How much does a new website cost? What is the cost of a new website? I'm fairly confident that most web design and development companies whether they are based in Dubai or elsewhere, get asked either of the above questions more than any other. The problem is, this is a question for which there really is no clear answer in terms of monetary value. And here's why.
About a month ago, my colleague Ben Goodman wrote an article trying to answer this exact question. Within this article, Ben explained how websites are priced and even broke down typical scenarios to help people get a better understanding of what they should be looking to pay and of course, what they will look to get in return. An extremely detailed and concise article, this got me thinking. What if there was a formula based on the challenges people faced that helped them work out the true cost of developing a website? I'm not sure a tool like that exists, so here's my interpretation of this.
Cost isn't just about what you pay out to the developers
Most people underestimate the personal and business impacts when building a new website. For example, the following are quantifiable questions that should also be asked when embarking on the development of a new website:
- What is your cost per hour / how much do you bill others for an hour of your time?
- Will your website be used to generate new leads, new business or direct revenue? If so, how much is one new client worth to your business?
- Is there an opportunity cost for (a) you to spend more time than anticipated on developing your website?; and (b) if your website is delayed by days, weeks or even months?
If any of those questions mean something to you, then your decision to find the right website development partner should be based on factors outside of the actual website cost that will be paid to your development partner. It's therefore highly important that you try to quantify these so you understand (a) what your website will be worth to you once it's live and (b) what the actual cost of any delays are.
Of course, there are other things to look at here. For example, how you can reduce the risk of any delays as well as improve your prospects once the website is actually live. These elements are based on more qualitative aspects of the decision-making process and have also been discussed in another article that we have written recently. In case you missed that article, here's how to choose:
- Find an experienced partner that has a reputable track record
- Analyze their portfolio and assess it for realism
- Ensure the web design partner understands your business and what you want to achieve
- Is the partner process-driven and explains or documents the process for you before you start?
- Is the entire team fully accessible to you? This is where the most time is lost so make sure that you can sit face to face with everyone who is working on your project, at any time during the development of the website.
If you are creating a new website and want to get a better understanding of the latest features that will help you maximise the effectiveness of the new website, download our latest e-book below:
