People Actually Pay that for a Website?

Time and time again, potential clients turn to LevelTen for guidance on their impending web project and without fail their astonishment never ceases to amaze me. As I begin to discuss our process, clients are impressed with our in-depth system and attention to detail, but as the conversation turns to the budget, that enthusiasm is quickly vanquished. That's a little out of my budget, is probably the most common response, but my favorite are those who reply with the "People actually pay that for a website?" The problem lies not in the fact that our prices are generally higher than our competition, but rather the fact that so many companies out there offer free or extremely inexpensive sub-par solutions. Think of it like buying a car, you can find a car for $500 or you can spend more than $500,000 on your new vehicle; the truth is, you can find millions of vehicles in ever price range, but a used Ford Probe will never be a showroom new Ferrari Enzo. While both the Probe and Enzo function similarly, they remain strikingly unique in output results. I use the word results, because the reason People actually pay that for a website, is due to their demand and expectations for a certain level of return on their investment. For some clients that return is a measurable dollar figure, for others it is an increase in traffic to their website, and for those finite few it is simply a way to strengthen their brand and further enhance their credibility. At LevelTen we pride ourselves on functional websites that, given the clients goals and specifications, provide the greatest return for their investment. As a company, we look for every opportunity to exploit our client's website's potential; from design and application to marketing and retention, there is always room to improve. Just like the car I mentioned earlier, a new site will still need maintenance, tweaks, and adjustments in order to run and operate smoothly; neglect one area and the consequences could be very costly or impossible to repair. In the end, there is no system to just kick out a magic budget number, but if you think your site has the potential to make $100,000 a year, then be prepared to put $100,000 or more into it.