How to budget for a professionally designed website

In the world of technology, it does not matter which industry you belong to or if your business is offline or online; it is necessary for you to have a website. While it may sound like an easy task to launch a website, a lot of hard work and thought process goes behind it. However, it all begins when a businessperson sits down to budget for a professionally designed website. If you own a business and want to  have an online presence, you need to take the first step right.

 

Is it Important to Budget Your Website Well?

 

It seems all glittery and fun to have a website, but it takes a lot to have a website that suits the needs of your target market and goes well with your business objectives too. It is extremely important for you to determine the budget you want to allocate to your website in the beginning, so you don’t end up getting bankrupt later. Moreover, doing proper budgeting will help you carve out a perfect plan for the design, development, and execution of your website.

You would also know the number of dollars you can spend on tools and technologies for every element of your website. This would make your research easier and save you a lot of time as well. Moreover, this will keep your website development under control and predictable, so nothing goes sideways. If you ask the market experts, they would always suggest budgeting first when going to have a website developed.

 

How to Budget for a Professionally Designed Website?

 

Now that we are clear on the importance of carving out an initial budget plan for a website, it is time for us to move forward. If you are going to have a website for the first time, the chances of you not knowing the right way to do it are many. You can either hire a website development firm to do it all for you, hire an expert to guide you on the way, or check the tips we have scooped out in this article.

 

Know What Your Website Needs

 

Whenever you decide to make a product, the first thing that happens is that you set the vision. You try to make a rough sketch of it in your mind and think about every feature you are going to add to it. Similar is the case with a website as well. Take this time to sit down and answer these questions:

 

• Who is going to visit your website?
• What technical features are you going to add?
• What kind of design will your website have?
• What are the elements you would like on each page?

 

It is better to write down answers to these questions as it will help you form good requirements. These requirements will help you shape your project from the very start.

 

Look at Your Competitors

 

Know that no matter what business you are going to present on your website, you already have competitors in the market. To beat them, you have to figure out their weaknesses and strengths. Start by narrowing down to a few competitors, visit their website, check all the features they have added and the way they present their products/services online. Knowing about them will help you understand the needs of your customers better and ways to win over them.

Know Your Financials

 

With an initial sketch and idea about features, you’ll know if you need a basic website or an advanced one. The next step to budget for a professionally designed website is to realize the number of dollars you are willing to spend on the website. The best way is to look at your yearly revenue and allocate a reasonable percentage to website development. Once you have a budget in mind you can go out and look for options. There are normally two main options; to go for a plug and play website or build one from scratch. Both have their pros and cons. But depending on your budget and the level of customization you require you can choose one of those. 

Related Article: Why Choose pubGENIUS Development Consulting over Plug & Play Options

 

Decide a Domain Name

 

Domain name for a website is really important as it’s your brand identity. This is what you are going to be known with. You need to decide on the domain name you want for your online presence. Due to a huge number of businesses present on the internet, it might be a bit difficult for you to get a domain name of your choice easily. You might have to check with several providers too. A direct and simple domain name costs more than the ones that are not an exact match to your business’s name. It also costs you either on a monthly or yearly basis and as it is a recurring cost, therefore plan it wisely. We would suggest not spending too much on a special domain and instead use that amount on a custom design and development of your website. 

 

Figure Out a Web Hosting Plan

 

Web hosting is more like the home where a website resides. It stores the content and related files of a website. After purchasing a domain, you need to buy a web hosting plan to make your website go live. There are various types of web hosting services including shared hosting, dedicated hosting, VPS hosting, and others. If you want a cheap option, go for shared hosting. However, if speed and security matter to you, you will have to pay more for a dedicated hosting.  

 

Get Quotes from Companies

 

Lastly, even though you have considered all the major costs a website will come with, a quotation from experts is always helpful. Ask a few website development firms to share the budget for a professionally designed website of your desired level. They will break down all the costs for you and add their own fee to give you an idea of the budget you need to have.

 

Wrapping It Up

 

In today’s highly competitive business landscape, it has become mandatory to have an online presence to stay relevant and also serve the clients better. If you want to go online, you must budget for a professionally designed website. To do so, you need to realize the demands of the market, gain knowledge of your competitors, decide features to add, check your financials, and get a quote from the market. This process will take time but you will end up controlling your budget and having the desired website designed and developed to meet your needs. 

 

Get a Quotation from pubGENIUS

pubGENIUS is a leading customer software development firm with multiple offices across the US. We design, develop, and maintain high performing business and eCommerce websites for our clients. To schedule a consultation or get a quotation for your new site, visit our website or click on the contact us button below.