What do I charge for a website? This question gets asked a ton on various internet marketing forums. If you are offering web design to businesses how much should you charge? Prices for websites can range from $500-$50,000. With such a range it is hard to figure out a price to charge. Generally the people that are willing to share the pricing want you to buy their guru course on how to be a successful web designer.
Here are some ideas and general guidelines you can follow if you feel stuck.
When I first started my web design journey I charged 250 for a website. Yup you heard correct, 250 dollars. I was 18 and didn’t know any better. I also figured that no one would take me seriously with a small portfolio. That $250 quickly turned into $500. $500 quickly $1,500. Then $1,500 to $3,500 to now most projects around the 5,500 mark. Guess what I found out? It was just as easy to sell a 500 dollar website than it was to sell a 5,500 dollar website. It all came down to finding the right clients and not dealing with cheap clients.
The funny thing is the cheaper clients are the ones that are most likely to give you more of a headache. The ones paying top dollar are often successful companies that trust you as the expert. They focus on what they do best, which is their business. In turn, they have their website designer focus on what they do best.
With my little personal story out of the way, here is a good way to price things.
For a WordPress theme with minor customization we recommend you stay within the $1,500-$3,500 range. If you are doing a custom design I wouldnt go less than $4,500-$5,500. That is a good general starting guideline. If you want to try charging more certainly do so! There are tons of companies that do. I have found these prices to work pretty well to be affordable for the majority of clients. I would recommend hitting them with the higher priced option first. If they really cannot afford explain that you have a budget option. Start high and then go low if you need to.
Price can also depend slightly on what niche is purchasing the website. If it is a company that makes a ton of money per lead and this website results in a lot more business, you can somewhat justify charging them more. Some people think this is not ethical, that can be a personal decision on your end.
The more experience you get, the more comfortable you will get giving out quotes.
Monkey Advice: Contact competitors on a fake email address in your local area and see what they charge. Say you are a new company looking to get a website created and you wanted to get some general pricing info.
Another question that gets asked is if you should put your pricing on the website or not. We would suggest trying it with and without and seeing what converts better. There are some companies where if they don’t see a price on your website they won’t contact you. The majority of web design agencies do not place their pricing so you could stand out by putting it on there. Or put a “starting at” price or a range to give them an idea. This also weeds out the cheap clients who cannot afford your services in the first place.
Another thing you can do is put 3 different price points. A Bronze, Silver and Gold package. Brand the packages around your company brand. So for Monkey Marketers maybe we would do a Banana, Coconut, and Palm Tree package. By doing them as packages with different levels a good majority will shoot for the middle package or maybe even the Gold if you make it enticing enough.
Bottom line, do not be afraid to give a high quote. Don’t be stuck doing 500 dollar websites spending just as much effort as it would take for a 5,500 dollar website.
