With Washington, D.C. just a stone’s throw away, there is no shortage of top-dollar website design agencies out there. This can be daunting for your local business looking for a web designer in Rockville, or any D.C. suburb. What most small business do not know when starting their web design journey is, what do I need and how much should it cost? We break down the basics of web design and what you should know before hiring any website designer.
1. How Much Should A Website Cost?
The cost of your website will vary depending on what you need to get out of it. Businesses looking to drive traffic to their brick and mortar locations have very different website needs than businesses who sell products online. It is also important to remember that websites are a lot like cars. It may run perfectly when you drive it off the lot, but if you do not take the care and maintenance it needs to continue to run well, eventually, it’s going to break down.
A few things to factor into the cost of a website:
- Will I need to hire a company to maintain the website for me?
- Will I be maintaining it myself?
- What type of information will my business be collecting through the website and what type of information should I be collecting through the website?
- Who is going to write the website text?
- How much potential business revenue will I generate by having a new website?
Come prepared to ask your web designer on what your business actually needs and do not be general. If you were looking to haul a fully-loaded trailer across country would you approach your vehicle dealership and ask for any car that gets you from point a to point b? Be direct, be thorough, and come prepared with questions that will help your business in the long run.
The numbers: Having a website designed and launch should cost no less than $500. Web design is a long and tedious process, not to mention one of the most valuable resources your business will have. Can you afford to gamble on an inexperienced or low quality designer that sends your customers running?
On average, when hiring a freelance web designer you can expect to pay $500 – $10,000 depending on the size and complexity of your web design project. When hiring and agency you are looking at a low end of $3,000 – $100,000 or more.
2. What Type Of Website Do I Need?
A quality web designer should not try to upsell you on a massive website that doesn’t best serve you in the long run. The needs of a landscaping business are different than that of a restaurant, a yoga studio, or a boutique clothing store.
Before approaching a web designer, take time to think about your business’s needs and be sure to ask your designer their opinion on what would best suit your business.
3. How Long Does Web Design Typically Take?
One thing that most web designers agree on is that at the end of the day, the client is always the bottleneck. While most website designs take anywhere from 4 – 12 weeks, you can help speed up the process by being prepared, delivering what your designer needs in a timely fashion, and ensuring you use your meeting time with them effectively.
4. Where To Find a Web Designer?
If you have made it this far in this post then you’re in luck! Finding a quality website designer in Rockville is as easy as clicking here.
