Web Design Firm & Designer Comparison
We pulled together information from many website design firms, freelancers, and development firms across North Carolina to compile our comparison.
* Last updated on January 13, 2021 with new information.
What We Did
So you are thinking about having a new website created for your business, and don’t know where to start. You go to Google and search for a website design company or freelance designer, and find there are thousands of companies, designers, and developers that say they do website design.
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 we’ve gathered, such as; what skill-sets each type of website design company or freelance designer usually has, whether content strategy and SEO is included with your redesigned website, what’s usually included in the project scope, how long the project will take to complete, the average cost for a website, etc..
Types Of Design Companies & Freelancers Included In The Data
- Online Website Builders Comparison
- 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
*on small screens, scroll right to see more info.
| Online Website Builders | Subscription Websites | Boutique Agency | Mid-Size Agency | Large Agency | Development Firm | Junior 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 | Never |
Average Price | NA | $99+ / month | $12,000 - $30,000 | $25,000 - $75,000 | $100,000+ | $18,000 - $25,000 | $3,500 - $5,000 | $7,000 - $12,000 | $7,000 - $17,000 |
Holistic Website Quality | Your Skills | Poor | Good | Good - Great | Great | Poor - Average | Poor - Average | Poor | Good - Great |