How much does a website cost?

How much does a website cost is something we don't often get asked, probably because we're so darn inexpensive. Or is the term cost effective? Or maybe even cost ignorant?

Whatever the term may be, at the end of the day, how much a website costs boils down to only 2 factors.

Factor one.
How much the client is prepared to pay.

Factor two.
How much you think you can get away with charging.

Cost is a double edged sword, with no handle. It can make or break a sale.

It is vital that the client is confident of receiving good value for money.

Good value for money is a potential problem for many website designers, as most of the added value is really in the background.

Too many designers place the emphasis of their offerings on the flash and razzmatazz, neglecting to tell their clients that the website is doomed to failure from the moment it launches.
Why? 
It is amazing how often we  are asked to look at a website because there is no traffic, no enquiries, or the owner is just plain bored with it.
Using our checklist, which is the result of amalgamating several such lists, we go to the site and evaluate it. This is a free service if the client has us re-design the site. somewhere along the line we look at what is happening behind the scenes, in the coding.

Much too often, professional website design companies do not even bother to insert even halfway relevant meta coding. 3 years ago, had you typed Tin Soldier into Google, you would have seen one of East London's leading horse-riding businesses in the results page.

Relevancy? 0%

Responsible coding? 0%

Sensitivity to the clients' needs? 0%

The list could go on and on, and I feel that I should, in due course, highlight some of the crimes against clients (cac) perpetrated by website designers. Not only by the school-kids with microsoft Publisher, but also by the high profile "cutting edge" website designers.

• I do know that technically I may not be the best.
• I do know that my graphic ability is not the best.
• I do know our hosting is not the cheapest.

BUT, what I do know is that I am honest, and I tell my clients if their work is within my ability sphere or not. If not, I will find someone who can provide the particular thing I cannot.

What I do know, is that if there is a server problem, and a client reports it, attention is given to the problem immediately. Our hosting control panels are one of the most sophisticated available, providing stats, features, and flexibility second to none.

What I also know is that right now, our clients get damn good value for money.

Why, you ask?  And how?

Well, if you start looking at what we include in our price, and compare apples with apples, our offering versus another deigners', it will be pretty obvious.