Your website is the backbone of your marketing efforts in today’s modern business world. As valuable as any high-performing team member, you need your website to be doing the heavy lifting of connecting you to potential clients and customers, and supporting quality conversions. But what does a website redesign cost, and how can you balance your time and capital investment for the best result?
Breaking down website costs beyond website design: domain, builder, hosting, and more.
Some basic costs associated with having a website include:
- Domain name: A domain name is your URL, and can cost anywhere from pennies on the dollar to hundreds of dollars per year, depending on whether the domain you are wanting to secure is considered premier or regular. If the domain is already under ownership, you may have an opportunity to purchase it. Often, however, you may have to pay a thousand or more dollars to secure a domain name that is in demand.
- Content Management System (CMS): Often referred to as a web builder, you may have a monthly cost associated with your CMS. WIX, Squarespace, Shopify, and WordPress.com are examples of CMSs that have a monthly cost for use of the tool. Plans can vary from $10 up to several hundred dollars a month, depending on the features you need. WordPress.org is a free, open source option, but does require hosting, which is a separate charge.
- Plugins: If you are using WordPress as your CMS, you may be able to utilize plugins (functional add-ons) to provide additional functionality to your website. Some plugins are free, and some have monthly or annual subscriptions for use.
- Hosting: Web hosting is a service to make your website accessible on the internet. Your website’s host can affect your site speed, security, and in some cases your SEO (search engine optimization). Hosting can cost anywhere from a few dollars a month to several hundred dollars a month, depending on your needs.
Although these costs can vary, you can typically find lower- and higher-cost solutions, depending on your needs.
Time is money: bootstrapping to save on website design costs
Building your own website can be a great way to save capital in the early stage of your business. But, saving money does not necessarily mean it is “free”.
It can take hundreds of hours to redesign or build a website, especially if you are learning how to do it as you go. Your labor and time must be considered when thinking about the cost of your website.
If you want to build your own website, but would benefit from some guidance on the best ways to do so, you can find online training or communities to get that support. For example, Psyche Digital has designed a Marketing Mastery Module specifically about building your own website for your business that can provide more structure and guidance around website design.
Impact of hiring freelancers on website redesign costs
If you need to conserve your time and have some budget set aside, hiring help could be the right decision to get your website redesign completed.
A freelancer is an individual who earns money independently on a per-job basis. They typically serve several clients at a time and work on multiple projects at once.
The website industry is full of talented freelancers across the globe with different specialties and skillsets. You can find freelancers in your community (we recommend asking other business owners in your area, or reaching out to your Chamber of Commerce), or you can find lots of talent on freelance service marketplaces like Fiverr and UpWork.
Freelancers charge anywhere from $20-$250 an hour, and usually anywhere from $2,000-$5,000 for a website redesign (depending on their location and skill sets, and the size of the project).
The biggest bonus of working with a freelancer on your website redesign is: You don’t have to commit time to the work! With less time spent fiddling with your website you can spend more time cultivating your business. That can be a very worthwhile exchange.
When to invest in hiring a marketing agency or web design agency
A marketing agency, sometimes called a creative agency, is a service provider that helps businesses use marketing to reach, nurture, and convert new clients. An agency typically employs talented team members in various specialties, so they can tackle complex projects effectively.
Hiring a marketing agency for a website redesign can cost you anywhere from $10,000-$50,000+, depending on the size of the website project, and whether advanced or custom features are required.
This can seem like a big chunk of capital, but bringing in a marketing agency to redesign your website is an investment that can pay big dividends – The right marketing agency will build your website to operate like another member of your team, bringing you quality leads, telling your story in a compelling way, and strategically saving you time in your business with improved functionality.
A website powered by clear strategy, paired with comprehensive design, can help keep customers on your website longer and increase your reach in your market.
In addition, a marketing agency that supports website builds can often also offer personalized and high-yield services such as:
- SEO-optimized content (like blog posts), to help you rank higher in search engines like Google, and build authority with your target audience
- Branding and marketing messaging strategy, to help you clearly tell your story and communicate the value of your products or services
- Social media and Ads management to help bring new eyes to your website
If your web design efforts could benefit from strategic support to compete with the big players in your space, hiring an agency may be the right move for you.
Investing in your website to build authority, credibility, and findability
For a business that sees the need to grow and evolve (like when a funding raise completes or a merger occurs), working with a marketing agency for your website redesign is worth the cost. When customers take an average of .05 seconds to form a decision about your website, it’s critical to put your best foot forward!
Investing in your Website Can Yield Long-Term ROI
Website redesign costs can seem daunting, both in time and money. However, remember that your website is another employee for your business, and investing in its growth will put money back into your own pocket over time.
- If you’re just getting started in your business, investing the time to design your own website might be the right direction to go.
- If you are looking for a website redesign with a more modest capital investment, but want to save yourself the time, a freelancer could be the best direction.
- If you’re looking to build a strategic website that stands out from your competition, and that boasts authority content in addition to user experience, a marketing agency might be the right fit. When you calculate copywriting, graphic design, strategic planning, and SEO driven content creation into your website redesign cost, working with a marketing agency starts to make a lot of sense.
Website design is a marathon, not a sprint
Whether you’re just getting off the ground with your business, or you’ve got some investments and growth planned for the year, website design and management isn’t something to ignore. Schedule a free vision call with Psyche Digital if you have questions on how we can help you pace your growth, or want to discuss options available for your business!
Psyche Digital’s Key Takeaways:
- Having a website includes some basic costs like domain name, web builder and/or hosting.
- Three main approaches to creating your website include building it yourself, hiring a freelancer, or engaging with a marketing agency or website design agency. Each option includes different levels of capital and time commitment.
- No matter which direction you go, remember that your website is an investment (of either time, capital, or a combination of both), and if done right, you’ll see great return on that investment.
If you’re somewhere in the middle, and looking to invest your time and some capital into building your website, our 4-week pro module “Building Your Tactical, Scalable Website” is for you. Schedule a call with us today to learn more.