Are You Getting Ripped Off for Your Website?

How much should you pay for a website?

That’s a question many people would like to know–but unfortunately, is very hard to answer.

It’s not as if web design is a licensed profession. There’s no state licensing exam, no college degree, no industry certification. You may point out certificates and degrees that may be related, but what I mean is there is no industry standard that clients look for, no such barrier to entry.

I’m not saying this is a bad thing; but it does mean there are no standards for web design work. Anyone can put up a virtual shingle and call themselves a web designer. In some cases, it may not be obvious when looking at a web designer’s website whether you’re dealing with a teenager making money on the side or a 10-employee company.

Each web designer decides their own prices. One web designer may charge you $200 for a website; another may charge $500, or $1,000 or $2,000 or $5,000 or even $10,000, all given the same requirements.

Of course, the logical conclusion is that the more expensive websites are better built–that you’re paying for more experience, more skill, more features.

This is often–but not always the case. When it comes to web design, price does not always correlate with quality.. I knew a web designer (outside of Texas) who did a number of projects by partnering with another company–an advertising company. That company, when a client of theirs requested marketing services, would pass the requirements to the web designer’s company. Once completed, the advertising company would give the project to the client, take the web design company’s price and double it. The clients paid readily, not realizing they could have had the same exact web site for half the price.

But you cannot shop around purely on price. Purchasing something so simultaneously artistic and technologically complicated, something that can significantly impact your business using the “lowest bidder” model is a recipe for disaster. If the best web designer turns out to be the cheapest, then that’s great, but you cannot make that your overriding criteria.

Quality is vital when it comes to web design. Not all websites are created equal. Bear this in mind when comparing web designers. Some aspects are obvious: one website may be more attractive than another, or have obvious flaws. However, much like auto repair, it’s hard to tell if the professional is doing a good job unless you know as much as they do.

What can you do about it? Just looking at the web designer’s work isn’t enough. Talk to them and find out why they say their services are superior to others. Shop around–not just for cost, but for quality. Make sure you’re getting quality… and then make sure that you’re getting charged a fair price for it. You may be surprised by how much you can save–or by what you can get in your website for a fair price.