Every business needs to have a website in today’s technological world. However, there is a difference between a professional website that looks attractive and that visitors will want to browse and one that is just there for the sake of it, having had no thought or money put into it at all. This is even truer because most people will have a website, and the public will be expecting something both interesting and user-friendly when they click your link.

You need to ensure your website stands out, and that means budgeting correctly for it. When there is so much to pay for in your business, this can seem unnecessary, but your website is your shopfront – it’s the first thing people see about you. Therefore, it is important to make a good impression. Here are some ideas on how to budget for your website.

Know What You Want

The first step in budgeting for your website (or anything else in your business or your life in general) is to know what you want and what you don’t want. It’s important to have everything you want to be included on your website and to know what is not necessary so that you can investigate how much certain elements are going to cost.

If you run a business selling products, then an online shop might be ideal for you. If you sell services or you are a consultancy of some kind, then an online shop may not serve you well, for example. In that case, you might prefer job costing software so that visitors can determine what they are going to pay, at least approximately.

Design

The more complicated the design of your website and the more customized you want to make it, the more it will cost you. It is possible to use standard WordPress templates, which will be free or very inexpensive if you want to save money, although you may still want to hire a design expert to create the look you want.

Some things to consider when it comes to design are:

• Images – will you take your photos? Will you use stock images? If so, will you pay for them or use royalty-free sites? The benefit of this is that the images are free to use, but other people can use them too, so you may not look unique.
• Content – who is going to write your content for you? Since you know your business best, it can make more sense for you as a business owner to write the content of the site. Hiring a content writer can help if you’re busy or lack the skills, but again it will add to the cost.
• Functionality – what do you need your website to do? Are you looking for people to find out more about you and contact you via the website? Or do you want people to buy directly from the site without contacting you at all? Knowing which option is best will help you to create a design and budget for it.