What Does a Professional Website Cost Anyway? Part 1
I decided to invest in a swimming pool. I called company A, and they said “our pools start at $40,000”. “There’s no way I will spend that!” I thought. So I called company B.
The owner came out, assessed our yard, needs, goals, and created a custom quote. He explained the value in all the line items. The quote came out to about $40,000.
I told company B “I thought pools cost $20,000?” He wisely answered me “I can build you a pool for $20,000, but it won’t be what you want nor need to get the value you’re looking for in a pool. It will cause more frustration in the long run.”
I saw the value, went with company B, and never once regretted the investment!
In today’s digital world, a strong online presence is crucial for success - especially for nonprofits and small businesses - and investing in a well-designed and maintained website can make all the difference.
Did you know that 75% of users start judging an organization’s credibility based on its website design? A well-designed website helps establish trust, enhance brand image, and make a lasting impact on visitors so they want to continue engagement.
Why Should Your Organization Invest in a Good Website?
Your website needs to be found so you can reach more people. Content expectations of a website have changed drastically over the years. In the past, just having your organization’s basic information on the web was enough.
Now, times have changed and there’s a lot of competition, which makes it difficult for your website to show up in search results. Your website must have specific keywords to be found.
Most donors, clients and volunteers start their search online. They see a cause or problem they feel connected to and search online to find more information. Oftentimes, they aren’t looking for your specific nonprofit or business when they start searching. They’re trying to help solve the problem. They type a query into a search engine and want the most up-to-date information available. If your website doesn’t clearly showcase how you solve that problem or cause, and if you don’t use the right keywords, then the likelihood of your website being found easily reduces drastically. This is where SEO & marketing strategy come in, but that’s for another email….
For example, someone sees a hungry child on the streets. They see the problem of child hunger, so they type into an online search “help feed hungry children in Houston”. If your website says something catchy like “providing relief to families” but doesn’t actually state that you feed hungry children in Houston anywhere on your site, they most likely won’t find your nonprofit online and they’ll go another route to help solve the problem.
The design and content on your website must be created with your audience in mind, or that audience will not stay. For nonprofits, this is even more challenging because you have multiple audiences - donors/volunteers and the beneficiaries or clients you serve.
How do you attract multiple audiences and give them what they’re looking for right away? A high-quality, fresh website does just that, especially if you use a StoryBranded website, and it sure does work! A compelling website with clear call-to-actions for those audiences can increase conversion rates by a staggering 200%. Additionally, over 50% of all website traffic comes from a mobile device. If your website isn’t optimized for a mobile device, you have a high risk that the user will not return.
So you can increase your donations and revenue. Businesses and nonprofits with effective websites grow much faster than their competitors. The user experience is a gold mine for ROI, as research shows that every dollar invested in the user experience brings in $100 on average, an ROI of 9,900%.
The website acts as a 24/7 marketing tool, driving conversions, sales and donations while saving costs by streamlining processes and automating tasks. It even works while you sleep!
Understanding the Costs
Sure, you can build your own website or hire a friend who took an IT class 10 years ago to create your website, but it may not be the website you want or need for your nonprofit or business to thrive. However, we understand that based on your stage of growth, it may be the only affordable option. If that’s the case - we do encourage you to go with what you can afford and start saving for a professional website if you are looking to grow. It’s important to note that inexperienced web designers often don’t know what impacts search engine optimization (SEO), may not have an eye for design, and may end up costing you more in missed sales, donations and conversions than you would spend on hiring a professional.
So what does a new website cost?
Well, what does a new house cost? As you know, a new house varies dramatically in price - consider location, size, materials, quality, amenities, and so forth. You can buy a house for $100,000, and you can buy a house for $1,000,000.
Websites also have varied pricing depending on multiple factors.
Stay tuned for next week’s email as we explain the costs of a website in detail and how each one affects the user experience and your business or nonprofit.
