A good freelancer web designer is only as good as the dollar amount that you’re willing to spend. Let’s look at that statement and break it down.

On average, if you were to hire a professional lawyer to take on your case, how much would you be paying him? $100 an hour? $300 an hour or more? I would pay a good auto repairman about $50 - $100 because they have the experience and reputation of providing professional work. However, an auto repairman does not have a portfolio of prior work. Web designers on the other hand can actually show their quality of work and then match that up with a price.

I might say to myself, “Why pay a law firm or a auto repairman $50 or $100 an hour when I can just get the kid down the street to fix my car for $20 an hour?” The same theory (service) applies to web design. You CAN hire a web designer with super-low rates but look at their portfolio, try giving them a call and having a conversation with them, understand what you are getting into before you hire a ‘discount web design firm’.

Web Design, lawyers, and auto repairman are just examples. The same understanding of price for a website applies to all service industries.
 

EXAMINING THE WEB DESIGN COSTS

On average, a good website (information only) should take 20 to 30 hours to perfect. The time it takes to do something isn’t a rush job. Sure, we could ‘rush’ through your website to keep the timeline under 10 hours but that would not get you a quality product and we would have to go back and forth to get it right (and therefore build up the hours and you’d end up spending more). Just like hiring a lawyer or repairman you cannot simply ‘fix’ something. You have to test it and verify the results with the customer while providing continued support after the project is completed. I wouldn’t want an as-is repairman who rushes through a repair only to have you come back a week later with your muffler still spitting out liquid!

Mankato Web Design charges $65 per hour while many high-end marketing companies charge $150 or more per hour. A ‘friend down the block who knows a little about websites because he just bought Dreamweaver’ might charge $25 per hour. Cheap freelancers might be talented and have tools at their disposal but they do not have over 100 different clients and 100s of projects under their belt of experience with the right answers to your questions about the market of ecommerce and sales online.

WHAT YOU SHOULD EXPECT TO PAY FOR A WEBSITE:

These pricing examinations of 3 types of firms outlines a typical 10 page websites with contact form(s), graphic design artwork, organization, and basic design.

•  $6000 or more from a talented web design agency with staff members. (HIGH PRICING/POLISHED & PROFESSIONAL)

• $2000 or more from a talented freelancer web designer. (MODERATE PRICING/MODERATELY POLISHED)

• $500 or more from India or beginner. (CHEAP/UNPROFESSIONAL)

SHOULD I CHOOSE THE START UP COMPANY OR AGENCY?

An agency will be on average 3 to 5 times more expensive than a small startup web design company. Small startups will deliver similar quality of work but do not expect to receive daily calls, in house presentations, enormous powerpoint sales meetings and the latter. Your best bet would be a small startup.

SHOULD I HIRE A BEGINNER OR MY BROTHERS KID WHO PUTS COMPUTERS TOGETHER ON THE SIDE?

No. You are putting a lot of risk with a beginner or outsourcing to India for your entire business. A website isn’t a print advertisement!

WHY CAN’T I DO A “DO IT YOURSELF” WEBSITE?

Oh lord when I hear the word template I think prospective customers think they struck gold like no one’s ever heard of a template. Templates are simple, easy to modify, and have limits. There’s not a lot of them out there and you can only do so much with one before you have to hire a graphic designer to change it (which is us and other web design companies). A lot of prospective customers tell me they want to do this and I always ask “How important will the website mean to growing and expanding your business online?” If your website will mean diddly squat then why have one at all (template)?

Mankato Web Design builds custom and professional websites from scratch. No templates, no subcontractors, no B.S.  Do it yourself websites are just that. You will be left high and dry with little customer support or creative advice and marketing consultation for your new online business. The other part of this argument is “What is my time worth.” Do you want to spend the 40 or so hours reading books on web design while you could be working and making money? Do you want to spend all the time developing your website from a template only to be stuck at one hurdle you cannot get over and have no support to get over it?

WHICH WEB DESIGNER SHOULD I HIRE?

Ok not all web designers look like this (we’re not all dorks - alot of us have Bachelor Degrees in Marketing & Management) but the truth is you don’t know who you’re entrusting your business with!

You should look for a web designer in the middle ($2000 + range) with an experienced team, leadership, integrity, and dedicated customer support line (phone or email) with 24 hour or less turnaround time on requests. You should hire a web designer who knows how to set up hosting, email accounts, and domain names. Look at a web designers portfolio as well. Not only the quality of work but also the clients the web design company has. If the web designer has reputable name clients in the Minnesota area, do not be afraid to give the web design company a call and ask for references! If big name clients have trusted and received their website from the company then their reputation from their customers should be acknowledged.

WHY CAN’T I JUST OUTSOURCE TO INDIA!?

Two main reasons. Number one, do you want good communication to get what you want or do you want to have an as-is discounted web designer? Number two, do you hate gas prices? Outsourcing (among other things) is ruining our economy.

HOW DO I GET STARTED WITH THE RIGHT COMPANY?

Websites from a small startup (including logo design, hosting, domains, etc) should cost between $2,000 - $5,000 total and payment plans should be made available. When you add features to your website this price can be inflated such as; forums, additional contact forms, flash, content management systems, etc. Everyone’s needs are different and a website should not be viewed as an end product, rather, a means to an end and who you hire reflects your end result (which becomes the product ultimately).

Living in the USA, American Web Designers cannot live off a $500 budget from our customers. Think about the 20 - 30 or more hours we’ll be putting in on your project. On average, you’d have to make only a couple of sales to recoop that money and everything else is profit (sans direct costs of your business).

Web designers can skimp but in the end, you will lose out and have thrown money down the drain.

If you have questions regarding how to get your website started and a free phone consultatation, please call us at 612.558.1020. We’ll evaluate our competition for you and what you’ve heard to give you a no-bull answer to achieve REAL RESULTS.

*** Article Inspired By Shawn Himmelberger of Wave Static Studios **