A slick, stylish online website is an absolute modern day must for any type of business. Whether you’re a local store, one-man freelancer, national phenomenon or a global corporation, you need an impressive and well-functioning webpage. Once you make the wise decision and decide that it’s time to get your business online, a few questions can start to crop up. How much will it cost, how do I find the right developer, should I use a template – these are all great questions! Beginning your journey towards a professional website isn’t super simple if this is your first time, so read on for a breakdown of pricing and services you should be looking for…

How much does a website cost?

A website can cost anything from practically nothing to tens of thousands of dollars – but don’t worry, there are many prices in between those two figures! A free, or basically free, website comes with a template provider that lets you choose the font, theme and content on a predesigned site. This is good enough if you’re on a tight budget, but really if you want to stand out amongst the very crowded digital space, you should be a little more creative.

You should expect to fork out between $1000 – $5000 for a website that’s original, aesthetically pleasing and high functioning. The work that goes into creating your platform is pretty significant, so you should feel comfortable in your investment. Always be wary of services that offer a low cost at a fixed price – this usually isn’t good news for your business, and you’ll meet a lot of stressful bumps along the way. Save yourself the hassle and hunt for a reputable digital agency or outsourcing company that offers website building and ongoing support, it’s definitely a big investment of your capital however the return will be more than worth it.

Why should you turn to a professional?

So, now you know how much you’re looking at spending, you might be curious as to why you can’t just stick with a pre-made template site? Well, as stated above, the truth of the matter is that you won’t stand out and you won’t impress your customers or clients. An agency that offers marketing, branding and web construction won’t only build your site – they’ll promote it too! A beautiful webpage is all well and good, but what use is there if nobody’s actually visiting it?

The right agency will be able to provide you with SEO, SEM and email marketing services to help you get your business’ message out there. Another huge plus is the ongoing support aspect of a contract or a relationship. This means that as soon as there is a problem with your page, it gets fixed! It also means that you will be able to up your digital marketing according to the growth of your business, making you more competitive as your online presence continues to grow.

Why do you need a website?

Online presence is more important than it’s ever been, and its essential nature is only going to grow! Chances are, your customers or clients are turning to the internet for almost every decision, purchase or consideration they make – so you need to be as accessible as possible! A great webpage can be the difference between a successful and an unsuccessful business.

What are you waiting for? Get searching! Find a platform that can connect you to global talent to hire an outsourced web developer if you’re on a tighter budget. Remember that your investment in getting your business online is going to pay back big time!