I frequently am asked about the cost of putting together a website for a client. Of course, the final answer will vary based on the particular needs of the client, what is desired from the website, etc. Things worth considering range from one’s goals for a website, how to reach their target audience, and what value-added services would be best to offer. All in all, there are too may factors to spell out a definitive list because quite simply, every website I build is fundamentally different in design and purpose. What I can comment on is that whatever your functional and design requirements are, you should be prepared to pay a representative amount for a web application that will be professionally designed and programmed, and which is reflective of your business or organization.
I can tell you more than a few stories about bids I provided for jobs that were later turned down for one reason or another -often price included- only to have the same customer re-contact me later pleading for help to recover their website, or finish a project that was never completed by their hire. It amazes me when clients tell me stories that the developers they originally hired become irritated with their requests for work or unresponsive to phone calls or emails. It is my belief that many self-taught web developers have simply not spent any time thinking about or practicing customer service. Perhaps this is a generational thing, though sadly it shouldn’t be.
I can remember well my earliest jobs in the retail sector where the mantra was drilled into me that the customer is always right. Indeed, if I am paying for goods or services, I should have the final say on what is satisfactory, particularly when expectations have been presented by those I am employing for their services. It’s built into our nature to want the best deal we can find when we set out to purchase goods or services, but as the familiar adage goes, we certainly do get what we pay for in almost every case. I would implore you to consider this when you set about contemplating a new web application, an update to an existing site, or new additions to your current web offerings.