Like it or not, budget is one of the biggest factors that will dictate the relative success of a website. Web design and development is like any other type of service in that you generally get what you pay for. That’s not to say you need to set aside hundreds of thousands of dollars to get your business up and running online. However, the more resources you have to invest in your new site, the more likely it is that you will end up with a final product that matches your original plans.
The good news is that in 2022, there are more companies out there than ever offering web development services. For consumers, this increases the likelihood that you’ll be able to find a company that offers what you need within your budget.
Building a website is like anything in that the more complex your ideas are, the more money it is likely to cost. Understanding the design and development process can help you decide whether a company is likely to meet your expectations or if they simply don’t have the skills and knowledge to create the website of your dreams. Having this basic knowledge can also help provide a rough estimate of what the final cost will be.
So, what factors go into the cost of a website? Read on to find out!
Planning and project management
Before any of the actual hands-on work takes place, you will need to participate in a number of meetings to help the design and development team better understand what you hope the website will look like.
In this stage, you are effectively paying for time and knowledge. A good web development services team will take the time to listen to the client, propose a site architecture, and be open and honest about the budget and how long the process is expected to take.
At this point, many web development companies will assign you a project manager who will keep you up to date on everything that’s happening. This is another resource that your fee is going into.
Web hosting
Your development team creates your site, but they cannot do so without the help of a web hosting server. A web host provides you with space on the internet to store your files, making your website accessible to everyone on the internet.
All websites have a server and there are thousands of different web hosting companies out there. You will need to pay a fee, the cost of which will depend on the type of hosting you opt for (shared, dedicated, VPS, or cloud,) amongst other factors. You will also need to pay for your domain name, or URL.
If this seems too technical, don’t worry. Your web development services team can take care of the actual details for you. All you need to know is that web hosting is another cost that should be factored into your overall budget.
Design and development
This is where the fun starts. The design and development process is where you will begin to see your website actually come to life.
No matter how well you have briefed your development team, it’s likely that there will be a bit of back and forth at this stage. Trial and error is all part of the design and development process. A good team will be responsive to your preferences whilst offering their own informed suggestions.
Content creation
What is a website without content? If you decide to work with a full digital services agency, they’ll likely have a dedicated SEO team that can help you create quality, optimised, keyword rich content that is useful from both a user and search engine perspective.
This may seem like an added and unnecessary cost. But the last thing you want to do is invest all this money, time, and effort into building a functional website only to find that Google doesn’t rate it particularly highly or your users can’t find the information they are searching for. In short, paying for SEO and content creation assistance is well worth it.
Testing
Even the most well-built websites are likely to suffer from a few minor development bugs. The best way to iron these out is by conducting thorough testing before the site is fully launched.
At this stage, your development team can report on and fix any problems. Don’t be swayed by the idea of cutting corners (and budgets) by skipping this step! You’ll most likely pay for it in the long run.
Maintenance
Finally, maintenance. If, further down the line, your website needs significant changes and updates — beyond simply adding a blog post or editing your contact details — it will be your web development services team that you turn to. Web development companies do charge a fee for this, the cost of which is dependent on a number of different factors.
The fact of the matter is, there is no one straight answer as to how much it costs to build a website in Australia in 2022. It can cost anywhere from a few to hundreds of thousands of dollars. To gain an accurate idea of what you need to budget for, try and get at least a handful of quotes from competing companies. Don’t fall into the trap of going with the cheapest option to save money or the most expensive to guarantee quality. Instead, meet with the development teams face to face to ensure you’ll be able to have a positive, productive working relationship.
