Many people say to me "I wish we had of spoken to you before we spent the money", so I thought I would try and write down the pricing guide I use, that way you wont make the same mistake.
You need to start thinking of your web site as an asset, and just like all assets, it's worth is determined by the financial benefits it provides in return.
Not everybody wants the same thing out of their small business web site, so what I try and do is match the desired business outcome with something familiar and well known; and something that has a well defined price.
The table below shows the comparisons, and what I call the asset value.
| Small Business Outcome | Familiar Comparison | Asset Value |
| I just want people to know I sell these types of products and to be able to call me, or come and visit us. | A Yellow Pages ad (you remember the big yellow book that used to come every year) | $25 - $150 * it all depends on the size of your ad, but anything over this I would consider not to be value for money. |
| I want to have a significant web presence, something that allows us to showcase the business. | This style of outcome is like having a brochure designed and distributed. | $250 - $1500 * Again it all depends on the style and type of brochure. But I would consider anything above this as not being value for money. |
| I want our web site to help create a competitive difference, and really strengthen our financial position by creating new customers and opening new markets. | WOW… this is like engaging in heavy marketing and advertising, it takes time and requires real skill. | You can't really put a price on this type of thing, the only guideline I would provide is never spend more than $1-2K in one go. Make sure you see a return on your investment at each step of the way. |
I hope this helps, but if you are still unsure feel free to give us a call. If a web developer has quoted you on something and you want to make sure your not paying too much you can ask us. Being able to help small business is a big part of what we enjoy, we wont be too disappointed you didn’t choose us.