Jul 26 2010
There are some web design companies that offer web design packages. You know the kind... Get a 10-page website for around $500. Or worse... A 4-page website measuring 11x17 inches for $2200, including a CMS. (You can't make this stuff up – I've seen that exact package.)
The trouble is, there's always a catch.
Aside from the fact that they cap the number of pages you can have, you're usually stuck with boring or seriously ugly templates (neither of which are going to help your brand and won't resonate with your audience).
Then the gouging begins. Want an extra page aside from the cap? That'll be $20.
You want a custom header on that ugly template? Sure, that'll be an additional $200.
Like the layout but not the colors? Get a custom color scheme for $100.
By the time you actually get a site that maybe half-way meets your goals, you're probably looking at close to $1000 for a site that is based on a re-usable template, probably doesn't communicate your branding or message very well, and isn't exactly going to do so well in accessibility and usability areas. So really, those design packages are a bit of a bait and switch.
And let's not forget that these are pre-made packages that were built for no business and all businesses at the same time. The so-called designers of these sites not only are turning their own work into a commodity, they're doing you, the business owner, a disservice. How? The packages are meant to be built as quickly as possible (they need to bust out as many as they can to stay afloat after all) meaning the discovery and research process is completely skipped over. That means that they just don't care about your business and making sure it succeeds in the long run. Moreover, they're just pumping out sites, not marketing tools. And frankly, if your site isn't being used as a genuine marketing tool, you're doing yourself a disservice.
But above all else, the practice of selling a web design package is a joke. It damages the web development industry as a whole. And it's completely irresponsible. As one web professional put it:
We are not in a car industry. You don’t manufacture 1000 pieces of the same model each year, so you can’t create equipment packages. You couldn’t possibly analyze the costs of every single optional feature with a dozen (or two) projects a year. The sample is too small and the variety of options is too wide.
When buying a car you don’t go to a car factory and negotiate about wether the logo should be bigger or a little bit more on the left. You only get what’s offered. That’s unless you are a buyer who’s not asking about the price.
With cars it’s easy to create packages and set the prices, but with web sites virtually everything is an option.
A-freaking-men.