How Much Does Web Development Cost?
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One of the strangest things about web development consulting is the massive range of cost estimates I've encountered for nearly identical projects. For a standard Squarespace/Shopify site design & build, I've budgets ranging from $3,000 - $150,000. Of course the scope of these organizations varies widely and the amount of ideation and iteration required for each project is drastically different, but I have still been shocked at the range and seeming randomness of the price points for different potential clients.
The main cause (in my opinion) is the general lack of knowledge that non-technical founders have about how much effort different web development tasks take. It's like when you take your car to the mechanic and they say it costs $1,000 to fix your engine. You don't know if it ~actually~ costs $1,000, but you do know that you can't fix your engine yourself and you don't want to be stuck on the side of the highway if it actually needs to be fixed.
This is complicated by the fact that it's not easy to find reliable web development consultants and to evaluate the quality of their work before choosing one. Platforms like Fiverr have a range of options (and some are very affordable), but it is hard to assess quality when you are not a development expert. Most clients that I've talked to rely on referral networks to get connected with the right folks, and that's how we get almost all of our inbound work.
So how do you get a good deal on web development? I'd follow a few guidelines:
When scoping a project, focus on a few specific priorities - don't pay extra for stuff you don't need
Whenever possible, get a second opinion - just like you would for a mechanic!
Pay more for strategic work, and less for implementation - if you work with a web developer to create an actionable plan, you can task out the implementation to cheaper consultants
What do you think? Reply if you have suggestions for hiring high-skilled consultants like web developers!
Bennett
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