If you are running a business then you need to have an online presence; it’s your way of reaching potential customers across the globe. Creating a website is something that you can do yourself, or you can speak to an expert in website design to help.
It’s worth noting that it’s important to make your website work for you, and doing this takes time and effort. This is not just the case when you are creating the website, but also when you are managing or updating it. For this reason, many businesses decide their best option is to hire professionals to create and manage the site for them.
Budgeting for a website is dependent on whether you want to use a CMS such as WordPress to create your own site, or whether you want to pay to have a website expertly designed for you. It also depends on what you want to achieve with your website, how large it is and what functionality you need.
Websites at the high end of the market
At the higher end of the market, you will need to budget around AUS$12,000 for a website. This average budget has increased as technology has improved. These high-end websites tend to be created by making use of responsive web design. This is the design solution that is recommended by Google and it helps to optimise your website for use across different devices, including mobile devices.
If you want to get the best returns from a website then using responsive web design is advantageous. It means you have the opportunity to attract and engage a larger audience.
Budgeting for lower priced websites
If you do not have the budget to invest in a high-end website, this does not mean you cannot have an effective web presence, although it does mean you may only be able to get a more basic level of design.
At this end of the market, web design has actually become more affordable, as there are more web design professionals competing for business. This means that you can usually get a good deal for the creation of your website. Make sure that you choose a web design professional who has a good reputation.
Basic website designs can usually be achieved for a budget of around AUS$2,500. You may not be able to get a mobile optimised website for this price; you need to discuss your requirements, and what can be achieved, with the designer.
Maintaining your website
When you are budgeting for a website, you need to remember that you have to factor in ongoing maintenance costs. These costs are variable, depending on what service and functionality you require. You should normally expect to pay anywhere between AUS$100 and AUS$1,500 per month.
Hopefully, you now have a better idea about how much budget you need to set aside for creating and maintaining a website. Any type of website requires a significant investment but a well-designed website can help to significantly increase your customer base, leads and sales and ROI.