Many clients are pleasantly surprised that my prices are often less than half the price of most other web firms. They still receive the same caliber of product, same customer service, same security precautions and time frame (usually faster!). How do I do this? First it is important to realize all the costs that are usually involved when you get a site developed through a professional web firm.
- office mortgage / rent
- salaries of various support staff when assembling the efforts of people with different skill sets.
- material costs for all these people – computers, software licenses
- markup if actual work is being done by a third party company or individual
- other expenses with having employees
The cost is similar to a fast food restaurant where the price of the napkins, straws etc are factored into the price of your food. The costs of all of the above items are factored into the price of your web project. For many other industries, having specific tasks delegated to different people can lower the per unit cost and makes a lot of sense. However, the web is a unique industry where this is simply not the case. Websites can be viewed on almost any computer with an internet connection and a web browser. Similarly, websites can be built with a computer running the proper software and an internet connection. In most cases, there is really no need for an office which adds considerable cost to a project.
I also develop sites faster. By having a single person with the entire web skill set the project can be viewed from a design and technical perspective at the same time. The overall process of going from concept design to functioning website is smoother and faster. There is also no re-doing of work due to miscommunication. This means less billable time needed for a project which means a lower price tag for clients.
Many organizations I talk to have smaller budgets for web compared to previous years. Wouldn’t it be nice to have the same amount (or more!) web related service, at the same quality for a much smaller price ?