When it comes to investing in your website, there are key elements to consider, and it’s not always just about the website itself.
Understanding how to invest and hire the right people to get things done in the right way for your website project can help you facilitate progress seamlessly and without delay.
To get started, you must first understand your business goals and what you hope to achieve in your brand, online presence, and more.
This process will create an outcome that results in big-picture success for your business and customer experience.
Let’s say you’re ready to invest in a website, but you’re ignoring essential branding elements — the real foundational work of your brand that includes understanding your target audience, brand values, the transformation, and visual identity — not just the logo and fonts.
When you ignore this aspect of your website and don’t bring in the right people to help you, the result might be a web presence that doesn’t say anything or connect with your audience in deep and meaningful ways.
You may end up with, as brand expert Lysandra McGregor says is “a flat and shallow brand. One that is missing your magic, doesn’t represent the guiding principles of your business, and doesn’t connect with your customers.”
I tend to agree, and I’ve seen it more often than not when clients come to me for their site work. Walking away from a project with both beauty and function are key components of a successful investment in your site and business.
When you’re investing in your website and brand, you want to have a clear understanding of where your money is going. You’ll also want to create strategic partnerships with the right people and contractors so that you get the results you seek.
This can result in strategic, long-term partnerships that support you ongoing in your business any time you need to make an investment.
All of this to say, you may wonder where to begin and what the costs actually look like.
If you’re just starting out in your business and don’t need a custom website, I recommend investing between $2500-$5000 on your first website.
However, there are some exceptions to this pricing that go from one end of the scale to another.
For example, if you’re a luxury brand, you’ll likely need to invest more upfront because you’ll want to create an experience as luxurious as your offer or product — and that may mean a custom website that will cost even more ($12,000 – $35,000+), to help you stand out and craft the same luxury experience online that you offer in person with your products.
If you’re a coach just starting out, we often recommend creating a simple 1-page website on Squarespace because your time and energy need to be focused on marketing your services and getting clients. But if you’ve had a few clients already, you may be in the perfect spot for a more robust website to attract the right people to your practice.
As your business grows, you’ll have more technology needs. This is where strategy becomes critical. The right strategy can make a significant difference for the business and will determine whether the money you’re spending is just an expense or an investment.
Here’s an average breakdown of costs for a “starter” website – again, these may vary and are NOT for custom sites, but this can be used as a starting point for you:
Photography: $1500
Copywriting: $2000-$4000
Visual Branding: $1500
Website: $2500-$5000
Here at North Star Sites, we’re always focused on helping you make the best investment for your website and business needs.
It’s important to us to ensure that you’re finding the right people and systems to support your business growth and that each investment you make helps you facilitate progress, beauty, and function.
All of this resulting in long-term relationships that help you feel supported and have the right advice and strategy leading the way.
