Websites come in all shapes and sizes and pricing is no different. There are two common website price structures for services: a one-time project rate and a monthly subscription fee. Choosing between the two depends on your marketing strategy, business needs, and financial situation. You also want to be aware of the monetary, time, and resource costs involved in both. There is no easy answer for your small business, but knowing the upsides may help make the decision less intimidating.
One-Time Website Price: When It Makes Sense for Your Small Business
One-time rates for a website range from hundreds, to thousands, to tens of thousands of dollars. Companies or freelancers often invoice 2 or 3 times during a project, depending on the situation. A one-time website price can work for your business if you have staff to manage the website, prefer paying a lump sum, and have the resources to handle issues and extra fees.
Internal Website Management Staff
Your website is a marketing platform for your business and works best when it is being managed, updated, and kept fresh. When you pay a one-time project rate, website management is not included in the price. It’s a good idea to have resources or staff who are good at marketing, technology, and copywriting. This will allow you to make the most of your website after it is built for best marketing impact.
Large Investments Work Better for Your Cash Flow
A project rate consists of one or several larger lump sum payments. A larger one-time investment might make more sense for your cash flow or the type of business you’re in. This could be especially ideal for a seasonal business who receives large influxes of cash during certain times of the year.
Precise Customizations
Often, an agency or freelancer will give custom quotes for one time project rates. You’ll get a customized price for exactly what you need in your website, instead of being fit into a package. This allows for special development of features, more design customizations, or anything extra you may need to make your website work best for your business.
Ability to Handle Extra Fees
There are extra costs in website ownership other than the design and development of the website. You’ll need a domain name, hosting, and an SSL Certificate for extra security at the least. These are usually yearly renewal fees. There is also a possibility you’ll need bug fixes, software updates, and content updates. These come up at a moments notice and are often billed at an hourly rate. If cash flow is not an issue with your business, these will all be manageable costs when they arise.
Monthly Subscription Pricing: When It Makes Sense for Your Small Business
Monthly cost of a website varies depending on the features in the package. Often, subscription services include a custom or template web design, and differing levels of hosting, maintenance, and content updates. There are even options including search engine optimization, pay-per-click advertising, and social media marketing.
Fitting Your Monthly Marketing Budget
Small businesses who engage in marketing to grow their business will often have a monthly marketing budget. Your website, and everything you need to make it function, should be a part of this budget. It can make the website easier to pay for, and not cause a strain on cashflow. You’ll always be aware of what you owe, like any other regular monthly bill.
Everything Expertly Managed For You
Paying monthly allows for a consistent team of experts on your side. The company you hire will be your marketing and technology department. Small business owners already wear enough hats. Having your website managed for you can allow time and energy spent in other business operations.
Incentive for Success
When you pay a company monthly, they have incentive to form a solid relationship with you and truly help your business grow. They’ll work hard to keep you happy because if you’re not, there is nothing stopping you from going to a competitor.
All-Inclusive, No Surprise Fees
Monthly pricing often involves packaging together a website, domain name, hosting, content updates, bug fixes, and other marketing options. For one monthly price, you can have everything taken care of with your website and online marketing. You won’t face any surprise fees if something breaks down or you need updates made. Sometimes this may be viewed as an insurance policy. You won’t always need things fixed or changed every month, but never facing sudden costs and having piece of mind can relieve stress on many business owners.
Still Not Sure Which Pricing Structure Makes Sense For You?
It’s okay! There isn’t one website price model right for everyone. Ask yourself, do you want a website built for you then you take care of it from there? Or would you prefer everything fully managed for you now and into the future? This can be a good place to start.
Why Cemah Creative Chooses a Monthly Pricing Structure
We choose monthly pricing for website design because it best fits the type of small businesses we love working with. Our clients choose us because they prefer having expert advice and guidance. We’re here to support them not only through the creation of the website but for the entire lifetime of the website.
We’re not always the right company for everybody, and we don’t pretend to be. There are countless small business situations needing different solutions than what we offer. If you’re really not sure what website service or solution make sense for you, give us a call! We’ll help point you in the right direction, without trying to sell you on us.