How Much Should Professional Web Design Cost?

With so much variation in web design and development prices, people often wonder how much web development should cost. And given some of the low prices that some companies are offering, many people believe that even the most complicated of projects can be completed on the tightest of budgets.

In this article, we explore typical rates for web development work, as well as possible options for cheap web development.

What Will It Cost To Build Your Website?

To get a vague idea of how much it will cost to build your website, consider the features that it will have. For example, will it be a simple site or will there be dynamic forms, or will there be flash? Whenever you add something extra to a website, that necessitates special coding, there will be an added cost. This means that if your website has any interactive or dynamic component, you will have to pay for it.

Either way, the going rate for web development varies depending on the type of platform and type of development that you need. We’ve listed typical rates below:

• Professional Web Development: $45 - $95 per hour
• Freelancers: $30 - $65 per hour

If you think these rates are high, you’re not alone. Like many others, you might be interested in finding cheaper alternatives. You’re in luck, read on…

How Can I Get It Done Cheaper?

Yes, it might be expensive to hire a professional. Fortunately, if your budget is tight and you don’t mind a few inconveniences or lower quality web development, then you have a few options.

• Hire a student or recent graduate. Usually, designers and developers who are new in the game lack a portfolio. By hiring them to work on your project, they get a portfolio-piece and you get your project developed at below-market costs. You can generally hire a student for $15 - $25 per hour.
• Use preexisting solutions. There are a variety of open source applications that can be adapted to meet your needs. If you opt to use one of these, you can still hire a professional developer and use them to adapt and extend the software for you. Similarly, if you’d like to save on graphic design costs, you can buy a website template for only $30 - $75.
• Outsource. Outsource. Outsource. The classic way to get custom web development at below-market costs is to hire an international web developer. Usually, you can easily find an eager developer from India or Costa Rica, and other countries where the dollar is strong. Typical rates for these developers vary from $10 to $35 per hour.

So, what’s the catch? Why do people avoid cheap web development?

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