How Much Does a Good Website Cost?

[buster]

I heard the TDC's 4 year-old website is done for and that a new one has been estimated at $250,000. Serious question.

 

[Beach Runner]

OMG! That can't be answered quickly. It depends on what one is willing to pay for. Static content is one thing. But a real website has dynamic content, including a user-friendly CMS, online Q&A and possibly chat, PHP/MySQL (free) or some other technology for database management (storage and queries), and so many other things. The fonts, the graphic design, etc., must be spot on, it should be easy to navigate, it should be idiot-proofed for invalid user input, etc. Oh, and security must be of utmost importance if people are entering personal info into a GUI interface (or even a text interface) to avoid lawsuits, as well as encryption of data entry and transmission (although that is not bullet-proof, as evidenced by HeartBleed). Just a brief and incomplete outline of what some of the cost factors involve.

 

[Zebraspots]

How much did the last one cost? And does it have the things Beach Runner listed?

 

[Matt J]

The other issue is are they building it from the ground up or utilizing a base software such as Wordpress? Wordpress can be customized enough to fool even the most discerning nerd. It's free and has a very good update/patch history. In fact a local website company has used it for years for extremely overpriced websites, even violating copyright and terms of use, by altering it to look like their own custom proprietary system.

I also think that the actual traffic should be analyzed to determine an actual need. Low traffic doesn't mean you need a new website, it could simply mean that prior users have learned how to Google specifically what they are looking for.

Hopefully it'll actually be sent out for bid as opposed to the no bid write a check to a buddy system previously used.

 

[Beach Runner]

WordPress was primarily designed as a blogging tool with online publishing capabilities for those without the expertise to write the code themselves. It does create some nice-looking sites. However it's definitely not a substitute for a real website -- it's too limited in its capabilities.

 

[Teresa]

WordPress was primarily designed as a blogging tool with online publishing capabilities for those without the expertise to write the code themselves. It does create some nice-looking sites. However it's definitely not a substitute for a real website -- it's too limited in its capabilities.

I've heard Word Press has greatly expanded and offers much more for web design and creation for bigger web platforms these days. But, I'm no expert!

 

[Matt J]

Wordpress can do almost anything with plugins and the majority of them are free. In fact some major corporations use Wordpress as the core of their website.

 

[BBSeagroveBeach]

Local - I sure could use some advice. I need help with mine in GA

QUOTE="L0CAL;804841"]Wordpress can do almost anything with plugins and the majority of them are free. In fact some major corporations use Wordpress as the core of their website.[/QUOTE]

 

[Matt J]

I'm out of the website game. I can direct you to someone though. Sent me a PM with your contact info and I'll pass it along.

 

[Beach Runner]

WordPress gets "heavy" if you have a huge database with lots of queries. Other than that, I suppose WordPress would be okay. For the applications I write, my employer needs the power of Oracle.