted and pricing has become more closely linked to the actual work that goes into development. Prices have stabilized to the point that you can reasonably spec out a site, propose a budget, and get a fair understanding of what you will get for your money.
The following sections show how best to think about the cost of a website,
having a bad website, or no website, for comparison. Click on whichever
of the following seems like the best way to answer your question.
What are the elements of a website, and
how much should I spend on each?
What does it cost to go without a
website?
How much will a bad website cost me?
Can I do this myself?