As a result of new technology and an increase in competition, the overall cost of a website has decreased significantly in recent years. However, the cost of development is still dependent on functional requirements for your organization.
An experienced developer can provide an estimate based on a breakdown of the hours required to meet your functional requirements. Although there is no standard when it comes to the hourly rate of developers, most charge $50-150/hour.
Cost Estimate Based on Project Size
Small Business
- Number of Pages – 5 to 16 Pages+
- Graphics – Mostly Stock Photos
- Flash – Little or none
- Functional Requirements – Web forms, Mostly Informational
- Programming – Mostly Templates
- Project Duration – 1 to 35 Days
- Cost Range – $300 to $6,000
Corporate
- Number of Pages – 25 to 1000 Pages+
- Graphics – Custom and Stock
- Flash – Heavy Use
- Functional Requirements – CMS, Ecommerce, Intranet, Search, SEO
- Programming – Moderate, Custom
- Project Duration – 10 to 90 Days
- Cost Range – $5,000 to $25,000
Enterprise
- Number of Pages – 20 to 2000 Pages+
- Graphics – Mostly Custom
- Flash – Advanced Use
- Functional Requirements – Dynamic, Interactivity, Database (ex. MySQL)
- Programming – Advanced, Custom
- Project Duration – 60 to 200 Days
- Cost Range – $6,000 to $50,000+
Action Plan:
- Locate Sample Web Sites and Find a Developer – Find a number of websites that appear to have the functionality you require and contact the developer to obtain high-level pricing information.
- Document your Requirements – Use Demand Metric’s Web Requirements Document to specify your functional requirements.
- Prioritize your Requirements – Use Demand Metric’s Web Requirements Prioritization Tool to distinguish between needs vs. wants.
- Obtain Quote – Submit your Website Design RFP and sample sites to trusted developers for a free, no obligation quote. You can also submit your requirements to sites like BuyerZone to obtain quotes from multiple sources.
- Develop your Website Budget – use Demand Metric’s Website Budget Template to have your website project approved by senior management.
- Evaluate Vendors – using our Website Vendor Evaluation Matrix.
