Nigel Wilkinson
Managing Director of Daneswood. Nigel has been in sales and marketing since the 1980's and run digital marketing agencies since 2000.
When you talk with a web development agency, you won’t get far before they ask about your budget. You will say you don’t know! Either because you really don’t know or because they don’t price to your budget.
Share the figure with your agency, you have your ideal customers, and they will – or should – have theirs. If you aren’t the right fit for each other, it’s best to get that uncovered early on.
Be realistic! You would be amazed how often I’ve heard people say they want to compete with Amazon, then give a budget of £500.
If two agencies quote you £10,000 and a third quotes £2,000, that should ring alarm bells. Have they understood your specification? Can they really deliver?
There are several factors that can affect the price:
The brand positioning of the agency.
Will it be a bespoke design or a template? A bespoke design will obviously cost more and takes time to design and build, but a template will be cheaper and quicker.
How many design revisions do you get? Some agencies reduce costs by allowing for only one design and limited design revisions, this keeps the price down, but you need to be aware you might not be 100% satisfied with the result. (Sales plug: We offer a 100% Design Satisfaction Guarantee)
Functionality is one of the two biggest drivers of cost increases. Adding eCommerce, Booking Systems, integrations etc. will all make the price jump from a “static brochure” style website. Think carefully about what functionality you need and plan what may be required in phase two or three. Having an open discussion with your agency is best.
Content insertion: If the website has hundreds of pages of content, each of which need laying out, this can hike the cost of the website up.
The more you can be clear on your strategy, aims and budget, the better you will be able to match yourself with the right agency.