// Photo credit: Kevin Dooley

If you are in the market for a website you need to know how much a website costs. If you've started shopping around for a web designer you might be even more bewildered about website pricing than before. Shopping for a website can feel like shopping for a used car. That's because the internet is still a wild wild west.

So how much does a website cost? I'll tell you right now that the answer is not very complicated, but first you'll have to get inside the business mindset of a web designer. As an expert, believe me taking time to do your homework before you purchase a new website will pay off and you'll be well on your way to online success!

A web designer's business mindset.
We all know money makes the world go round, but I hope your web designer's first priority is to make a quality product. Understanding how a web designer approaches business can give you insight into how he will price your website. The higher a website's quality, the more chance your online business has for success. You want your web visitors to receive a pleasant user experience and a web design bestowed with your company's style and quality of product or service. Your web designer should be in tune with this line of thinking and should take the time to understand your business goals. Be wary of a web designer that doesn't.

Calculate your budget.
Before you even talk to a web designer you should calculate your budget. How much money are you comfortable spending? What is the maximum investment you would make? A website can cost hundreds of dollars to tens of thousands of dollars (or more). The bottom line is, you should have a price range you feel comfortable with as a good starting point.

When and why you should share your budget with a web designer.
There's a good chance a web designer will ask you for your budget before giving you a quote for your website's cost. I've seen a lot of potential clients get defensive when I ask this question and would rather see my estimate before sharing their budget. Very well, but I'll tell you why you should consider sharing your budget with a web designer right off the bat. Websites can come in various shapes and sizes, amount of quality, amount of detail and number of features.  Many web designers are capable of a wide range the aforementioned variety. There are a lot of factors (see below) that affect the cost of a website and without knowing your budget a web designer may be way off the mark when making a recommendation to you. Just by knowing your budget, a good web designer should be able to give you an idea about how much quality and features can go into your website. That's not to say that your maximum budget has to be what you will spend. Frankly, if you don't feel comfortable enough with a web designer to disclose your budget, you should probably keep looking until you find someone you feel comfortable working with. Watch out for yourself, but also trust your gut.

How does a web designer calculate website cost? A web designer will either charge by the hour or a flat project rate...

Hourly: Hourly web design rates can range from $25-$200. Hourly rates are usually comisserate with a web designer's experience. A higher hourly rate should indicate higher quality and more expertise. More experience should imply faster work and/or more quality per hour. A well qualified web designer may charge between $50-$100. A web designer can provide an estimate or quote based on the number of hours he believes your website will take to complete. The actual time taken to complete the task will likely vary at least slightly.

Project Rate: Project rate or flat rate is a single fixed cost for your website. Flat rate means given a pre-agreed definition of your website, the cost will not change. If halfway through the project you ask for new features not previously discussed, expect more cost added to the flat rate. A web designer will usually calculate a website's flat rate using the amount of hours estimated to go into the website. I recommend requesting a flat project rate if it's your first time working with a web designer because you will know ahead of time what you will be paying. You don't have to worry about the amount of hours going into your website; just focus on the final cost and deliverables.

Rate gotcha: It's very very important to be clear up front with your web designer about what you will be receiving. You should outline all of your expectations to your web designer.  It's better to give too much info than not enough. Make sure that the quote or proposal your web designer provides demonstrates his understanding of your requirements in writing. If this is not clearly outlined in detail, you have a good chance for mutual misunderstandings down the road about what should be delivered for the price you paid.

Website payments.
While not all web designers requre a down payment up front, it is a standard industry practice. Expect your web designer to request anywhere from 1/4 to 1/2 of the website's cost up front as an initial payment. Importantly this reserves your web designer's initial time to dedicate to your website and tells the web designer that you are serious about doing business. If you don't feel comfortable paying a specific web designer up front, keep shopping until you find one you are comfortable with. A website's cost can be split into one or more payments. The cost can be split over 2 or more payment terms, which coincide with the web designer completing milestones. Expect to make the last payment as soon as the website is finished.

Factors that affect a website's cost.
Your website's cost can vary greatly depending on many, many factors (web designer aside). Consider the following:

• How much time (detail) is spent designing and building your website?
• Is a logo also being designed?
• How much do you care about quality of the final product?
• Who is the competition you are up against?
• How many pages does your website have?
• What features are on each page?
• Is their any special interactivity?
• Are you selling products online?

Stick to your budget and your goals for the website. If your budget is too low for the amount of quality or size of website you require, consider comprimising some sections or features of the website until later. On the otherhand, if you don't feel 100% synced up with a web designer keep looking and don't give up. There are other web designers out there. Ultimately you should consider proposals from 2-3 web designers that you really click with, that really understand your goals and that can deliver what they promise. Remember you get what you pay for (most of the time). Don't expect a premium website for a bargain basement price. On the same token do your research and make sure you really are getting what you pay for.

Good luck and I wish you the best online success!