4. The step to create a showcase website to estimate the price of your website
4.1 Audit of the website or creation of the specifications
If you have a project of redesigning your website, it is highly recommended to ask your web agency or your future provider for an audit of the existing website.
Naturally, this service is often proposed in the case of a redesign. For a website creation, we rather talk about the writing of specifications.
The audit of the existing website will study:
- the content of the site (its relevance and its interest in a well referenced website)
- the graphics of the site (is it well thought out for the end user?)
- the technical side of the website (is the website secure and well optimized?)
This will allow you to easily estimate the things to rework and keep on your website and the costs involved.
The specifications in the case of the creation of a showcase website takes the form of a summary document. It is intended to highlight the :
- technical
- aesthetic
- functional constraints
4.2 SEO and web writing
SEO (or natural referencing) refers to all the actions that are implemented on a website to position itself on interesting Google queries.
Thus, we will privilege the creation of a content page evoking a target keyword to try to be found more easily by the Internet users when they make a research on the search engines (Google).
It is advisable to have a reflection on this subject from the creation of the showcase website because the SEO will have consequences on the pages that you will create.
Similarly, you can delegate the editorial part of the website to your provider so that the content is 100% optimized for SEO and especially that it is pleasant to read for your audience.
More information on the article content optimization.
4.3 Webdesign
The webdesign is the visual part of your website. This part is usually entrusted to a UX designer, webdesigner or art director.
If your provider offers you the realization of a website with a CMS, it is possible that he offers you to make a model. This will allow you to project yourself in the design of the website before moving on to its technical implementation.
The estimate can include a completely customized design or a simple design.
It is also in this part that can appear additional options like the creation of a logo or a graphic charter.
4.4 The development of the showcase website
Depending on the technical solution chosen, the estimate will include a development part. Either the development will be done "from scratch", or it will be a matter of installing the CMS and setting it up with your desired features.
The development allows to give life to the realized models. The development will include the following steps:
- the installation of the website on a hosting space and a server.
- the installation of a CMS (or development by hand).
- the creation of the pages of the website and their integration optimized for all the supports (mobile, computer and tablet).
- integration of additional features and modules (contact form, map, online booking module...).
- optimization of the website (security, speed of loading of the pages).
- Putting the website online.
4.5 The maintenance of the showcase website
A maintenance package can be included in the estimate for the creation of the website. Generally, the maintenance is carried out every year or even every month. The cost is therefore taken monthly or annually depending on the project.
The maintenance consists in keeping the website up to date in terms of security. We also make a backup of the database in case of a problem.
The maintenance allows to update the CMS and the complementary modules which are installed. A general update of the content can also be included in the estimate.
5. The price of a showcase website detailed item by item
Now that you are aware of all the steps that will mark out your project of creation of a website, here is an estimate of the prices.
Obviously, these prices are indications and must be submitted to a request for quote from a provider.
5.1 The price of a website hosting
Hosting allows you to "store" your website online. You will also be asked to create a domain name: which is the address of your website.
The domain name is paid 1 time per year. If it is available, here are the prices according to its extension at Amazon web service :
The hosting service is accessible and generally you can subscribe to a basic offer from a hosting company.
If your website's traffic increases, you may need a dedicated server and later subscribe to a more important offer.
Keep in mind that a hosting with the purchase of a domain name for a showcase website will cost :
- between 5 and 600 € per year for a website with a few pages
- more than 600 € per year for a high traffic website
These estimates can of course vary depending on your provider and the infrastructure in place.
5.2 Graphic design rates for your website
Your website is the first contact that your customers will have with you. It is necessary that you pay a great attention to the aesthetics of your website.
To do this, the "graphic" or "art direction" of your website will represent a certain part of the final price of your website.
For your information, a freelance webdesigner has an average daily rate between 300 and 600 € depending on his level of experience and his "graphic touch". Some of them have a specialization by sector of activity or by type of website. Note that the webdesigner will need at least 2 to 4 days to create the graphic models of your website.
5.3 Price list for website development
The development of the website, with or without CMS, requires the intervention of a web developer.
For the installation and configuration of a showcase website, the time to spend is between half a day and a day of work. The rate of a freelance developer can vary between 300 and 800 € per day.
The service includes all the necessary configuration so that you can easily work on the website. A training can also be considered with the developer to then follow your updates independently.
5.4 Web writing and SEO rates for a showcase website
In the framework of a project of showcase website with a real will to develop your business, you could call upon a SEO consultant. He will advise you on the website's tree structure and the pages to create. To do this, his intervention could be between 300 and 700 € per day to deliver recommendations.
For the production of content pages, you can call upon a web editor or copywriter whose cost is also between 300 and 700 € per day.
5.5 Maintenance rate for a showcase website
Finally, the maintenance of your website and CMS is essential for the proper functioning of the website. However, it is not mandatory for the client and can cost from 40 to 200 € per month.
Your website created by professionals can cost between 480 and 2400 € per year depending on your needs and the technical solution chosen.
On high traffic websites, it is possible that this price can vary even more.
6. Conclusion
The price of a website will depend on many factors. But the most important is your need. Once you have established what you need clearly, everything else will be clear. You will then know what to choose:
- Classic CMS
- Custom CMS
- Site "from scratch
