How much does a website cost?
Just as the “average human” does not really exist, neither does the average website. Each project is different, which is why we prefer to give a custom quote to each client. If you would like us to give you a quote for your site, please fill out a Request for Proposal.
What to expect
After we receive your Request for Proposal (RFP), we send you an estimate based on our understanding of your project. The estimate will break-down the project to show the cost of individual elements of the project. We do that for a couple of reasons:
- Verification — You will be able to see in our estimate if there’s something that should be there, but is not, or if something’s not there that should be.
- Flexibility — You can always decide to do part of the project now, and the rest later.
An estimate is just that — an estimate. You never know what’s going to happen in the course of a project that will make the cost fluctuate, up or down. That is why we prefer to bill hourly and invoice monthly. However, we understand some of our clients need to know their expenses up front, so we also do total cost projects if you prefer. In that case, we ask that you pay 25% of the development costs and 100% of the first year’s annual fees (hosting, domain name, etc. If applicable.) up front, with the balance due when the project is complete.
Once you are happy with the details of the estimate, it will be time to sign the contract. We have our own contract we use, but you are welcome to have your own attorney draft something and send it to us.
After the contract is signed, we get to work. We build your project in a private section of our own website. That way, you can see the progress being made and approve the look and functionality. We also give you access to our project tracking site so you know what tasks are left to complete. When you are satisfied that the project is ready, we will send you your final invoice. Once we receive that payment we will install the project on your website. At that point, you’re good to go!
Things you need (that you may not know you need)
Besides having us build your website, there are other things you will need to get up and running. Some of these things you may already have; others you may not. We can provide these services for you, or you can get them on your own — you won’t hurt our feelings any.
- Web Hosting — If you don’t know what web hosting is, we’ve written up a little explanation. The cost of this will depend on the requirements of your project. We charge a yearly fee for this. Some companies bill monthly.
- Domain Name — Your domain is your address on the web: www.example.com. This is billed yearly, and you can pay for several years in advance.
- Merchant Account — If you’re selling products online, you may need to set up a merchant account. This is a service that handles charging credit cards and depositing the money in your account. We typically use PayPal for our sites, but we can help you use any number of services. Depending on the company, this will require a per transaction fee and/or a monthly fee.
- SSL Certificate — An SSL certificate encrypts data that your visitors send to your website, allowing them to provide their billing information securely. This is renewed annually.
Interested?
If you have questions, feel free to contact us. When you’re ready to get started, please send us an RFP.
