Before we start, there are 3 things we would like you to know:

1. You have been “click baited”.
2. You are thrifty (so are we!).
3. We will help you understand the difference between being penny-wise and dollar-foolish

How much does it cost to build a custom website?

We get asked this question every other day. Our estimates for custom websites, in some cases are cheap for some clients and for others, we are expensive.

To improve the estimation process, we started doing two things:

1. Ask the lead what their budget is to get a rough idea what their spending expectations are like.
2. To define our segment very clearly and attract clients accordingly.

Point 1) seems simple enough in theory, but when in practice, it is very difficult to get the budget from a lead. It is very natural. The lead or their representative are talking to you for the first time. Why would they trust you? Sometimes you do end up building a very good relationship with the client based on your alignment. In all honesty, about 80 percent of the leads will try to give you a number less than their ideal budget.

Now moving over to point 2). In order to understand what we mean by that, let’s look at the following images:

Image 1

Image 2

Image 3

The first image is very evident – it is street food! Looks appetizing (not necessarily this picture, but we can assure you a visit to the street food trucks when you visit our New Delhi office). It is extremely cheap, greasy, and not necessarily good for your health. To top it off, there might be pushing due to the crowds. One might lose their wallet while staring at the food. Obviously, there is no customer service experence. You pay the money and its done. There is no after-sale review or feedback. This is the $100 website we are talking about!

The second image is of a Michelin star chef. The chances are extremely high that the food was made using the freshest and the best-quality ingredients from all over the world. There is a high probability that the portion size is small. There will be a waitlist, sometimes stretching for months. Great customer service, an excellent experience and a dent in your wallet are to be expected. Can you afford dining at such restaurants every day? Even so, these are meant to be experiences – not something you do every day.

The third image is that of your favorite restaurant! You like to eat here frequently and do not mind eating here every day. The staff knows you and the other way around. They know what you like and you have been a regular for a long time. The portion sizes are just perfect, and so is the pricing. You will always get a seat. To them, you are not a customer anymore, but much more since you have crossed the experience stage.

Now according to you, what kind of experience do you like on a daily basis? Should it be cheap and unhealthy? An expensive one-night stand? Or a loyal, long-term relationship?

This analogy is perfect for the case of website development as well. A simple business website can cost $100, developed by a freelancer and up to $100,000 by a top, state-of-the-art design agency. And of course, there are prices anywhere in the middle.

It is easy to find the $100 guys and the $100,000 as well. A simple Google search gets you the results for these website developers. Finding the right mix of cost, quality and service takes research, relationship-building and time.

It is evident what we recommend doing. Click here to read The Reasons Why Custom Software is Good for Your Business.

Psst… we are the ones like the third image above. Give us a shout at hello@dignitas.digital and we will work with you to get you what you truly want, within budget!

Cheers, and thanks for reading!