Estimating Website Design Costs

Jesse Hopps

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:

    1. 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.
    2. Document your Requirements - Use Demand Metric's Web Requirements Document to specify your functional requirements.
    3. 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.

 

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