The Cost of a Website
This blog is entirely dedicated to the topic of web design, website pricing, and related issues. Therefore, another article on what influences the cost and what factors should be taken into account when choosing a website developer will follow. For most of us, the cost of a website is still the key factor in deciding on a website developer – is this approach correct? I’ll try to explain it in the following article.
Websites can be divided into two categories: simple HTML business cards and CMS (Content Management System) websites, also known as content management systems. Online stores, on the other hand, are categorized as either subscription-based or owned by the customer. In the first case, the cost of a website will be significantly lower than in the second case, as these types of websites usually have 5-6 subpages and their functionality is not complex. The cost of this type of website ranges from PLN 1,500 to PLN 2,000 net, depending on how elaborate you want the graphical design to be and how many subpages the website will have.
In the case of online stores, the cost of a subscription-based solution often exceeds that of an owned store (and here you still have to pay for the subscription…) after a year or even earlier. However, Internet sales in Poland are significantly cheaper (many times cheaper) than in our western neighbors.
A CMS website has many more factors that affect its cost, including:
– The scope of the website’s functionality, i.e., what advanced features you need – each addition, such as a forum, specialized forms, calculators, integrated blogs or online stores, requires additional valuation because implementing each of these elements takes time and real financial investment. The cost of building this type of website usually ranges from PLN 2,500 to PLN 7,000 net, although it can be higher – everything depends on the amount of time we need to devote to building the website. If that time stretches over several months, it’s obvious that such a website cannot be built for PLN 5,000.
Separate attention should be paid to online stores – they are not ordinary websites; they are highly specialized and often very complex Internet services that meet a range of functions. A proper design and execution of an online store is no trivial matter, and projects like this can take several months. The cost of a website with an online store starts at PLN 6,000, while the upper limit statistically speaking can reach as high as PLN 30,000 – everything depends on the level of integration with external applications such as inventory management systems, price comparison tools, auctions, etc.
The Cost of a Website
A multitude of factors influence the cost of a website, and building a professional website is not something that can be taken lightly. If someone offers to build a CMS for you for PLN 500-600, I suggest asking them for a list of references and taking a look at what they’ve done.
The “100% price” variant is suitable for buying an appliance like a washing machine or refrigerator – regardless of where it’s purchased, it has the same quality as any other product. It’s completely different with services, however – here, price is the main factor determining what you get in return. If you pay PLN 500-1,000 for a website, don’t expect anything more than what you’ve paid for – if that’s okay for you, then go ahead.
However, you should ask yourself one question: What are you expecting to get for paying PLN 500-1,000 for building a website? Be realistic about it. Can anyone spend several weeks of their time on building a professional, modern solution in such a price range? No, they can’t – it’s not possible.
Let’s be realistic – opportunities don’t exist, work costs money, and the cost of a website is not just installing a CMS and uploading a free template (30 minutes’ worth of work). If you’re okay with your website looking like one of the millions of amateur websites in the Internet, then go ahead. But if you expect a solution that’s designed and built specifically for you – 100% unique and tailored to your needs, building such a website takes several weeks, which means the costs will be significantly higher than a template-based solution. The cost of a website is the time spent by the programmer who must build the necessary functionality, the time spent by the graphic designer who must create all the graphics used on the website in Photoshop and put everything together.
Would you let clients describe your office space as “awful”, “ugly”, or hesitant to enter it?
Look at a website like an office space – real people visit it, and seconds decide whether they’ll stay long enough to find your phone number and call you or close your website because it’s one of the 20 tabs currently open in their browser.
A website must attract attention, encourage exploration of content, and prompt them to pick up the phone. An amateur website built on a free template or even a commercial one won’t meet this criterion – you’ll waste PLN 1,000-1,500, and that’s not all you’ll invest in advertising for your website/firm/virtual office.
Think about how many thousand zlotys per year you’ll spend on advertising your website/company/virtual office. Is it worth saving PLN 1,000 at the cost of losing money on advertising that won’t bring the desired level of returns?
Design is no longer a minor issue – unoriginal, aesthetically unpleasant, and outdated design will not stand out in today’s competitive market. Choose a company to build your virtual office wisely – remember you’re just one of 20 tabs open in your potential client’s browser, and it’s up to you whether they’ll close you or choose you.
Statistics confirm that poorly designed websites have lower conversion rates than professional ones. We’ve tested this many times during our daily work on various advertising campaigns for Google, identifying what works and what doesn’t.
The cost of a website is a long-term investment – your website will represent your company’s image in the Internet for years to come, replacing advertising expenses with income. It’s worth making sure that this critical element is as effective as possible.
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If you’re choosing a website developer or online store and have any questions related to the topic, feel free to use our free consultation (the form below).
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