My clients occasionally ask how much they should pay for various aspects of developing a Website or some of the associated other marketing tools that are usually developed.  Unfortunately, the answer I give is one of the two answers that consultants give–“That depends.”  (The other answer they give is “You’ll need to give me more money.”)  The current November 2011 issue of Website magazine presents the results of a survey of their readership, so now at last I can give a better answer to the question.

Outsourcing

A freelance Web designer working overseas might charge as little as $20 an hour, while a freelance US designer will typically charge $50 per hour.  To engage a US freelance designer, one way to locate someone is to do a Google search for a Web designer in your area, then study a few designers’ portfolios.  If you do plan to use overseas outsourcing, be sure to allow for careful review of what’s produced so that you can identify and rectify anything due to cultural differences. 

A small firm is likely to be willing to develop your site for a fixed price, and you’ll have the benefit of inputs from more than one person, at what is usually a higher total price.  A larger, more estalblished firm is also likely to work on a fixed price, but a higher fixed price than the smaller firm.

Costs

Here is what the Website Magazine poll produced:

 

Typical Website Costs

Logo	Students/Offshore $100-$250+ Freelance/Professional $250-$1,000
Brochure Website	Students/Offshore $500-$1,000+ Freelance/Professional $1,500-$5,000+
E-Commerce Website	Outsourced Designers $1,000-$5,000+ Design Firms $2,000-$10,000+
Custom Database or Interactive Website	Outsourced Designers $1,500-$15,000 Design Firms: $2,500-$25,000

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Bottom Line

These benchmarks can give you some idea of what you might pay.  Be very specific about what you ask for and make sure you understand how many reviews are expected before you enter into a fixed price arrangement.