Hey everyone! I often come across vague cost estimates for website development—for instance, a business site can range from $5k to $15k, while e-commerce sites typically start around $10k. But I rarely find actual examples with disclosed costs. I'm really curious to know if anyone can share specific websites (like company sites, online shops, or portfolios) where the development cost has been publicized. It would be awesome if you could also mention who built the site, whether it was a freelancer, an agency, or an in-house team. I think seeing these concrete examples would be super helpful. Thanks in advance!
5 Answers
In the US, you can file a FOIA request to get data on any public project and find out about their website development expenses. Just keep in mind, you might need to pay for the data collection. Joining local business groups could also help; many smaller businesses are willing to share their experiences if they don't feel pressured to sell something in return.
Look into public budgets from entities like government offices or charities; they often have their development costs available. Try targeting smaller projects or recent campaigns that didn’t require large in-house teams. Some countries even have transparency databases for this kind of information!
You're right; you probably won't hear much about these costs since the higher-priced projects tend to be more permanent. Websites tend to accumulate ongoing costs for maintenance and updates, which might not even reflect the initial development cost!
It's tough to find exact figures because costs can vary dramatically. I’ve worked on projects that ranged from $5k to as much as $2 million! The final price usually depends on the client's budget and the complexity of the project. Interestingly, I've seen more expensive sites that had fewer features compared to cheaper ones. So, there’s no straightforward answer here.
What business domain was the $2M site in? I'm curious!
Yeah, it can be tricky. Established sites are likely to reveal costs for maintenance and ongoing improvements rather than just launch costs. Have you thought about reaching out directly to providers to discuss potential projects? They might give you a ballpark estimate based on similar work.
Was there any specific engineering reason behind that big price difference?