Understanding the value of your website
John Hill aka Small Mountain ??
Sales author, consultant, and trainer. Teaching founders, freelancers, and teams how to sell like a trusted guide via the SHERPA method.
"I really don't know how much to budget for my website."
This comment is one of the most common that I hear in my conversations, with good reason. The industry doesn't lend itself to clear pricing and with options ranging from price per hour, price per page, to no money now but you have to pay our monthly maintenance fee for 36 months it is very difficult to know how to compare apples to apples and make a decision about what is best for your business.
Understanding the goal of the site and how the goals impact your business is the best way to try and decide what your investment should look like. It isn't unlike hiring a sales person. If you were hiring a sales person, they would be assigned a quota or a sales target for bringing in new revenue. Your website has the potential to be a productive member of your sales force and you can go through the same process you would when determining how much you would pay a new revenue producing employee.
Consider how much business you would like to have from your website, and then decide if that need lines up with the budget you are considering spending.
Geof and I talk more about this here.