We live in what many have dubbed the age of technology. This is attributed to how rapidly technology advances, and how necessary it’s become in our daily lives. This need is exponentially greater when one steps into the business world. One of the things that can accelerate a business’ growth is a website. Having that online presence for your current customers as well as potential customers can boost your presence and following. The questions that arise shortly after this realization are all rather daunting, what should the cost of my website be? How much should I pay for upkeep? Could I do it for free myself and still have an effective website? These, among other questions, all need answers, so here at C2IT, we decided we would give some honest and upfront answers using our model as a frame of reference.
DIY vs. Professional
First, we’ll address the question of DIY vs. Professional. The answer is simple, yes you can make a website by yourself for free(ish). However, its effectiveness is going to show in your own experience in making websites. If you’re someone with vast experience in making them, you’ll do fine! If you’re not, then building websites yourself will likely be very inefficient and yield unsatisfying results. Tools like WordPress and Divi, combined with YouTube tutorials have created the belief that building a website is simple. Fundamentally speaking it is simple. Choose a theme, upload pictures, add text. But again you must decide if you can get the quality and sophistication your website needs in the time you’re able to spend not just building, but regularly maintaining your website. A bad website can be detrimental to your business as it is often a customer’s first impression of your attention to detail and quality.
How Much Should I Pay?
This brings up the question of how much should I pay for a website? Our experience and market research show us that the typical price for a small business website range from $2,000 up to over and around $9,000. What you pay will be determined by the quality, size, and sophistication of the website that you are getting. There is also a chance you could be getting a lot more or less than you need. At C2IT, we typically fall right about the middle of the road. Our average cost of website creation is around $4,000 – $5,000. The main reason that we fall in this area is that we feel that you should get as much as possible for your money, but should also only get what you ask for. Rather than pumping a ton of unnecessary components into your website to drive up costs, we give you the items you request and the ones you need, nothing more and nothing less.
What About Upkeep?
The second main point one has to think about is how much should upkeep of my website cost? This is an overlooked area many people aren’t anticipating. There is a range of prices for this, from $400 annually up to well over $2,000. Unlike before, this price is a direct correlation to the complexity of the website you previously paid for and the quality you want to maintain. A higher-end website with more built into it is going to cost more to upkeep than a one-page website with nothing but a title and a picture. At C2IT we charge around $150 per month to keep your website working properly and up to date. This is a piece of the equation that’s more important than many would first believe. Without someone consistently caring for your website to keep the features up to date and ‘clean’ of any problems that could arise, the value of your website that you’ve invested in will begin to fade as the upkeep falls behind.
Although you interact with dozens of websites a day, there is more going on than you’ve probably considered. There are many options to get a great website that fits your company’s needs. We’re happy to have a conversation to help you learn more about your options when it comes to your website.
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