Every week, we get emails and calls from potential clients who ask: How much does a website cost?
In 2010, it can be assumed that any legitimate business realizes that a website is an important piece of their business, but 9 times out of 10 are unaware of price (or even a price range). I hope that this article will help you understand the true value (and cost) of a professional website.
Example: How much for a car? 
Automobiles are a great comparison for websites. Cars can look completely different, they can drive completely different and they can have lots of different features. Also – there is a huge cost variance based on the variables above.
More importantly, consciously or subconsciously, you draw opinions about people based on the type of car they drive. 
Think about it – what do you think of when you see someone driving a beat up pickup truck vs. a BMW? It may not be right to draw an opinion, but it is human – and – humans will draw these same conclusions when they look at your website.
So, are you driving a beat up pickup or a BMW?
But, that seems expensive, doesn’t it?
In our industry, we hear this phrase quite a bit and it is difficult to answer. Even though it is 2010, many organizations are still utilizing a ‘Generation 1’ site – many times designed by a trusted friend or freelancer to cut costs and save money.
‘Expensive’ is also based on business size/marketing budget/etc. To a small business, $1000 may seem like a steep marketing expense, to medium businesses – perhaps $10,000 – for large businesses, $50,000 may seem reasonable (based on their paradigm and tolerance).
With AI Software (as with any other professional development company), a high-quality website starts around $3,000 – but, that seems expensive, doesn’t it?
Well, I had the opportunity to talk to a potential vendor for print advertisement in a quarterly periodical with limited circulation (www.greenbusinessquarterly.com). The following are the rates that they provided me (please keep in mind that the rep told me these are ‘discounted’ rates):
Double Page color ad: $9,210 150 words editorial
Full-page color ad: $5,850 100 words editorial
1/2 page color ad: $3,940 75 words editorial
1/4 page color ad: $2,750 50 words editorial
What does this mean?
The above-state rates are for a single-run in a little-known publication. Since they are in business, we can assume that they are selling advertisement. However, their lowest rate is right in line with a professionally-developed website by AI Software – consider the following:
- A website is permanent, not just a quarterly run.
- A website reaches the world, not just a select group of subscribers.
- A website contains limitless content, not just a quarter, half or full page.
- A website does WHATEVER YOU WANT!
- A website allows you to track response and traffic.
- A website from AI Software costs about the same as a quarter page advertisement.
We should also consider that print advertising is typically a fraction of what you would expect to pay for radio, television, etc. So, shouldn’t the question be ‘How much value do I get from a professional website’ rather than ‘How much does a website cost?’
Terry
terry@aisoftwareinc.com
