The Difficult Task Of Convincing Clients That Web Design Is Much More Than A Template 

The current website design marketplace is one that is crowded with different choices for clients (and web designers and developers). We’re not the only talented creative designers competing for space, nor are we spared by the DIY web design service providers that promise the whole heavens and God’s throne inclusive (all for a token monthly price).

So, it has never been easy for professional web designers to convince the doubting Thomases web design clients who say “It’s just a template for crying out loud!” As you can see, it takes a bit of something extra to help convince prospective clients that what you are offering is far beyond a template ordinarily. So, we are going to be going through some tips to help you make and win your case.

But…before we get to that, let’s consider what a real website costs.

So, What Is The Cost Of A Website? A Word From The Experts And Guru

If you’re into a business—whether operating online or offline—one of the most important things you need is a website. The digital world that drives today’s commerce demands it. But, the question is, how much does, or should a good website cost?

Now, when talking about a great website, we mean the difference between a custom and a “just-a-template” website. Here is where professional web design expertise comes in because, if the client insists on his/her just-a-template mantra, his/her lack of expertise in the design field may radically affect the overall design quality.

Once that happens, and the client will have learned later on from somewhere else that he/she could have gotten something better. We could even make the argument that they got what they paid for. However, it’s more likely that they would never become one of those repeat customers you’ve been craving since forever. In the end, you only have yourself to blame for losing a potential life customer just because you were too eager to cave in to the “half a loaf is better than no bread” poor man’s thinking.

To help protect you from victimizing yourself, let’s hear what the gurus are saying, so you get to know what custom and highly professionally designed websites cost. This will enable you to get something tangible across to the client and be on the better side when making your case.

The average upfront cost of any professionally designed website (including both designing, developing and launching) ranges from $12,000 to $150,000. Periodic maintenance can be from $40 to $5,000 per month, or an annual range of $400 to $60,000.

If you think the above is too huge a price for a website, then you’re still misunderstanding web design quality.

There is a reason why some web designers like Lee Blue is making it big even though he never sells any website designed on the WordPress CMS (content management system) for less than $3,000. Everything boils down to knowledge. There is a lot that goes into making excellent website design, especially for sites based on the WordPress platform.

Talking about WordPress sites, what is WordPress web design anyway?

What Are WordPress Websites And The Cost Associated With It?

At its best, WordPress is the most popular user-friendly ways you can exploit to build your website or blog. The WordPress platform accounts for more than 35% of the entire websites working on the Internet. Of course, for every site you visit online, more than that is powered by WordPress.

If you’re a beginner, you must know that there is hardly any better way to build a website than on WordPress. You can create any type of site using WordPress, and make an otherwise intricate website design more comfortable to understand for a client. This is one of the reasons why WordPress websites are in hot demands.

The WordPress platform gives you more than just a template, and that is something you have to make the client understand. But, unfortunately, we have discovered that many web designers undercut cut themselves when taking website projects based on the WordPress CMS. This is because many of these designers don’t understand the true value of WordPress.

WordPress has four essential components that interact with one another to create an HTML page. These are the Core Files, Theme Files, Plugins Files, and the Database. Knowing how these components work will help you guide yourself when quoting a price for a WordPress Website design project.

Are you looking for a WordPress website cost blueprint? Well, since all websites aren’t the same, the price of each will depend on individual preference.

Many factors are involved that wildly determine the overall cost for the client. Things like the type of website involved, domain name and hosting, and the primary technology/software that powers the website. Other crucial components, design/setup and development, and maintenance are factors that would determine how much the client would pay, especially if they aren’t sourced free.

In addition, the cost of creating a WordPress website will also depend on the speed at which you want it to run, what you want the website to achieve, how much traffic flow you want coming to your site, as well as how safe and secure you want it to be. That is to say, the amount of cash your client will spend on the entire process will ultimately decide how capable and functional the site becomes.

In the end, the client should expect to spend between the ranges of $570 to $52,827.

That said, let’s present you with some tips that will help you to convince a website design client that your work is more than just a template.

13 Things A Web Designer Should Tell Clients Who Say “It’s Just A Template”

1.     Your nature of business demands the scope and cost of the proposed design 

If you have a potential client that’s using the “It’s-just-a-template mantra,” or one that says “I can easily get a cheaper alternative from Squarespace or Wix,” don’t cave in so easily. Try to educate the client on the differences that the untrained eyes can’t picture easily, and why his/her work falls in the category, you’re quoting.

Explain to the client the difference between custom functionality vs. limited functionality of a website. Create a full and easily understandable scope that illustrates the features that are involved in building a custom website of the type he/she is requesting.

Let the client know that their project requires in-depth roadmapping and technical sessions that will assist in identifying the goals and direction of their business. Then, their primary target audience, and how all of it affects the directional flow of the audience, as well as the cost you quoted.

Lastly, make the client know that there is a difference between a WordPress.org website and a WordPress.com website, which greatly influences the cost, depending on the one chosen.

2.     I’m offering you premium quality consultations for your business needs

Another thing you can tell a web design client who says “It’s just a template,” is that his/her project demands precise web hosting solutions, and you only consult for the best to help achieve their needs.

Do not treat this as a surface level recipe, explain to the client whatever hosting solutions you’re recommending and why you think they’re the best. Be confident when you try to convince the client by saying “While I sincerely think your suggestion has the potential to benefit the project, I’m overwhelmingly certain that proceeding with the hosting solutions I’ve recommended will deliver better positive results.”

3.     No free web design template offers automated and round-the-clock management of pre-existing branding materials

Again, you can let the client know that there is no auto organization of existing company materials. To ensure that no gaps are left untouched, you, the web designer, or the client would be responsible for filling the missing links in written form, as the project moves forward. This is not possible with using just a template.

4.     All-round project management 

Go ahead and tell the client how you will be performing extensive project management. This may involve helping in defining the project objective, stakeholder analysis, managing deliverables such as sitemaps and page layouts, project planning, tracking, and more. Explain to them that a template doesn’t automatically do these things.

5.     Top-quality security for the client site

Let the client understand that once his/her website goes live (online,) it must be protected from potential hackers and crash programs. Explain to the client that you will be using state-of-the-art security measures like a firewall, a CDN, HTTPS, SSL certificates and backups that will keep their business safe.

6.     Guarantee premium theme for a client 

Clients are always on the lookout for the very best, and this includes the theme they prefer and select to give a quality display.

If the client is debating the project due to cost, you can tell him/her that whatever premium quality theme they are willing to buy or has bought already, is vetted by you. This will embody the client to trust that the theme they’re buying is lightweight, well-documented and is from a trusted developer that will not vanish in a few months.

7.     Custom-made vs. pre-design websites

Since the use of WordPress.org in creating a website is free, most people who are not sufficiently knowledgeable in professional website designing are quick to states that sites are just about the template.

If your client makes silly remarks like that, make them understand the difference between a real custom-made website design compared with pre-design ones like those offered by Squarespace.

Let the client understand that the custom website you’re proposing you will build around his/her business and the core message he/she wants to promote.

Also, reply to the client that you’ll be designing the site’s overall architecture and navigation process, while logically and intuitively organizing the site’s contents, especially for clients that do not have a sitemap.

8.     Providing primary on-page SEO for all clients website pages

Let the client know that his/her website will include basic SEO (search engine optimization) that will help rank their business on search engine result pages (SERPs) and bring it closer to its target audience. To achieve this, the site would need on-page optimization, which demands great WordPress plugins that cost between $100 and $200 (or more).

9.     All-round platform and selecting critical plugins for ultimate configuration and functionality is a Herculean task

Let the client know that premium plugins perform better and increase the functionality of their website. No template’s theme on WordPress comes with social sharing. The only way is by getting a separate social media plugin that will give the client good looking (and most importantly, functional) social sharing. Configuring this custom plugin and other related stuff to function properly takes some time and effort. Each plugin functions differently, and it’s crucial to get the ones that would meet the demand of the project requirement and the client’s needs. Again, make sure the client understands the explanations by pointing out the difference between unpaid and paid plugins such as CodeGuard, blogVault, VaultPress, and BackUpBuddy.

10.   Necessary routine and well-detailed revisions of work done

Inform the client that the website designing process involves a timely review of all aspects of the project and taking corrective actions if any variations exist.

11.   Incorporating Reliable API integration for performance

Tell the client that his/her website design project requires a dependable Application Programming Interface (API). This is a set of functions and communicational protocols that will help in creating applications and giving instructions to software that access the features or data of service, operating system or application system, e.g., mailing lists, social media, etc.

12.   24/7 customer service-providing answers to Clients’ innumerable questions 

Replying to a client who wants to pay less on a project while being a sleepless time clock that would be ever ready to reply to all of their infinity questions.

13.   Providing documentation, post-project education, consultations, etc., for clients

Educating the client on best practices after project completion to ensure optimum use of the site is equally important.

Also, you must include some levels of documentation, such as a contractual conscience clause as a way of protecting yourself. While doing this, don’t be dismissive or too assertive, try to balance with the clients’ view even if the client raises a different perspective.

When it’s all said and done, everything will depend on the client’s needs. But, once you can stand your ground based on the above steps, you shouldn’t have a problem handling any WordPress web design client who says things like “It’s just a template,” and wants to undercut your price.

Conclusion: Why Entrepreneurs Who Want A Website Need To Research More And Understand What They Really Want

If you’re an entrepreneur who wants to get the best for your business website design, it would behoove you to do more research. Many business owners make the mistake of rushing to get a website just because they were told it’s going to bring them more customers. They rush to get a website out of excitement and ignorance on what web design and development actually entails and how it will truly bring them more customers.

There are a lot of unknown facts that go into making a website. For instance, if your website is built around your name—how great you are—and not what types of problems you solve, you will end up getting a useless website that doesn’t deliver the expected result.

To avoid such pitfalls, make sure you get serious, do more research, and be prepared to invest more. Your business demands it.

Focus on solving problems and providing results, not concentrating on features. Get to know much about your customers even before they require your services, and build your site around them, not yourself. Help people to know, remember and trust you. Of course, all of these can only come from researching and finding a professional who will create a well-built WordPress website at the best price.

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13 Things To Say To Web Design Clients Who Say “It’s Just A Template”