What Does Website Design Cost?

You should know that 75% of users judge the credibility of a company based on its website design. Of course, user-friendly and attractive web design is one of the main assets in any software project.

3 Options for Website Design Cost

It is worth mentioning that the website design cost is based on your website type, its features, and business goals. It is essential that the selection of the design should come from the chosen web technology stack. If the web project is complex, then more custom web design should be created to showcase the necessary functionality.

In the beginning, think how the website is supposed to operate, because if your website looks great, it must work well too.

Below you will read about the options to create web interfaces and the potential website design cost for each of them.

1) DIY Website Design Cost

• DIY Services: Wordpress, Wix, Shopify (for e-commerce projects), etc.
• Website design cost (included in website package): $0 - $500+

Such services as Wix, Wordpress, Shopify, or Weebly have already pre-made web design templates included in their website development pricing plans. Depending on a project type and industry, you can select a necessary design layout and configuration.

An average cost of website design for a small business is from $300 to $500. Besides web design pricing, you also receive configured hosting, web servers, and domain. DIY solutions also have additional design elements and plugins ranging from $15 to $200. Usually, you get monthly or annual invoices, which are based on the web design price list of the chosen platform.

You should remember that any website needs regular updates and support. The cost of maintenance varies from $60 to $3,500+ per year, depending on the website design package price.

It is a good idea not to use any free website design templates because they usually come along with ads, malware, functionality and bandwidth limits.

It is recommended to use DIY website builders for:

• simple, one-page websites (landings)
• web projects without scalability plans
• personal portfolio sites
• personal blogs or services

The main benefit of this option is low-cost web design and its quick setup.

On the other hand, most businesses switch from DIY sites within a few years, because of the following weak points:

• generic website design
• challenges with website consistency, updates, and maintenance
• high dependency on third-party service
• low level of website customization and flexibility
• limited scalability
• possible website freezes and slow operation
• no application of new technologies on a design layout

It is recommended to consider the website design cost and options precisely not to spend a bigger budget in the long run.

2) Website Design Pricing for Freelance Services

• Hire a freelancer: locally or on freelance platforms like Upwork, Freelancer.com, etc.
• Website design cost: $500 - $2000+

A professional web designer will help you to create a more custom web design or design your own template to fit the Wordpress website. He can also help you with branding materials like a logo, banners, etc.

You can find these specialists locally, on freelance platforms like Upwork, Freelancer.com, or on design-specific sites like Behance and Dribbble.

The cost of website design depends on the level of experience, skills, and location of a freelancer and can range approximately from $65 to $140 per hour in North America.

Remember that freelance services and outsourcing are two different things. You must understand very well what you need to transmit this vision to the web designer. That is why, you need to set up a clear guide and management process for the freelancer you are working with.

You should involve a freelance web designer in such cases:

• small web projects or minor web design works
• only website design is needed
• branding materials

The advantages of hiring a website designer on freelance platforms:

• ability to adjust your web design concept
• mid-priced website design cost
• proper web design quality
• additional branding materials
• meetings and communication

The disadvantages of a freelance web designer are the following:

• hard and long process of finding a good and reliable web designer
• project management process is on the client’s side completely
• additional expenses and management efforts involved with hiring a web developer
• potential issues with communication
• potential issues in keeping up with the deadlines
• risks involved with distributing project materials or other inappropriate actions of a freelancer
• risks connected with unsatisfactory end results

1. Custom Website Design Cost when Hiring an Agency

• Hire a software development agency locally or work with an offshore company
• Website design cost: $2,000 - $5,000+

Custom web design is your best choice if you need extra functionality, plan to scale the website, or want to apply modern technologies. You should realize that the custom website design cost will be higher, but you receive a turnkey solution with website design and development.

Professional software development agencies allocate a team of specialists for all areas to create great websites. As a rule, a team consists of designers, web front-end developer, web back-end developer, quality assurance engineer, project manager, and business analyst.

You can hire a pool of these professionals at a lower rate, but with the same capabilities when outsourcing. For instance, the rate for a professional web designer in Eastern Europe (e.g. Ukraine) is around $30 an hour.

Hiring an agency requires minimum effort from your side. You must only choose a reliable partner, keep up with the process, and send your timely feedback.

The pros of creating a custom web design for your web project:

• ability to scale the web project easily (add & adjust web pages)
• application of SEO and marketing practices
• creation of a unique design in order to stand out from the competitors
• independence from third-party services and design templates
• creation of a web design to fit the target audience portrait
• application of custom visual elements (animations, illustrations, icons)
• development of well-thought-out user navigation
• ability to quickly adjust the design to meet emerging technologies
• ability to devote time to the core business needs (project management is on the agency’s side)
• custom website design is fully your property

A custom website design should be created for:

• web projects with further scalability needs
• sites that want to experiment with technologies
• complex websites, web platforms, or e-commerce sites
• websites with extensive back-end management (admin panel)

So, what is the cost of hiring a professional web designer from an agency?

It depends on the vendor’s location and service rate. The following map shows the average hourly rates for website design service worldwide. Eastern Europe is a well-known region for website design and development with reasonable pricing.