How much should you pay for web consulting services?

Owning and operating a beautiful website can go a long way if you own and operate a business. If you’re starting from scratch and building one, plenty of different factors play into the costs involved. Of course, not everyone is technologically inclined and thus, you’ll more than likely be looking to hire someone to build the site for you. But, how do you even know where to begin when narrowing down costs for consulting?

We’re here to give you a breakdown of some of the prices involved in website consulting services, and what these will look like depending on the size and intricacy of your ideal website.

Here’s everything you need to know web consulting prices in 2018!

What is web consulting?

Before we dive into the nitty-gritty of designing a website, we need to determine what a web consultant does. A web consultant is someone who has a specific specialization, in this case in the area of web development. Most have knowledge in all areas of the world wide web including design, development, branding, research, marketing, and analytics. Of course, not every consultant will have all of these skills, so it’s important to know exactly what you’re looking for, whether starting from scratch or working on a partially developed website.

Looking for a web consultant to develop your brand online?

Contact us so we can refer you to specialists in our network

The basics of building a website

There are several moving parts in the creation of a website, and all of these need to be considered when thinking about price breakdowns and consulting. In order to gain visibility and new clients for your business, you’ll need a website that is user-friendly, smooth running, clear and professional. Alongside these qualities, personal touches and attributes to make your business stand out from your competitors are necessary.

Before you start reaching out to consulting services, it’s important to ask yourself a few questions regarding how you’re hoping your website will function. These questions should include the following:

• Are you looking to showcase your work or expertise in a field?
• Build your reputation in your marketplace?
• Sell products and services online?
• Educate your customers or build new leads?

Determining the purpose of your website allows you to enter a consulting firm with concrete objectives in mind and this will help you to get a better idea of the prices involved when building your website. Not only does building the actual website involve answering the above questions, some web consulting services will take care of other aspects of growing your business online. These efforts can include the following:

• Branding;
• Strategy;
• Content creation;
• Front and back end development;
• Design.

The goal and purpose of your website will have a huge impact on how much you pay in terms of consulting, so do narrow down your needs before reaching out to multiple consulting firms. Further, a web consulting agency will need to know the level at which you require these services, such as how much creative design is required or how much technical complexity you’re looking for.  Not only should you think about all of the elements the website will actually need, but you’ll need to have an idea of how to both market and maintain your website moving forward.

Basic web expenses 

Regardless of the goal of your website, there are expenses that you won’t be able to get past that. However, if you’re working with an already established site, then you’ve dealt with these expenses already. These basic prices are as follows:

• Domain name: $15-$30 annually
• Hosting: $80-$300 annually
• Regular website maintenance: $10-$1 000 per month
• SSL certificate: $50-$100 annually

Depending on the web consulting agency you choose, some of these services will need to be in place before you can move forward. In many other cases, a consulting agency will help you to sort these details out.

Website costs

As is probably evident, there are plenty of elements that go into creating, marketing and maintaining a website. However, there will always be the base price as a starting point. A consulting agency will likely charge you a price as based on the size of your business and according to those needs.

• Small business: $8,000-$20,000
• Medium business: $15,000-$40,000
• Large business or high-customized website: $18,000-$70,000

Again, these are average, baseline prices for a basic website. Many other factors will play a role in determining the overall cost of the final product. More important than these base level prices is figuring out which agency will do justice to your specific website wants and needs.

Other web consulting service considerations

Now that you have an idea of how much you’ll be spending on a basic website, it’s important to determine exactly what services will be most necessary for your website to be successful.

Creative needs:

The level of creative design you’re looking for will be paramount to the web agency you choose. First of all, web design is subjective and thus, it’s important for you to browse the portfolios of potential agencies to find the right aesthetic for your brand.  Next, you’ll need to consider how flushed out your brand image and identity need to be. A business with strong and cohesive branding won’t have the same needs as one with a flimsy or unfocused brand identity. If you are looking for a complete brand overhaul, look for a consulting agency who specializes in this field.

Functionality:

Depending on your business, the functional aspects of your website will be different. If you’re running an e-commerce site, you’ll definitely have different requirements than if you’re simply looking to host a company blog. Market-focused websites won’t have as much technical complexity and will be less costly. Technical aspects and programming will be at least half of your budget, so flushing out these details early on will be helpful.

Maintenance:

The costs of continuing the maintenance of your website should play into your overall costs. Ongoing marketing and maintenance are crucial to the performance of your website, and this will include different tiers. For some, updates can be as simple as changing the content of your website, such as text and photos. However, the core content of your site may not change that often. For others, the actual framework and plugins may need to be updated and maintained on a monthly basis. This will be far more costly, as it will entail website code updates, backups, hosting as well as additional security. If your website is highly customized, the costs involved in maintenance will be even greater. We’d recommend allocating between $200-$1000 for website updates per month.

Do bear in mind that all listed prices will come down to the size of your business as well as the specific needs of your website.