“How much does a website cost?”
“What’s the going rate for a web designer?”
“How much should I pay for a website?”
There’s no straightforward answer to these questions. The price to build a website will depend on the functionality you want included in your website and the going rate for a web designer varies depending on the experience, skills and expertise of the person doing the job.
But we are not going to avoid answering the question. You will find some real prices in this article that will give you an idea about the range of costs to build your business website.
Business context matters
Let’s set some context around the question. Compare the cost of a website to the cost of a car.
You can get a pre-owned car for as little as $2,000. It will likely not be pristine, and may break down frequently. On the other hand, you can buy a car for $100,000. It will be new, the latest model and have all the most modern driving features.
So how do you compare them? They are both cars yet they are not the same thing.
The same is true for your business website.
Typically, web designers in New Zealand charge upwards of $150 an hour. At these prices, your business website can cost anywhere from $2,000 to $50,000 or more depending on how many pages you want, the functionality (is it an ecommerce store, has it got a blog, does it integrate with your CRM). The more pages and the more functionality, the higher the cost to build.
Multiple Alternatives: Only One Real Option
When you want to build a website for your business, you have several options:
- You can use a free website builder like Google Websites, Wix or Squarespace. You will get a website which may be full of ads and hosted on a subdomain. You will spend hours to get your website up and running.
- You could upgrade to a paid plan from these site builders but you will still have to take the time to build your website. You’ll also need to know how to write persuasive copy, supply good photography and include keywords for SEO. Do you have that time and expertise?
- You could hire someone you know to build you a website (like your child or a student). If things go wrong, it will end up costing you more when you have to pay for greater expertise to resolve issues. We’ve had clients lose their passwords and not be able to log in because the student is no longer contactable.
- You can hire a freelance web designer using an online marketplace like Upwork, Fiverr or Bark. They will charge a modest fee. Their competency managing the project, keeping up to deadlines and enabling modern website functionality needs to be carefully assessed before you hire.
- Hire a professional web design agency such as numero, with a team of experienced web designers, web developers, SEO specialists and copywriters who will work together to create a results-driven website that wins customers for you.
Further Resources
- How to give website revision feedback to your web designer
- Help! I’ve lost my website backup (what to do)
- SEO Optimisation for one page websites and parallax scrolling
How Much Do Web Designers Charge in New Zealand?
Before we begin discussing numbers – the question you are asking may not be the right one. Why do you see website design as a business cost? Your website is a marketing machine that will add value to your business. This can mean more enquiries, leads, sales, visits to your store, phone calls, and build brand value. Seen from this perspective, website design is an investment, not a cost.
So what’s important here is to make the right investment. And there can be no compromises when it comes to business investment that can give you a positive return on your investment.
Your small business website can cost you anywhere from $2,700 + GST going up to $15,000 + GST for a 25-page website.
Website designers charge either by the hour or a flat rate for an entire project.
Hourly Rate – Freelance website designers with competent skills charge around $150 an hour. This number can change, though. The range of hourly fees for website design (the layout and design style) is $50 to $150 an hour and the cost for web development (the coding) is $170 to $250.
But the biggest issue with hourly charges is that you won’t have any idea how much your website will end up costing. What if the final cost is far more than you could afford? What if the hours taken just keep adding up?
Flat Rate – This makes more sense as you know beforehand what you are going to pay and what you are going to get for the price. However, most freelance web designers don’t like flat rates as a web design project can be an endless pit with no end if you aren’t good at managing the project, you keep asking for revisions and design changes.
Most web design agencies offer a fixed price for a website project. Here at numero®, we like doing things differently. We offer a range of website plans for you to choose from depending on how many pages and what features you need. You know exactly what you’re paying and what you will get in exchange for your money. Neat eh?
A web design agency has a team of experts with experience in graphic design, web design, web development, SEO, copywriting and more. These are all important skills needed to build a website that delivers the marketing payback and results you need.
Checklist of website design services
These are things you should get as a standard for your website:
- Customised website design (not a template)
- Content management system (like WordPress)
- Features such as slideshow, contact form and social media links
- Clean and optimised code for a fast performing website
- Mobile responsive website design to make sure your website works seamlessly across all devices
- On-page SEO
- Page speed optimisation
- Sitemap submission
- Google Analytics setup
- Content
Invest in a Website that Works for You
We know what it takes to build a website that wins customers. And we also know that as a small business owner, you are really looking for an affordable solution. Ask us about our web design packages – ready to get started?
