January 20, 2021

By Zoey Taylor

When it comes to websites, you really don’t know what you’re shopping for until you have purchased one. Even then, if you have not rebuilt your website for a decade or longer you might not know what the average website costs to build. This can make it challenging to break down what investment to make to get the website your business needs to reach its full potential.

In this blog, we will showcase the main differences between a $2,000 website and a $20,000 website investment to help you make the best decision on which one is right for your business. 

Purpose

The first step in determining what you should invest in building a new website for your business, is to determine what the goal of this website will be. While at first thought you may assume everyone’s goal with a new website is to simply have an online presence, often the goal of building a website is more specific than simply being online. For example some common reasons Intrigue helps clients with building new website are to : 

  1. Generate more leads 
  2. Qualify leads better 
  3. Sell products online (eCommerce) 
  4. Establish more trust in the marketplace

Once you have figured out your goal(s), you can start to calculate what value it can bring to your business. For example, if you know the goal of your website is to generate leads, knowing how much a lead is worth to your business is important. That way, you can calculate the number of leads your website will need to bring you before the investment is paid off. Click here for more details on how to calculate the value of a lead and the ROI on your marketing efforts. 

Before we go any further in deciding what investment to make for a new website, it should be noted that there are three major components to every website:

  1. The Content
  2. The Design 
  3. The Technical Development and Infrastructure 

The Website Content 

It is important to take a look at what you currently have in place compared to what you want to have in place. When clients come to work with Intrigue, their website projects will range in size due to the volume of content they already have on their existing website vs. the amount of content they need.

Content is one of the most overlooked aspects of a website that often yields the greatest return. Content can not only help generate more high quality leads, it allows you to qualify your website visitors and helps with your online ranking in search engines such as Google. 

When it comes to creating content that you want to perform well in search, it has to meet the following criteria: 

1. Readability: needs to be easily readable and understandable for a large audience. You’re working on attracting a potential customer who does not work in the industry you do, so it’s time to drop the jargon and speak to the audience 

 2. Keywords: odds are you have heard this term before, and likely had people mention the importance of having keywords you want to rank for on your website. 

Working with someone who has done their research to know what information your audience is searching for, and what keywords should appear on your website impact your organic ranking in search as well as your paid ad performance. Work with a partner who does the keyword research for you if you want to show up when people are looking for your services!

3. Credibility: sharing information and resources that can be backed up or are written by a professional in your industry will build more credibility online with potential customers which will help with your website ranking and bringing in more leads. 

If you’re looking for a $2,000 website, having existing content for a developer to use on your new website is likely going to be a part of the process. For a website that is in the $20,000 range, you are looking at a website that will be built with a team of marketers which would include a copywriter who is focused on creating website content to meet your goals. Whether the goal is ranking well in search engines or qualifying customers before they contact you, content plays a large role in the web development process and should never be ignored. 

The Website Design 

Depending on the goal of your new website, design can be a really important component to help you achieve what you’re looking for.  If it’s important for your potential customers to make purchase decisions based on the designs or projects you bring to life, making a strong first impression on the homepage can make the difference between a user staying or leaving. 

In the case of our client Centre Staged Designs, an interior design and staging company, having a well designed room bringing the emotions of cozy and professional upon first impression is crucial for selling her design and home staging services. 

Interior Design Website Homepage

For clients like GM BluePlan, having a design that incorporates the wide range of solutions they provide while having an interactive user experience combines their innovation and practicality seamlessly. Visit their website to see how they have incorporated motion and not just imagery in their homepage design. 

Engineering website homepage

For clients like Bryan’s Fuel, the majority of people visiting their website are looking to switch service providers or are in a pinch with a home comfort issue. In this situation, it’s important to have top requested services easily accessible and present what we call ‘Above the Fold’ which is the part of the website that is visible before scrolling. 

HVAC company website homepage

We can see that each of these businesses have a unique approach applied to their website design based on the service they provide, and there is not a single solution right for everyone. If you have a goal to have website visitors contact you once they have reached your website, design is not something to ignore. 

The Website Development 

When it comes to websites, there are a large number of options available for content management systems. If you think of a website like a house, the content is all of your essentials from your plumbing to your electrical, while the design is your walls and doors, and the content management system you choose is the very foundation of your house. 

A content management system is what your website is being built in and this is where the development of a website can range from choosing a template to a full custom coded solution. It also ranges in the level of functionality and ultimately the performance of your website once it is built. 

At Intrigue, we most often build websites using WordPress. WordPress is a content management system that lends itself to be highly customizable which helps with design, functionality and optimizing for search engines. Other solutions in the marketplace include Squarespace, Shopify, Wix, Weebly, and Joomla! 

The biggest difference between some of these options is the customization and the opportunities to optimize for search engines or make regular content updates on your website. If ranking is not important and you’re looking to invest around $2,000 for a website, a Wix or Squarespace website could be a good solution for you. If ranking well against competitors for the purpose of generating leads is important, a website starting around $20,000 and built in WordPress could be a better solution for you. 

Who is Building Your Website 

The last point to make in this decision is who will be working on your website. If the goal of your website is to generate leads, working with a partner who understands marketing, Google’s search algorithm, and the opportunities for improving the quality of your average lead, working with a marketing partner will make a big difference. 

A $2,000 website is typically provided by a one-person operation who may not have all of the development, content, and design skills you need. A $20,000 website, on the other hand, is completed by a team of people who bring a variety of specific skills. Having a design expert, content expert, and a development expert all working together to deliver results will greatly improve the performance of your website once it is launched.

If you are interested in exploring a comprehensive solution for your new website, explore our Marketing Action Plan process. If you have any questions, reach out to us at any time — we’d be happy to help you assess which option is most suitable for your business and your goals.

As a Marketing graduate from the University of Guelph, Zoey is an Intrigue team member who was thrilled to find an organization she aligned well with out of university. Zoey is a marketer who loves helping businesses get noticed and found by their ideal clients. In the community, she is on the Board of Directors for the Young Professionals Network of Guelph and is on the fundraising committee for the Big Brother’s Big Sister’s of Guelph Wellington and Lakeside HOPE House Annual JOY Home Tour. In her spare time, she enjoys getting fit, being around dogs, the occasional shopping spree, and spending quality time with her friends and family.

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