From changes in technology, to changes in the economy; from customer education about the costs and benefits of creating a website, to the shift toward international outsourcing for technology solutions, and then back again.

This industry bears many factors which could influence the direction website design prices might shift in, and yet, those prices have remained relatively stable over the years.

For customers and would-be designers alike, this article will be informative about what the typical price ranges are for professional website design services, and why those prices have stayed stable at those levels through thick and thin.

The Basic Price Range

An established business web design firm can expect to bill between $30 and $150 per hour. That broad range reflects the equally-broad scope of tasks that might go into core website design contracts. It also reflects the level of demand on a single designer or design firm's time.

Certain web designers can ask any price they want, and get a steady flow of contracts. It's all about reputation and confidence. A client who was deeply satisfied, saw return on investment, spent minimal time in an effective consultation process, and had their socks knocked off straight from the first round of mockups, will happily pay website design prices upwards of $150 per hour - and even prefer those prices rather than pay $30 to a firm they've never worked with before, even one with an excellent portfolio.

In a similar vein, that same designer can pull new clients at that top shelf price with a lot less trouble than you'd think.

Will certain prospective clients refuse to glance twice at a high-priced bid like this? Of course. Such a designer moves on until they find a prospect that recognizes the higher value behind the higher bid. When you're looking at contracts for 60 hours, 80 hours, or 360 hours worth of work, such a designer can afford to spend an extra week gaining the right contract for a client willing and able to pay 400% of another client's budget.

Then, of course, there are the skills being used in the project itself. A flat HTML template design is a very straightforward job which never steps outside of a designer's core skill set. There's no risk involved for the designer, with such a contract. These "pick-up gigs" mainly serve to round out the designer's income, so that designer might cut a deal compared to their usual price range.

Other Factors Affecting
Website Design Prices

Of course, the job isn't always as clear-cut as simple design. Many web designers have additional skills, and many clients prefer to choose designers who do.

In the second part of this article, we'll talk about how those other skills can affect the prices for web design, and compare those prices to the alternative, of hiring two different professionals to complete the job.

Continue to part two: Web Designer Prices Explained.