So, you are thinking about creating a new website for your business and don’t know where to start. You go to Google and search for a website design company or freelancer and find thousands of companies, designers, and developers who say they do website design and website optimization.
So where do you start, and how do you choose the best web design company to complete your project? To help, we’ve done some of the leg work for you.
The comparison chart below includes information that our team has gathered, such as what skill sets each type of website design company or freelance designer usually has, whether the content strategy and SEO are included with your redesigned website, what’s included in the project scope, how long the project will take to complete, the average cost for a website, etc.
Design Company/Freelancer Types Included In The Data
- Online Website Builders and Software (Example: Squarespace
- Monthly Subscriptions (Example: Web.com)
- Boutique Web Design Agency
- Mid-Size Web Design Agency
- Large Digital Agency
- Website Development Firm
- Freelance Web Designer
- Freelance Web Developer
The Results
*on small screens scroll right to see more comparisons.
| Website Software | Subscription Websites | Boutique Agency | Mid-Size Agency | Large Agency | Development Firm | Freelance Designer | Freelance Developer | Linchpin SEO | |
| What’s Included | |||||||||
| Design | Basic Templates | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | Yes |
| Development | Basic Code | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Maybe | Yes | Yes |
| Information Architecture | No | No | Maybe | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | Yes |
| Content Strategy | No | No | Maybe | Maybe | Yes | No | No | No | Yes |
| SEO Included / Priority | No | No | No | Maybe | Maybe | No | No | No | Yes |
| Transition / Relaunch Plan | No | No | No | No | Maybe | No | No | No | Yes |
| Google Analytics Setup | No | Maybe | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes |
| Website Management Offered | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Design | Development | Yes |
| Content Creation | No | No | No | No | Maybe | No | No | No | Maybe |
| Team’s Skillset | |||||||||
| Design | Your Skills | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | Yes |
| Development | Your Skills | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Maybe | Yes | Yes |
| Information Architecture | Your Skills | No | Maybe | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | Yes |
| Content Strategy | Your Skills | No | Maybe | Maybe | Yes | No | No | No | Yes |
| SEO | Your Skills | No | Maybe | Maybe | Maybe | No | No | No | Yes |
| Relaunch Planning | Your Skills | No | Maybe | Maybe | Maybe | No | No | No | Yes |
| Content Creation | Your Skills | No | Maybe | Maybe | Yes | No | No | No | Yes |
| Additional Info | |||||||||
| Project Pricing Type | NA | Subscription | Hourly | Hourly/Project | Hourly | Hourly/Project | Hourly | Hourly | Project |
| Completion Time | Your Skills | 1-2 Months | 3-6 Months | 3-6 Months | 6-8 Months | 1-3 Months | 1-3 Months | 1-3 Months | 1-3 Months |
| Understand Holistic Marketing | Your Skills | No | Maybe | Maybe | Yes | No | No | No | Yes |
| Will They Need To Outsource | Probably | Yes | Maybe | Maybe | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Average Price | NA | $99+ / month | $12,000 – $30,000 | $25,000 – $75,000 | $100,000+ | $18,000 – $25,000 | $4,500+ | $7,000 – $12,000 | $7,000 – $25,000 |
| Holistic Website Quality | Your Skills | Poor | Good | Good – Great | Great | Poor – Average | Average | Poor | Good – Great |