EchoD

A website is a long-term investment. As a client you are investing in your company image and a global presence. Handled properly you can extend your target audience to an area much greater than what you could achieve through any other multimedia or print marketing campaign, and it will cost much less than trying to reach that audience through any other medium. Why is it, then, that small town businesses think $250 – $500 is a suitable price for a website?

As a designer, I also make a large investment in every website I create—no less than 40 hours of my time. Additionally I have four years of schooling, ten years of experience, and thousands of dollars of equipment and software. Oh, and I need to eat. I also wouldn’t mind living in a place of my own again. A car would be nice, too.

I can’t afford any of this on the $250 a week businesses expect me to work for. In fact, if I were an employee at a business—without any overhead for things like equipment, supplies, services, and anything else required for me to do what I do—I would be paid more. I would be paid more flipping burgers. So why is it that businesses expect me, an individual with marketable skills providing a service they desire, to work for less than minimum wage?

Ignorance is the best explanation I can come up with. Your average small business website can start around $5,000 and only goes up from there. Expect to pay more if you’re looking to hire a company. Some freelancers even turn down contracts less than $15,000.

Sure, you can find some kid to throw together a website in FrontPage for $250, but remember this: you get what you pay for. If you’re not willing to invest in your designer, don’t expect your designer to invest in you.