When people ask me how much it costs to make a website, my answer is always “A website costs as much as a car.” This invariably triggers the response “Oh, ok… Wait, what kind of car?”
“Exactly.”
A car can be many things. A new sedan, a used 1987 stationwagon, a hummer limo, a highly tuned race car, or a smart car with a 2-year lease are all examples of cars. They may range in price from a few hundred bucks to several hundred thousand or even a monthly fee or sometimes even free.
Websites are the same way. Based on the complexity, customization, features, and level of detail, a site can span the same range of prices. Many people decide that they want or need a website without asking the basic questions that help guide the process like “what is the goal of the site”. Quite often, the actual needs are very simple and generic solutions (such as a PayPal shopping cart) are ideal – the same way that a person commuting 10 miles to work needs a reliable but modest car to get them there and not a sports car (or sometimes it’s better to take public transit). I’ve found that describing the work in these terms tends to help potential customers to create more realistic expectations and reconsider their needs by presenting the concept of a website not as a fixed product but as a toolkit of solutions to specific business needs.
I’m not promising anything, but hopefully this has been the first entry in a short series on my work philosophies. Stay tuned!
That’s a great idea! I get this question a lot and the inevitable “what does it depend on”. I’ll have to bust this out next time when explaining cost to a client.
wow… thanks, this realy opened my mind!
Nice. This is perfect. How come I didn’t think of that? I guess not enough people are asking ;)
Such a great post. I’ve always had a problem with communicating the value of a web design or flash application to a client. From my experience, the general public have absolutely no idea how much work goes into building a properly planned, designed, and produced website. Thanks!