How much should your first website really cost?

UnfoldAtelier

Perfection can sometimes be deadly. I met entrepreneurs who want to launch perfect businesses with perfect and complex websites. Unfortunately thousands of dollars and months of work were wasted. If you want to save time, money and your clients' nerves, don't fall in this trap!
A brand new, simple website, at the beginning of your activity should not exceed $1000 in design and development. Here is my detailed opinion about it: http://www.unfoldatelier.com/journal/ho ... eally-cost

What do you think?

Aberit

The first website doesn't have to be very expensive, but too cheap a website isn't a good solution too.

UnfoldAtelier

I agree! Lots of things to consider like: what is the startup selling or who are their target clients. The solution i have is not for all the startups outhere. But it can be applyed for lot of them, depending their needs.
Always happy to chat more about it.

bedbug

I definitely agree to this. Start small and build up your company (and your website), that's the way to go in my opinion.

speedway

UnfoldAtelier has great advice. Your first site doesn't need to be perfect but should at least be up to current design and technical standards.

There are some platforms that allow the business owner to easily edit their site content without technical experience and are already seo friendly.

If anyone needs help message me and I"ll be happy to offer help and direction.

boxburn

I would say that the answer to your question depends on the strategic role that your website is going to play and how important it may be to the execution of your business plan. If your website will be the primary channel for driving revenue growth you may have to balance the investment you are willing to make with the opportunity that exists. If your business requires a complex membership system or specific ecommerce capabilities you may have to invest quite a bit more than $1000 to build a system capable of meeting your business goals. I think the key is to really take a look at how vital a role your website is going to play and base your investment on the return that you are expecting to achieve.

zakkleifeste

Customers now a days almost always look to the web to find information before they go shop, so your website is your first impression. It is your online storefront and if you use the analogy of a physical storefront, it would be like this:

Let's say your physical storefront has the sign faded and cracking, the grass isn't cut with weeds everywhere, the building is dilapidated, etc. Do you think people would go to your store compared to your competitors store down the road that has a beautiful digital sign, with a nice parking lot and landscaping, and a modern looking building? Probably not.

Well it's the same with your online storefront. If your design is outdated, with cheesy fonts, and un mobile friendly code, you might have just lost a customer to the guy who has a brand new sleek website with all the bells and whistles. Potential customers might not be able to tell you exactly why they don't like your website, but subconsciously, every customer knows the difference between bad design and good design.

Those are just my thoughts

capo

With the power of social media and paid ads, its no longer important to have a "website." It's more important to have a page that resonates to your visitor and that could mean hundreds of "websites" or landing pages as we know it. We focus on creating these for start ups and businesses looking to launch within minutes and gather new leads. If anyone needs help putting these pages up or generating new business feel free to contact me.

Kavin Patel
www.convrrt.com
[email protected]

eBizEric

The cost of a website can vary quite a bit depending on what the site will be used for. A standard brochure type website shouldn't cost anymore than a couple hundred dollars if you want someone to build it for you. If you need a site that is more dynamic in terms of functionality, something that is database driven for example, then the cost can easily run into the thousands. It really boils down to how much time and expertise are required to complete the job.

A website does not need to be complex or extremely showy to be effective. Too many people get caught up in trends and end up spending way more than they have to.

The initial website for almost any endeavor can be very simple. Then as you gain experience and insight into who your ideal customer is and what they want to see to trust you enough to do business, you can expand the functionality or design style to accommodate them more.

Start small and grow wisely. You'll risk a lot less.