Website Planning Part II: Budget, budget, budget

02 Mar 2006 | Angie H

In our first installment of this Website Planning series, I discussed the importance of having a clear objective for your site. Now it's time to talk about the B-word: budget.

Okay, so it's not a comfortable issue, especially when it comes to spending on something most people consider a commodity rather than a business investment. But the reality is, without knowing what you're willing to spend you're going to be disappointed in some way or another.

Do I have to?

It's important to know that when you ask for a quote or proposal from a reputable designer or design studio, they're going to want to know various details about your Web project so they know 1) how long it's going to take and 2) how much it's going to cost you.

So if you ask for a quote (without giving a budget) on a large, dynamic website with various features and are expecting to spend a few hundred bucks, you're going to have sticker shock. Why? Because without a figure to work with, designers have to guess. And often, that means assuming you care more about the features and what you're getting rather than the end cost.

Like with many things, people are often cautious about giving out any sort of figure when asking for a website design quote. I can't say that I blame them. But contrary to what some may believe, giving a budget does not mean the designer is going to use it all up. Instead, it allows room for exploring options in order to meet your needs.

What to budget for

Budgeting for a website doesn't mean just the cost of having it built. There are other things to think about if you're serious about your business' website.

One thing to think about is the assets or components that will be included in the site, such as photos, logos, illustrations, copywriting, etc. Who will be providing those things? You? Or will you need help in any of those areas? Just like when you buy a new car, more options means spending a bit more, so be sure to budget for them.

How about search engine optimization? How big of a role will search engines play in the promotion of your site? This is important to consider if your web designer does Search Engine Optimization (SEO). It can also be an on-going cost if keeping your site ranking well is of absolute importance.

And don't forget about maintenance. Who is going to update your site? How often? Will you or someone in your company be doing the updates? If so, do they have enough technical skill in HTML to update the raw code? Or would a Content Management System (CMS) be good? Or perhaps you'd like your web designer to do the updates on a regular basis. In any case, these are things that will cost you (either time or money) after the site is built.

You have options

So what happens if you find a designer or studio whose work you really, truly like and feel that they could do a good job, but their quote is more than you can handle despite all the budgeting in the world? Easy. Compromise.

Are you willing to scale your project back a little? Do you really need all those features right away? Maybe you can put some things on hold until you start to see some results. That's one way to bring the cost down.

And what about your chosen designer? Can he or she cut some slack somewhere? Don't promise them with more work (it sounds flaky and we've all heard it before), or tell them that it'd be good for their portfolio (that's just condescending and a bit obvious). Instead, see if you can work something out.

In the end, regardless of what size of budget you have, you're going to be much happier with your final site if you give up the number up front. And better yet, you'll have taken a huge step in developing a trusting business relationship with your designer. After all, you really should be looking for someone you can count on more than just once. But that's what the next and last installment is all about.