How much website design cost?

We'd love to be able to tell you that a website will cost precisely X amount of pounds. However, websites vary from project to project. There are various types of websites from microsites (small 3 page sites) to corporate brochure sites, websites driven by databases and content management systems through to full eCommerce websites.

Within each of those types there are more factors. The design time required (creative time) will be a factor, the type of functionality you want on the site, the number of pages and the total amount of time required to produce the final result. If you consider these factors you should be very wary of anyone who tells you a website costs X, Y or Z before they have fully understood what you require.

Some companies list prices on their websites for a certain number of pages etc. We advise that you proceed with caution because in nearly all of these cases you are going to have to make some very big compromises and they'll dictate exactly what they give you. We view a website design project as a collaboration of your needs and our creativity and skills. All our prices are quoted on a project by project basis - so what you get is what you truly wanted.

What will my ongoing costs be?

We can be a little more specific with this question. Firstly, in most cases you'll want us to host your website and prices begin at £99 + VAT per annum. Most clients choose a service that costs £149 + VAT per annum. We offer more advanced hosting services from there, with the next most popular being £349 + VAT per annum. For the larger website some hosting solutions can cost more, but they're usually the exception rather than the rule.

You may want ongoing site support at a fixed cost to avoid you having to pay an ad-hoc hourly rate for changes to the main structure of the site. We offer support packages at different levels.

You may have to pay an annual or monthly fee in respect of payment provider gateways if you run an eCommerce site. Similarly, if your site requires secure certificates then you'll pay an annual amount in the region of £400 + VAT.

All our sites come with 6 months search engine optimisation services included, but you may wish to continue this into the future. Our base SEO services begin at £495 + VAT but this should be treated as a minimum due to the time intensive nature of SEO. It is, after all, a very valuable service to website owners and ensures your site is well listed by major search engines - so that your potential customers can find you.

What if my website was written by another company?

We regularly take over websites that have been written by other companies. This is often the case with SEO (search engine optimisation) work and it isn't a problem at all. Your website doesn't even need to be hosted by us to benefit from our SEO services (though it is preferable).

Taking the site over and developing it for you usually isn't an issue either. Unless the original designers have used very specific and non-standard applications to develop it, we'll always be able to help you.

Do you limit the number of visits or meetings?

No. Unlike many of our competitors you will not find our quotations say there is a limit on the number of meetings with you during a design project. If it takes ten or more, we'll be there and the price will be the price you were originally quoted.

Can you get me to the top of Google?

No-one can promise you this. If they do, run a mile. Google lists websites based on a wealth of criteria that our SEO services address. However, you will also have a part to play in ensuring your site is maintained with content if you want to get to the very top of listings (unless you have a very unique product or service that no-one else is offering online).

Don't confuse SEO with paid for advertising such as Google AdWords. SEO is the process of getting your site recognised and listed by search engines organically. SEO is not based on a 'per click' basis.

We have an excellent track record of achieving first page Google results for a variety of phrases for our clients. However, the fact remains that no-one can promise you top spot on Google and retain any degree of integrity.

Quick Questions

Below are a few of the common questions that can be answered very quickly.

How do I pay?

All web design projects are invoiced 50% upon commencement and 50% upon completion.

SEO work ongoing is invoiced in advance, in full.

Web hosting is invoiced 12 months in advance.

Can I pay monthly?

Sorry, no. We do not undertake projects on a monthly payment basis and we don't allow monthly web hosting payment (most companies who do this will charge you a lot more in the long run).

Can I get 100% funding?

No, not in our experience. We can help with the process of funding applications through various government backed agencies but in our experience you're likely to receive somewhere between 30% and 60% of the total site cost.

What happens?

As soon as you've placed an order for a website and signed our Terms and Conditions we'll give you a project folder packed with useful information, advice and details of what you're going to need to give us to write your website (i.e. copy text, pictures, any design criteria etc). We're unusual in this respect and our clients find this pack incredibly helpful.

How long does it take?

This often depends on you. We can have some sites up and running in days, whereas others will take months. On average though we'll turn a website project around within a month if you provide us with what we need.