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  • How to Find & Hire a Professional Website Designer that Fits Your Budget

    How to Find & Hire a Professional Website Designer that Fits Your Budget

    You know you need a new website, but how do you hire a professional website designer with the skill sets you need? How can you find someone in your budget to deliver your desired product? Should you just DIY? This article provides answers to these exact questions—and many more. 

    This article is for you if you’re a marketing leader, business owner, or website manager. We’ll guide you through finding a trusted website to show you precisely what you should look for.

    When looking into building a new website or updating an existing site, one of the first choices you’ll have to make is whether you should do it yourself with a DIY website builder, hire a freelancer, or hire a professional web designer. And if you hire a professional, where do you start?

    Many ecommerce and website platforms claim to be so easy to use that it makes you feel like even your grandma could create an attractive website by herself in no time. 

    However, not so long ago, there would have been no question of hiring a pro to create your website. The rise of online tools like website builders like Wix, Squarespace, SiteBuilder, and others has made it much easier for anyone to build a decent website. 

    Just because you can, though, doesn’t always mean you should. It’s a decision that’s worth weighing carefully since, for some projects, a professional cannot be replaced by a tool.

    In the end, with web design and development, you can use a DIY website builder, hire a freelancer, or a web design agency. Each option offers different advantages and disadvantages and varying prices. 

    It’s a decision that’s worth weighing carefully since, for some projects, a professional cannot be replaced by a tool.

    However, every growing business eventually needs to partner with a professional freelance web designer or web design agency to create a website that works for their business. Here’s how to find and hire a professional website designer you feel great about that fits your job and budget.

    Considerations on Choosing a Website Builder vs. Web Designer

    Suppose you are like most people who are smart and savvy enough to use a DIY website builder to create your new website. Why not do that rather than find a professional web designer? Here are a few thoughts to consider.

    Templates are generic

    Unfortunately, the ease of using DIY website platforms like Wix, Squarespace, SiteBuilder, and others, is also their Achilles heel. They skip the design process by offering design templates for you. That’s all fine and good. However, it’s hard to stand out when you use a generic template. 

    When you do, your website looks like thousands of others. Getting stand-out business results is hard when you’re thrust directly into building your website without considering website strategy and web design, which is where the professional web design process starts.

    Most people still need help with their website after using a DIY website builder

    Most people who use a DIY website builder want to throw their laptops out the window because it’s frustrating when your DIY website doesn’t stand up to the quality of your competitor’s custom website. 

    Most people realize they need some design help if they want a professional website that attracts potential customers, processes sales, and provides other tangible results for their business. 

    You wouldn’t believe the number of Consult Calls where a potential client seeks our professional web design services after failing to do it themselves.

    A third-party website builder, like Wix or Squarespace, still requires web design experience. Even though these do-it-yourself (DIY) website builders can help your team create an attractive website, they don’t ensure a user-friendly site, which is critical if you want people to purchase your product or contact your company.

    DIY website builders don’t replace professional web designers

    A visual website builder does not replace finding and hiring professional web design services. In other words, you don’t use a DIY website builder if you need a professional website design. Those two solutions are for different problems.

    If you’re starting and don’t have a big budget, you should consider a DIY platform because you don’t need a professional website.

    If you’re a growing business with an established customer base and a website, you should consider finding a professional website designer because a DIY builder won’t cut it.

    Suppose you’re willing to spend more to get more. In that case, you should hire a professional web designer to create a premium, customized web experience that creates value for your business and customers.

    Typical Troubles When Trying to Find & Hire a Professional Website Designer

    At first, it seems like it should be easy to find and hire a professional website designer. After all, web designers are everywhere! 

    However, as you may have already discovered, sifting through the many web designers to find one with the skills and experience that match your needs can feel overwhelming. Not to mention that it’s a significant challenge to find and hire a professional website designer within your budget.

    As you start to wrap your head around what it will take to hire someone, you also begin to see some problems. 

    Most professional website designers are hard to find

    You’d think a website designer would have a website that’s easy to find. Not always! More often than not, they don’t have much of a presence on the internet because they’re inundated with client work.

    That’s both positive and negative. On the one hand, they’re focused on their clients! That’s a noble trait for any professional to be focused on caring for their customers. On the other hand, when new clients are looking for their services, they’re almost impossible to find.

    That’s precisely why you’re reading this article today! “How do I find them?!” 

    Most professional website designers are inefficient

    Once you find one, finding one that fits your budget is a challenge.

    That’s because they want to design cool stuff! Budgets, timelines, and processes. Yeah, right! Most agencies, especially local agencies, became an agency because their founder started as either freelance web designers or developers and eventually built a team around themself to complement their skills.

    However, they don’t invest in their operations. If they were a designer, they hired a developer and vice versa. Then they hire a writer and an SEO manager. Their team then becomes excellent at doing work but not organizing it. 

    The result is that they get bogged down, bottlenecked, and struggle to deliver what they promised within the scope they promised it.

    Most website designers are one trick ponies

    Many web designers only have one or the other skill set in their toolbox. They may be incredibly skilled at web design and able to design a beautiful website from scratch, but they might lack the technical skills to develop your site on a web platform.

    On the other hand, web developers tend to have excellent technical chops and understand how web platforms work, but they may not have the eye for web design that you need to create a professional-looking website.

    Most web designers don’t have clear pricing

    The age-old question getting millions of searches monthly: “What does a website cost?” The answer depends on dozens of factors, including the website designer.

    You can shop around and quickly receive a quote from one website designer for $5,000 and another for $50,000. You told them both the same thing; what’s the difference? 

    The difference is precisely the problem. 

    Most website designers don’t have a standardized pricing process that helps them provide cost-effective and consistent pricing to their clients. They make guesses and hope it works out. Frequently, their guesses are either way too high or way too low.

    This is why Structure uses simple website design packages that are clear and defined. This greatly benefits our clients because they can select the package that fits their budget.

    When to Find & Hire a Professional Web Designer

    Website design agencies have teams of skilled web designers and developers that can help you create the website you’ve always wanted. Additionally, they have standardized pricing processes that ensure you’re not overcharged or undercharged for your project.

    If you don’t know what you need, hire a web design agency

    Designing and building a professional website requires planning. Suppose you do not know your project requirements, budget, timeline, or expectations. In that case, you’ll need an experienced agency to consult with you to evaluate your current website, identify what you need, and propose what you should spend. That’s called Website Strategy or Website Planning. 

    Most of the time, this happens when established businesses have an existing web presence. Still, their website is difficult to use, holding them back from growth, or doesn’t reflect the quality of their products or services anymore. 

    Whether it wasn’t designed or built correctly, or your business has outgrown its website, you’ll need a multi-skilled web designer or web design team who can help.

    In this case, you need to find and hire a professional web designer with a track record of website redesigns specializing in web design strategy and user experience design. Typically, this is a web design agency or website design service like Structure.

    Hiring a web design team will help you identify what’s currently working on your site, research to understand how users interact with your site, and then redesign your website using the existing infrastructure. If they’re as good as they say they are, they’ll know that it’s best not to reinvent the wheel and to use as much existing content and structure as possible. 

    Hiring a design team isn’t cheap, but you’ll do it right.

    If you have a complex website, hire a website design agency

    What is a complex website, you might ask? A complex website would include a website with functionality for e-commerce, multi-site capability, high traffic, dealer or store location finders, and product quizzes, to name a few. Sometimes even a website with only a few pages can be complex if it supports data integration or processing with business systems like a CRM (Customer Relationship Management), ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning), or ESP (Email Service Provider).

    For example, one of our website design, development, and website management clients, TotemMats.com, has a simple website that doesn’t look very complex. However, the short contact form on every page captures data and sends it to multiple business systems in particular ways that require precise configuration and management.

    Everyone wants e-commerce these days. Still, most don’t realize there’s far more than goes on in the background to support beautiful product pages, smooth checkout experience, and shipping notifications than just how it looks to the customer. Even when you use a CMS like WordPress with an out-of-the-box ecommerce platform like WooCommerce (our recommended ecommerce setup), there are still many requirements to consider and implement: product information, payment processing, shipping options, inventory tracking, and management, notifications, and so much more.

    If you want a custom design, hire a web design agency

    Most freelance web designers use website templates to complete their work. They either use a template entirely or find one online and customize it to meet your requirements. While that can be a cost-saver if that’s what you’re looking for, it means that your website is not genuinely custom or unique to you.

    If you want a custom website design, hire a web design agency to take you through a custom website design process. If they’re good, they’ll consider your current brand and audit your website, including how people use it. They’ll create a custom design that supports your objectives and builds on the success you already have. You’ll improve the wheel without unnecessarily reinventing it.

    This is an often unknown benefit of hiring a professional website designer if you’re redesigning your website. They have a process in place to identify and leverage the good that you have. They’ll also make improvements that won’t hurt your traffic or sales but will improve them.

    Another downside of using a template is that they don’t consider your current pages, templates, or what’s working. A template is a default that might hurt a otherwise valuable page that should’ve stayed as close to the original as possible. A good web design agency will know this and help you navigate the process.

    If you have a budget larger than $5,000, hire a web design agency

    If you have a large budget and want to get the most out of web design, hire a web design agency. An experienced web design agency will take your website from concept to completion in one package. They’ll help you assess requirements, plan wireframes, determine content strategy, develop mockups, etc. They’ll also help you create designs and assets, integrate any features or functionality needed (e.g., an e-commerce platform or web application), and launch the website.

    A web design agency also typically offers web hosting, maintenance, security, and digital marketing services—all of which are essential components of long-term success on the web. Furthermore, they’ll provide ongoing support to ensure that your website is always up-to-date and secure.

    In short, web design agencies aren’t cheap. However, they have the expertise, resources, and experience to bring your web project from concept to completion—no matter how large or complex. They can help you envision a website supporting your business’s long-term goals and creating an engaging user experience.

    If you need ongoing website support, hire a web design agency

    If your web developer isn’t in-house, they may not be the right choice for updating content or managing web hosting services. Agencies usually offer web maintenance and hosting services. That way, you don’t have to worry about finding and managing separate web maintenance contracts.

    In addition, should any web development issues arise, a web design agency can provide the expertise needed to resolve them quickly. If a web developer isn’t available or doesn’t have the necessary level of knowledge, it could take longer to resolve any issues.

    Ultimately, web design isn’t a one-time event—it’s an ongoing process. To ensure your website meets your requirements and remains successful over time, web design agencies are often the best choice for web projects of any size. They provide the necessary web maintenance services, web hosting expertise, web optimization advice, and web design services under one roof.

    How to Find a Web Design Agency

    Here are a few ways to find the perfect web design agency for your project! Take your time and do plenty of research. This will help you find the right web designer that fits your budget and meets your needs.

    Search on Google for an agency near you

    Start by searching in Google for “custom website designer in Oregon” or “custom web design agency in Arizona,” for example. Just change out the state for wherever you live. If you’re in a large metropolitan area, try “website designer in Boise.”

    The more specific you are, the better results you’ll get. If you want to find and hire a professional website designer specializing in manufacturing websites, try “manufacturing website designer in Oregon.”

    A web designer should have a portfolio of designed or developed websites that you can review. Look for style, functionality, and usability.

    Search on LinkedIn when looking to find and hire a professional website designer

    You can also search LinkedIn for a web designer focusing on your industry or region. You can use the search box for free. Or, if you have a Premium account, use the Sales Navigator features to find specific website designers you might be looking for.

    Ask for referrals in your network

    Don’t forget that you can message professionals in your network. Ask if they know anyone who could help you with web design services or refer you to someone who does.

    Ask friends, family, colleagues, and professional contacts for web design referrals. People often know web designers who fit their budget and provide the style of web design they’re looking for. This can be done on LinkedIn or anywhere.

    Post an RFP on an agency matchmaking platform

    Through platforms like Breef, companies can post a job and receive pitches from vetted agencies. You’ll get access to an intuitive platform to post your job requirements and budget. Then receive proposals from web designers matching your needs.

    Search review and referral sites

    Check out web directories such as Clutch or Agency Spotter. You’ll find agencies with reviews from past clients and an overview of their services and portfolio.

    Find agencies in website footers

    Finally, look at websites of companies like yours that have an excellent web presence. See if they list their web designer in their website’s footer or elsewhere onsite. If they do, you have a great starting point for a few specific web design agencies to reach out to.

    When to Find & Hire a Freelance Web Designer

    Freelance web designers are often a great solution. If you’re on a budget and need to start quickly, finding and hiring a web designer is the way. Freelancers are also great if you seek web design services but don’t require ongoing support.

    If you know what you need, you might consider a freelancer

    Do you have wireframes and project specs ready to go? Are your website goals documented and clear? Do you have a list of all the functionality required? If so, you can find freelancers who will run with your goals and strategy.

    You might not need a full-time freelancer to build your new website if you’re that savvy. A part-time front-end developer/web designer be efficient enough to make a few tweaks.

    However, you might need to start there if you don’t have your website planned and ready to plug in a designer. Or, consider hiring a web design firm to help you iron out those details.

    If you have a simple website, you might consider a freelancer

    If you’re looking for a web designer to update an essential website or build a simple one, freelancers may be your best bet. They can work quickly and efficiently with the right specs, often cheaper than web design firms.

    A simple website would not include e-commerce functionality, events, complex forms, or web apps. Typically these types of websites are strictly informational or, we’d call, brochure websites.

    The waters can get rough if you think you have a simple website, but it’s more complex than you realize. You might hire a freelancer who doesn’t scope the project correctly. They might think it’s a simple, straightforward project, and the bar is low.

    Then, they’re over their head, and you’re frustrated that it’s way more complicated than it should be. When, in fact, it was already complex to begin with.

    That’s why you should only hire a freelancer if you already have a website plan. In that situation, the expectations are clear, and you’ll get what you set out for.

    If you want a quick and dirty process, you might consider hiring a freelancer

    It’s no secret; a web design agency has many clients, team members, and projects. One of the things you pay for with an agency is a Project Manager. The project manager gives you a white-glove experience throughout the web design process, from kickoff to launch. You’ll have a curated, clean expertise because they deal with the dirty details.

    One detail they deal with is all the specialized human resources required to complete your project. The upside of this approach is that the Project Manager knows the process backward and forward and can deliver a great result. The downside is that a team of people is directly working on your project, not the Project Manager. The work has to get handed off from one person or group to another, coordinated by the Project Manager, which elongates the timeline.

    However, contracting with a freelance web designer is an excellent option if you want to manage the project yourself. Some web designers will even offer discounts for clients who don’t need as much handholding throughout the web design process.

    If you have a budget of $5,000 or less, you might consider a freelancer

    Hiring an agency may not be ideal or economical if you’re on a tight budget. That’s why freelance web designers are an excellent option for small businesses with a $5,000 or less budget. Many web design agencies may require retainers or offer packages that start at a higher price than your entire budget.

    Freelance web designers may have exceptionally reasonable rates for smaller projects. You can even find and hire a professional website designer that offers a la carte services, so you only pay for the pieces of web design you need.

    How to Find a Freelance Web Designer

    Ask for referrals in your network

    Send a message to professionals in your network and ask for freelance web designer referrals. LinkedIn is a great place to start, but you can also contact friends, family, colleagues, and professional contacts. Many people know freelancers who fit their budget and provide the style of web design they’re looking for.

    Search on a freelance hiring platform

    Freelance web designer hiring platforms are great places to start your search. You can find and hire a professional website designer with specific skills, portfolios of work, and competitive pricing levels. Many platforms also feature pre-vetted web designers who have passed the platform’s vetting process.

    Here are a handful of freelance web design platforms to consider using.

    1. Toptal
    2. Upwork
    3. Dribbble
    4. Behance
    5. People Per Hour

    Run a design contest

    Design contest sites are web design marketplaces where designers can bid on web design projects. The web designer with the best web design concept wins the job, and you only pay for the winning web design concept.

    Once you post your project, web designers can submit concepts. You can review them in real time and provide feedback until you find the web design you want to purchase.

    1. 99designs
    2. Crowdspring

    How to Evaluate and Hire a Professional Website Designer

    Don’t be like a dog who finally catches its tail. Once he gets it, he doesn’t know what to do with it! Once you decide whether to use a DIY website builder, hire a freelancer, or a web design agency and identify a few prospects, it’s time to evaluate them.

    1. Review the designer’s portfolio/work

    First things first: review the web designer’s portfolio. Look for web design projects similar to what you need. Also, review the web designer’s style and ensure it aligns with your brand. If you don’t love the web designer’s portfolio, you probably won’t love what they do for you.

    2. Read reviews

    Look for web design reviews from previous clients. This can give you a good gauge of the web designer’s customer service and final product quality. Typically a web designer’s website will feature reviews. But if it doesn’t, check out third-party review sites like Clutch, BBB, and Trustpilot.

    3. Check out the pricing

    Finding a web design company that doesn’t force you to overspend (or underspend) is crucial. Checking the price tags of various designers will help you determine which ones fit your budget.

    This can be tricky because it’s hard to pinpoint an exact price for building a website. The cost depends upon what you need on your site. This is one of the ways you can evaluate the difference between a good website designer and a great website designer.

    Excellent, experienced website designers will have a process for providing accurate quotes. Novice website designers will scramble to offer a semi-realistic quote.

    Furthermore, many companies don’t publish their prices online. They want you to contact them to get their pricing. This makes comparing costs challenging and seeing which company fits your needs and budget best.

    Because pricing can be ambiguous and mysterious, Structure provides a WebsiteBuilder Quiz allowing you to input your desired information. We’ll instantly recommend a website design package that fits your selections and invite you to book a Consult Call to discuss it with one of our website experts.

    4. Schedule a consultation call

    Once you’ve identified web designers with the portfolio, style, and reviews you’re looking for, schedule a consultation call or video chat. This is the web designer’s chance to demonstrate their web design skills and ask clarification questions about your web project.

    This is also your opportunity to assess the web designer’s communication capability and ensure they understand precisely what you’re looking for. Determining if the web designer is a good fit for you and your web project is essential. If something doesn’t feel right, move on and find another web designer who fits better.

    How to Ensure Your Web Designer is a Good Fit

    1. Ask for a written proposal with costs and a timeline

    Finally, ensure the web designer has experience delivering projects within your budget range and timeline. Don’t be afraid to discuss budgets and deadlines upfront. This will help you find and hire a professional website designer to deliver a great product with your requirements.

    2. Request references

    Lastly, always request web design references from the web designer. Ask their web design clients to provide feedback on web designers’ customer service, quality of work, and how well they stayed within budget and deadlines. References are a great way to ensure you’re hiring a web designer with a track record of success.

    Common Questions About How to Find & Hire Professional a Website Designer

    What is a website builder?

    A website builder is a web design tool that allows users to create and customize webpages with drag-and-drop tools—without requiring design and coding knowledge. Each tool’s design capabilities vary, but most provide customizable templates, web hosting, domain name registration, web analytics tracking, ecommerce, and more.

    Website builders can be an excellent way for someone to get started who doesn’t know anything about website infrastructure, strategy, design, development, or management. However, running a website with a builder is incrementally more expensive and won’t sustain all your web needs as your business grows. That’s when people often turn to a professional for help.

    Who should use a website builder?

    While it might seem like a good idea to hire a professional website designer, for many businesses, it’s not the best move. If your business falls into one of these categories, you’re probably better off using a website builder.

    • Hobby
    • Blogger
    • Unfunded Startup / New Business
    • Solopreneur
    • Unproven Concept
    • Small Non-profit

    A website should pay for itself within a few short years. If you can’t get a return on a professional website in that time range, go with a website builder.

    Is a DIY website builder or professional web designer best for me?

    Working with a professional website designer isn’t free or cheap. Design firms usually start around $5,000 for their services. However, you could lose a lot more than that if you DIY haphazardly.

    If you’re a new business, with a new website, on a tight budget, then an affordable website builder is the way to go.

    If you own a business with an existing website generating over $250,000 per year, using a ‘free’ website builder could cost your company countless hours and significant revenue in lost sales from beginner website mistakes.

    What’s the difference between a freelancer and an agency?

    A web designer freelancer is an independent contractor who provides web design services. Freelance web designers typically charge by the hour, and they’re great for web projects with smaller budgets.

    On the other hand, web design agencies employ web designers to fulfill web design projects. Agencies usually offer a more comprehensive range of web design services, including web design, development, and maintenance. Agencies are a great choice for web projects with higher budgets.

    How much does it cost to hire a professional website designer?

    The cost of hiring a web designer varies based on the type of project you’re looking to have completed – whether that be an ecommerce web design, web application, or web maintenance. The web designer’s expertise and the complexity of your web project also determine the web designer’s price.

    Generally speaking, web design projects with more complex requirements cost more than straightforward ones. Web design freelancers typically charge between $500 – $5,000 per project. Web design agencies charge between $3,000 – $100,000 on average.

    What’s the difference between a UX designer, a UI designer, and a web designer?

    UX design focuses on user experience, web design is about visual appeal, and UI design combines both.

    • UX designers create web flow diagrams to determine users’ steps when using the website.
    • Web designers build web pages based on these flows, following the web design guidelines set by UX designers.
    • UI designers create user interface elements like buttons, typography, and web elements. They work closely with web designers to ensure web design follows web development standards.

    Should I hire a web designer that uses themes or templates?

    Not if you can afford it! Doing web design with themes is a fast way to create web pages. But it’s not the most custom-fit web solution. A web designer that uses themes or templates won’t be able to provide as many web design features and options as a web designer who works from scratch.

    Hiring a web designer who builds web pages from the ground up ensures you get a custom-fit web design. This web design approach will take longer and cost more. However, it will provide you with a unique web product like your brand.

    How do I find a web designer I’ll love?

    Want to find a web designer you’ll love? It starts with identifying web designers with experience in similar web projects. You can ask web design firms and development agencies for references or check out web design portfolios.

    Once you find potential web designers, interview them and ensure their web design skills meet your web project requirements. Don’t forget to ask web designers for references from past web projects. Review their web design portfolio to determine the quality of their web design work.

  • One Website, Six Budgets: What Does a 0 and Up Website Budget Look Like?

    One Website, Six Budgets: What Does a $500 and Up Website Budget Look Like?

    Structure’s mission is to deliver the most efficient yet human website design and build experience while being on budget. We ultimately improve our client’s businesses by helping them get better business results from their websites. 

    One of the ways we do this is by providing unbiased information about website design and development costs upfront. Hence, potential clients have a better idea of the budget they need for the project they envision. 

    We also go through a website project budgeting exercise with all new clients during onboarding and design their website to that budget. We have website designers and developers with many years of experience on staff. We have created countless website estimates over the years, so we share what we know from our firsthand experience around website design costs to help clients planhttps://wearestructure.com/website-budget-template/ a successful project. 

    What Do Most Websites Cost?

    Potential clients frequently ask us what different budgets will afford them: “Is $5,000 a good budget,” “What will $10,000 get me?” or “What does a $50,000 website even look like?”. 

    So, we devised a breakdown of one website with six different budgets, from $500 to $100,000. As you’ll see, a budget can be exhausted quickly in website design and development, but with smart choices and good planning, you can make the most out of any budget.

    Remember that these estimates are if the website is designed and built top-to-bottom. Most clients phase large projects so that payments (and development) are completed in manageable chunks over time.

    Any website design or budget exercise starts with the existing website. Gather all your website ideas and inspiration, then note what you’d like to keep, remove, or add. 

    Let’s assume the website we will redesign has the following five pages with no more than basic functionality. Think simple, local, small business website.

    1. Home page
    2. About page
    3. Products or Services page
    4. Blog page
    5. Contact page (with a basic contact form)

    A $500 Website Redesign: Personal

    Ultra-low budgets like a $500 website are only possible using a DIY platform, theme, or template. It’s doubtful that you’ll be able to hire anyone to help redesign the website unless they’re just starting and you’re one of their first clients.

    The best options are using WordPress with quality hosting and a premium theme. You’ll likely need to buy the theme and a few plugins to go along with it. You could start with Squarespace or Wix; however, if you’d like to grow shortly, you’ll want to migrate or replatform to WordPress—so you might as well start there if you’re able. It’ll save you time and money later!  

    • WordPress Hosting (through WP Engine): $250/yr
    • WordPress Theme: $200
    • Contact Form Plugin (through Gravity Forms): $50

    A $5,000 Website Redesign: Informational

    The $5,000 website budget stays very simple, but you no longer need to DIY and have room to find a website freelancer. Most freelancers would be thrilled to redesign a website on this budget.

    With this budget and someone helping with the work, you’ll get a website template that’s semi-customized and molded to your needs, with a few additional bells and whistles. 

    For example, the contact form might be more advanced with drop downs, radio buttons, or multi-page. The web designer might also include text animations or cleaner breakpoints for mobile devices.

    Lastly, you’ll likely be able to include some SEO and content creation or population help there. You’ll still be sourcing media and managing the project yourself.

    • WordPress Hosting (through WP Engine): $250/yr
    • WordPress Theme: $200
    • Contact Form Plugin (through Gravity Forms): $50
    • Freelance Template Customization & Build: $3,500
    • SEO & Copywriting: $1,000

    A $15,000 Website Redesign: Transformational

    The $15,000 website redesign makes a giant leap and allows you to hire help and add uniqueness to your website with a custom design. Additionally, you’re likely getting out of most freelancer territory here and will need to find and hire a professional website designer like Structure to design and build your website.

    At this budget, you’ll also get away from website themes, templates, and DIY platforms like Squarespace or Wix and will get a custom design unique to your business. 

    You’ll have the chance to consider your Website Strategy: how your company uses your website, how your customers are using your website, and how you can design and build your website to facilitate quicker purchases and simpler user flows. This is something that your website design team could facilitate with you.

    • WordPress Hosting (through WP Engine): $250/yr
    • WordPress Theme: $200
    • Contact Form Plugin (through Gravity Forms): $50
    • SEO & Copywriting: $2,500
    • Custom Design: $7,000
    • Development: $5,000

    Along with custom design will come professional copywriting and stock image sourcing. You’ll want to let someone else help clarify your message on your website.

    A $25,000 Website Redesign: Transactional

    At $25,000, your custom-designed website and professional content will get new functionality. At this price point, you’ll be able to add e-commerce functionality, payment processing, and integrations to your business systems, like your Customer Relationship Management (CRM) platform, Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) platform, your Email Service Provider (ESP), and others.

    • WordPress Hosting (through WP Engine): $250/yr
    • WordPress Theme: $200
    • Contact Form Plugin (through Gravity Forms): $50
    • SEO & Copywriting: $3,500
    • Custom Design: $10,000
    • Development: $5,000
    • Service E-Commerce Pages & Payment: $5,000
    • Business Systems Integrations (CRM, ERP, ESP): $1,000

    Your website has turned from personal to transactional. You can now use your website for more than just information and brand recognition; it’s a business tool that can take orders, support customers, and process data.

    A $50,000 Website Redesign: Growable

    The $50,000 website is entirely custom while still on a CMS like WordPress and built for processing transactions at scale.

    With the same 5-page structure, this budget invests beyond the website infrastructure into optimizing and growing the website operations. You’re investing in content development, Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO), and Content Marketing and advertising for growth—plus help with website management to keep it running smoothly.

    • WordPress Hosting (through WP Engine): $250/yr
    • WordPress Theme: $200
    • Contact Form Plugin (through Gravity Forms): $50
    • SEO & Copywriting: $5,000
    • Custom Design: $10,000
    • Development: $5,000
    • Service E-Commerce Pages & Payment: $5,000
    • Business Systems Integrations (CRM, ERP, ESP): $1,000
    • Content Marketing & Ads: $17,500
    • Website Management: $6,000

    A $100,000 Website Redesign: Scalable

    A $100,000 Website Redesign further expands the content into custom photography and video, increasing SEO, CRO, Content Marketing, Advertising, and Management budgets.

    • WordPress Hosting (through WP Engine): $250/yr
    • WordPress Theme: $200
    • Contact Form Plugin (through Gravity Forms): $50
    • Copywriting: $5,000
    • Custom Design: $10,000
    • Development: $5,000
    • Service E-Commerce Pages & Payment: $5,000
    • Business Systems Integrations (CRM, ERP, ESP): $1,000
    • Custom Photography & Videography: $18,000
    • SEO & CRO: 
    • Content Marketing & Ads: $37,500
    • Website Management: $6,000

    How to Design to Your Website Budget

    At Structure, we discuss your budget at the start of the website design process to minimize surprises when it comes to build. We want to ensure our design team can personalize your website, delivering a vision that includes what’s most important for business and industry—while keeping costs within range. 

    Ready to level up your website and grow your business with a professional website design? Schedule a Free Consult Call or explore our design packages today!

    Common Questions About Website Budgets & Cost

    What should I budget for a website in 2023?

    If you’re alive in 2022, you’ll notice that costs are going up around you. Your website will likely cost more next year than it does this year. However, the cost factors are the same.

    These factors can include the complexity and size of your website, the features you require, your industry and business goals, and the level of expertise of the website designer or agency you hire. Additionally, costs may be affected by market conditions and competition.

    However, some general estimates can help to provide a starting point. For example, according to Entrepreneur magazine, the average cost of building a simple website from scratch is between $3,000 and $15,000. Factors that impact this price range include the complexity of your design requirements, the number of pages, and the level of technical expertise involved.

    The costs may be much higher if you want to develop a more complex website with interactive features or ecommerce functionality. However, there are many ways to reduce your overall web design budget by working with an experienced agency like Structure that offers custom packages and flexible pricing models. 

    Ultimately, the best way to determine the cost of your website design is to take the Website Builder Quiz or Schedule a Consult Call and discuss your goals, design requirements, and budget constraints with Structure. With this information, our team can work with you to create a custom package that meets your needs and budget.

    Can I build a website for less than $500?

    You don’t have to delay building a website because you can’t afford a professional web designer or developer. Keep in mind that you may not get a full-blown e-commerce store; there are many things you can do (including selling products) for $500 or less.

    Most people who build a website for less than $500 do so for a specific reason. You might want to test a market or your web presence and determine what kind of customer base you will have once you get off the ground. 

    Or maybe you have a successful brick-and-mortar store and need to expand online to increase sales and business. You want to do it quickly and cheaply to ensure it’s even going to work before you pay $15,000 to $50,000 for a website. 

    Whatever your reason for building a website for less than $500, research and choose the right platform or template. We recommend WordPress if you’re looking to integrate into complex business systems or Shopify if you want an all-inclusive, simple platform. 

    Ultimately, whether you can build a website for $500 or less depends on your goal and skills, but it’s possible to create an online presence at a meager cost.

    What factors go into website cost?

    Several factors can impact the cost of website design, including the complexity and size of your site, the features you require, your industry and business goals, and the level of expertise of the designer or agency you work with. Additionally, costs may be affected by market conditions and competition.

    Some common examples of website features that can affect the total cost of your project include ecommerce functionality, custom design and development, SEO optimization, and integration with business systems like CRM and ERP. Other factors that can impact costs include the quality of your content, the level of personalization you require for your site visitors, and whether you need any ongoing support or maintenance services.

    That said, here’s a standard estimate of website cost factors for most websites annually.

    • Domain ($0.95 – $12 / DOMAIN)
    • SSL certificate ($0 – $1500 / CERTIFICATE)
    • Website hosting ($24 – $24,000 PER YEAR)
    • Style or theme ($2,000 – $15,000)
    • Responsive design ($3,000 – $25,000)
    • Website pages ($1,000 – $10,000)
    • Interactive media ($250 – $10,000)
    • Content management system ($2,000 – $25,000)
    • Ecommerce functionality ($2,000 – $25,000)
    • Database integration ($2,000 – $25,000)

    Can I get financing for my website design project?

    Yes, there are many options for financing your website design project. One popular option is to work with an agency that offers flexible payment plans and custom pricing models, such as Structure. This can help you spread your project’s cost over time while getting a high-quality website that meets your needs and budget.

    Other financing options may include working with a bank or other financial institution, taking out a personal loan, or using online platforms like Kickstarter or Indiegogo. 

    In our article: Website Budgeting: What to Spend, Where to Save, and How to Finance, you can learn more about our recommendations for financing a website design, redesign, or development project.

    How much should I budget for a website builder?

    Many website builders offer low-cost plans with basic templates that allow you to quickly get online at an affordable price.

    Website builders can be free or cost up to $500 monthly, with annual maintenance fees between $0 and $5,400. The cost of a website builder will depend on several factors, including the features and functionality you require, your budget constraints, and the level of support and maintenance services included in your package.

    However, we would be remiss if we didn’t mention the opportunity cost of a website builder. What you don’t pay for in money, you will pay for in time.  Building a website yourself or with the help of an agency requires extensive time and expertise, which can sometimes be just as expensive—if not more so—than working with a website builder.

    Suppose you consider using a website builder to develop your online presence. In that case, it is crucial to carefully evaluate what you’d be losing in time or sales if you try to build your website yourself because the opportunity cost may be higher than the custom website design package cost you were considering.

    How much should I budget for website maintenance? 

    Keeping your website up and running can range from $35 to $50,000 (or more) per month, depending on several factors. However, it’s important to note that prices vary monthly, so many service providers may request upfront payment for the entire year.

    Factors that can affect your monthly website maintenance costs include the size and complexity of your site, your industry, the level of customization required, and whether you need ongoing support or updates. Other considerations may include marketing services and marketing automation tools to help increase traffic, engagement, and conversions on your site.

    To get a more accurate picture of your website’s total costs, consider the upfront and ongoing expenses of developing, maintaining, and growing your online presence. 

    How much should I budget for website marketing?

    Companies spend anywhere from $2,500 to $12,000 monthly marketing their website. Some invest even more, depending on the marketing strategies they pursue.

    Services like SEO, Content Marketing, and Digital Advertising all fall under the umbrella of digital marketing. This is just a tiny sample of what’s included in the budget for marketing. Your company can decrease costs by cutting down on how many strategies it employs.

    If a company solely decides to focus on SEO rather than adding digital advertising into its marketing strategy, it will have lower costs. Revenue and sales numbers have improved for businesses that use digital marketing as part of their plan; however, this method’s success is contingent upon your website.

    For example, marketing tactics such as SEO and Digital Advertising bring users to your website. If you want these visitors to stay on your site, it’s essential to have a user-friendly design that is easy to navigate.

  • 3 Steps to Eliminate Contact Form Spam from Your WordPress Website 

    3 Steps to Eliminate Contact Form Spam from Your WordPress Website 

    There’s nothing more annoying than contact form spam bots burying your inbox in mountains of fake submissions. Here’s how to stop it—for good.

    Spam bots are automated computer programs that submit incorrect information onto your contact or email signup form. They’re always looking for ways to assume control of your site, server, or email address so they can use it to send out spam emails. Even worse, they might pilfer your email list, so they have a new set of people to bug with their spammy messages.

    Spamming is often an uphill battle because spammers and bots constantly change their methods. However, there are some steps you can take to reduce the amount of spam that gets through successfully.

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    Take our 10-minute Digital Maturity Assessment and receive a FREE, personalized digital growth score that uncovers gaps and drives your business forward.

    Take the Free Assessment →

    How to Directly Prevent Contact Form Spam

    1. Enable a Honeypot

    Honeypots are hidden contact fields that spammers will likely fill in, but users never see. Spam bots will see these fields and try to submit them, revealing themselves as a bot. Best of all, when the bot fills out your form, that form submission will go straight to the trash instead of your inbox.

    The best way to enable a honeypot is to use a contact form plugin with built-in honeypot functionality. For example, plugins like Contact Form 7 and Gravity Forms have honeypots.

    2. Add reCAPTCHA

    Another great way to protect your contact form from spam is to add a reCAPTCHA field. This is a simple checkbox that users must tick off for their contact form submission. If it’s not checked, the contact form submission will automatically be thrown out, and nothing happens – no new client, user, or extra mail in your inbox.

    There are two different types of reCAPTCHA available: visible and invisible.

    Visible reCAPTCHA

    The little boxes you see on websites to confirm that you’re not a robot are called reCAPTCHA. They could be better, but they’re much better than previous options and do an excellent job filtering spam.

    They work by comparing the contact form submission against a database of known spam email addresses. The contact form submission is considered spam and discarded if there’s a match.

    Invisible reCAPTCHA

    Invisible reCAPTCHA works precisely the same way but replaces those visible contact forms with a tiny element that users never see. Like its visible counterpart, this invisible field successfully filters out all contact form submissions from bots.

    3. Add a Conditional Submit Button

    If the above two methods aren’t cutting, adding a single-line text field to your form, which asks a simple question that only humans can answer, will bypass any bot. A natural person should be able to answer the question correctly, whereas most bots won’t. If someone gets through your form at this point, you’ll know it’s a human.

    Earthcruiser contact form submit button
    Earthcruiser conditional form submit button

    Enable button conditional logic based on this question field in your form plugin settings. If the submitter doesn’t input the correct answer, the form can’t submit. The trick is to simplify the question so anyone can answer and then only let through forms with the correct answer. 

    Here are some examples: 

    • 4+7=?
    • A dog has how many legs?
    • Everyone who lives, _________
    • USA is the acronym for __________

    No single anti-spam method in the world can catch 100% of spam. Because of that, you can find hundreds of anti-spam techniques and services across the internet, some that work and others that don’t. For complete elimination, we recommend using all three methods simultaneously.

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    Take our 10-minute Digital Maturity Assessment and receive a FREE, personalized digital growth score that uncovers gaps and drives your business forward.

    Take the Free Assessment →

    How to Indirectly Prevent Contact Form Spam

    Choose a reputable WordPress website host

    Choosing a reputable WordPress website host is an essential step in preventing contact form spam.

    Many hosting providers are notorious for being plagued by contact form spam, so you must look into your potential host’s reputation and track record before committing. Some things to look for include: 

    • A history of contact from spam issues and how the hosting provider has dealt with them
    • Robust security features, including firewalls, malware protection, and data backups
    • Fast loading speeds and reliable uptime guarantee to minimize the likelihood of contact form submissions getting lost or stuck in a queue for too long

    The way to find out is by placing a simple Google search like, “Does GoDaddy have spam issues?” You might run into a community article posted in October 2021 titled, “Why does Godaddy have such a major problem with inbound/outbound spam?” It’s worth looking into.

    By choosing a reputable host with solid security measures, you can rest assured that your contact forms will stay as spam-free as possible and that you’ll be able to collect all of the valuable contact information you need from your website visitors.

    When you purchase a WordPress Website Management Package from Structure, we’ll evaluate your hosting and recommend switching to our preferred hosting partner with a good history. We’ll even help you make the switch!

    Use a quality WordPress form plugin

    Another critical component to preventing spam is using a high-quality WordPress contact form plugin. Because contact forms are so vulnerable to bot attacks, choosing a plugin with solid security measures and anti-spam features is essential. 

    Look for plugins that include: 

    • Email verification capabilities – these can prevent bots from submitting contact forms by requiring users to verify their email addresses before sending messages
    • IP filtering or restriction options – these will help keep your contact form submissions from being intercepted by spammers who might be spoofing legitimate IP addresses to bypass security filters
    • A built-in captcha feature – this will stop bots from accidentally submitting contact forms, either due to typing errors or simply not understanding the instructions on the form

    With a quality contact form plugin and reliable hosting, you can rest assured that your contact forms will be protected from contact form spam. At Structure, we recommend using the Gravity Forms plugin to create and manage contact forms on your WordPress site. 

    Install a WordPress anti-spam plugin

    Installing a WordPress anti-spam plugin is the final step in preventing contact form spam. There are many different plugins available, each with different features and capabilities. Some popular plugins to consider include: 

    • Akismet – this plugin uses an intelligent system to filter out contact form spam based on keywords and patterns that indicate bot behavior
    • WPForms AntiSpam – this plugin incorporates honeypot technology to fool bots into thinking contact forms are filled out by humans, thereby stopping the bots from submitting forms in the first place
    • Anti-Bot Contact Form – this plugin uses various security measures, such as CAPTCHAs and javascript logic tests, to prevent contact form submissions by spambots

    With the right WordPress anti-spam plugin, you can keep contact form spam to a minimum and ensure that only legitimate contact form submissions are received. All our WordPress Management Packages include a free anti-spam plugin.

    How to change the security preferences on your Google reCAPTCHA

    1. Log into your Google reCAPTCHA admin console to access your settings

    If reCAPTCHA is already set up:

    • Log into the Google reCAPTCHA Admin Console: Google reCAPTCHA
    • Click on the Gear Icon (top-right corner).
    • Adjust the Security Preferences Slider:
    • Increase security sensitivity if spam persists.
    • Click Save Changes.

    If reCAPTCHA is NOT set up:

    • Register a new site at Google reCAPTCHA Admin.
    • Fill in the necessary details:
      • Label: Client Name – Website reCAPTCHA
      • reCAPTCHA Type: Choose v3 (for seamless background security) or v2 (if client prefers the “I am not a robot” checkbox).
      • Domain: Enter the website URL(s).
      • Owners: Keep Structure Access as the primary owner.
      • Accept terms and submit the form.
    • Copy the Site Key and Secret Key and store them securely in Structure’s internal documentation.
    • Add the new reCAPTCHA keys to the WordPress contact form plugin settings.
    • Test the form to confirm functionality.

    Common Questions About Contact Form Spam

    What is contact form spam, and how can it affect my website?

    Contact form spam refers to sending automated messages through contact forms on websites, often in an attempt to promote unrelated products or services. This can negatively impact your website by clogging up contact forms with unwanted submissions and potentially disrupting workflows, business processes, and other essential activities that rely on contact information from contact forms.

    How does contact form spam affect my website and user experience?

    Contact form spam can negatively affect user experience. However, the effects are primarily behind the scenes.

    This behind-the-scenes contact form spam wastes resources and potentially harms your website’s credibility, security, and performance.

    1. Inundation of Irrelevant Content: Spam submissions flood your contact forms with irrelevant and often inappropriate content, making it challenging to manage genuine inquiries.
    2. Misuse of Resources: Dealing with spam consumes valuable time and resources that could be better spent on legitimate tasks.
    3. Loss of Legitimate Leads: Legitimate inquiries might get lost amidst spam submissions, causing you to miss potential business opportunities.
    4. Security Concerns: Some spam may contain malicious links or content, posing security risks to your website and its users.
    5. Performance Impact: Large volumes of spam can slow down your website’s performance, affecting loading times and user satisfaction.
    6. Data Integrity: If your contact form database is cluttered with spam, it becomes challenging to maintain accurate and valuable user data.
    7. SEO Implications: If spam content is published on your site, it could impact your SEO efforts and search engine rankings.

    Implementing effective spam prevention measures is essential to maintaining a positive online presence and providing a smooth user experience.

    Are there any common techniques spammers use to bypass contact form security?

    Spammers are quite crafty when it comes to bypassing contact form security.

    They often use sneaky tactics like automated bots that can flood forms super fast. Sometimes, they toss random characters in hidden or normal fields to confuse the system. They might even switch up their IP addresses to stay hidden.

    Some of them have software that’s pretty smart and can solve CAPTCHAs, making those puzzles less effective. And get this; they might even hire people to manually submit spam content, making it trickier to spot.

    They’re also known to disguise themselves as regular browsers by faking their user agent info. Plus, they can hide links, keywords, or stuff within the form fields to make it look real. Sneaky, right?

    It’s smart to use various security measures, like CAPTCHAs, honeypots, and IP blocking, to tackle all this trickery. Mixing it up helps keep those pesky spammers at bay.

    How can I prevent contact form spam from affecting my website?

    You can use key strategies to prevent contact form spam from affecting your website. These include choosing a reputable hosting provider with robust security features, using a high-quality WordPress plugin for contact forms, and installing an anti-spam plugin to protect contact form submissions from bots. Additionally, you can stay up-to-date on contact form spam trends and best practices by consulting resources like online forums and blogs dedicated to website management.

    What are some key considerations when choosing a contact form plugin that will help me prevent spam?

    Some key considerations when choosing a contact form plugin include its ability to integrate with your existing website, whether or not it includes security features like anti-spam capabilities, and its level of usability and accessibility for both you and your users. 

    Other important factors include the availability of support from the plugin’s developer and any built-in reporting tools that can help you monitor contact form activity over time. Overall, it’s essential to do thorough research to find a contact form plugin that meets all your needs and successfully protects your website from contact form spam.’

    With these strategies, you can eliminate contact form spam from your WordPress website and maintain high security and productivity. 

    Can spam entries still get through all three spam-eliminating steps?

    Unfortunately, yes. However, if you’re using all three spam-eliminating steps indicated in this article, you can be sure the contact form spam entries are from real humans.

    Unless you want to eliminate humans from filling out your form, you’ll have to put up with a few annoying folks here and there.

    Is there a way to eliminate humans from submitting spam entries?

    Yes, there is! One way to protect your contact forms from human spam is to disable right-click functionality on your WordPress site. 

    Here’s how this works. Disabling right-click functionality can help hinder human spammers from copying and pasting their information into your forms. This will require them to manually enter the information or use keyboard shortcuts (not everyone knows them).

    Several plugins can help you implement this functionality, namely WP Content Copy Protection & No Right Click and Disable Right Click For WP.

    I’ve heard you can Block Traffic by IP Address. Is that possible?

    Yes, it is possible to block contact from spam by IP address. However, it’s important to note that some IP blocking methods may inadvertently block legitimate traffic, so using this approach cautiously is essential. 

    If you want to block specific IPs, you can add them to the Comment Blacklist field on the Discussion settings page of your WordPress admin panel. Advanced site owners can do this through their web host, cPanel, or a security plugin like Wordfence or Sucuri.

    Cloudflare also offers several services that protect your site (and forms), such as IP Access Rules, allowing you to block entire countries easily. This is particularly helpful if you’re in the United States and notice a flurry of spam entries from Russia or China, for example. They also provide solutions to mitigate DDoS attacks or stop malicious bot abuse.

    Overall, many different approaches are available for effectively blocking contact from spam, one approach is by IP address, and each website owner must determine which strategy works best for their individual needs.

    See Structure’s WordPress Website Management Packages for help blocking IP or another method.

    What WordPress plugins are available to prevent form spam entries?

    Many WordPress plugins can help you prevent spam contact form entries. Some popular options include Akismet, Anti-Spam by CleanTalk, Really Simple Captcha, and Simple Cloudflare Turnstile. Additionally, numerous premium options are available if you’re looking for more robust features or support. 

    However, regardless of which plugins you choose, it’s important to regularly audit your contact forms, remove invalid entries, and respond quickly to any contact form submissions that look suspicious or potentially malicious. This will help keep your contact form spam-free and ensure the smooth operation of your website. 

    If you need additional support or guidance managing your contact forms, Schedule a Free Consult Call to review your website, suggest solutions based on your unique needs, and help you implement them quickly.

    Can CAPTCHA or reCAPTCHA solutions effectively stop contact form spam?

    You bet! CAPTCHA and reCAPTCHA solutions are like those tricky puzzles you solve to prove you’re not a robot. They’re pretty good at stopping most spam because they’re simple for humans but tough for automated bot spammers.

    CAPTCHA challenges might have you typing in twisted characters or solving basic puzzles. They’re decent at stopping some bots, but the smarter ones can sometimes get past them.

    Now, reCAPTCHA is like the superhero version. It’s from Google and uses fancier challenges, like identifying stuff in images or solving puzzles. Plus, it’s smart – if it smells something fishy, it makes the puzzles tougher on the spot.

    But remember, no solution is perfect. So, to ensure your forms are spam-free, think about using CAPTCHA or reCAPTCHA along with other tricks like honeypots, IP blocking, and checking the info people submit. It’s like building a fortress against those pesky spam bots!

    How do I balance spam prevention and user convenience for legitimate submissions?

    You’re walking a tightrope here… you want to keep the spam out while making it easy for real users to connect with you.

    Remember, the goal is a smooth user ride and a no-entry sign for spammers. It might take trial and error, but you’ll find that perfect balance quickly.

  • Product Recommendation Quiz Ideas: What They Are, How They Work & Why You Need One

    Product Recommendation Quiz Ideas: What They Are, How They Work & Why You Need One

    This article is all about product recommendation quiz ideas. If you’re an ecommerce shop owner, marketing director, or sales manager looking to create a better buying experience for your customers on your website—and automate business processes simultaneously—you’re in the right place.

    I ask for help almost every time I shop at a hardware store, and I’m sure I’m not alone! If you’ve ever shopped at one, whether your local hardware store, Home Depot, or Lowe’s, you’ll notice they staff their stores heavily because customers always have questions. 

    It is an extensive process of determining which supplies you need, selecting the right ones to solve your problem, and simultaneously feeling confident about it. By providing an available shopping assistant to their customers, hardware stores help them find the right product faster, which means they also buy more quickly.

    Online shoppers need guidance in finding what they want, just like brick-and-mortar shops. That is why we’ll talk about using a product recommendation quiz to help customers buy on your website, how they work, what they cost, and if it’s right for you.

    Structure’s mission is to deliver the most relational website design and web development experience available and improve our client’s business by helping them get better results from their website. One of the ways we do this is by providing free ideas to potential clients like you. 

    Contents

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    Why You Need a Product Recommendation Quiz

    Most websites have problems. They’re not engaging, helpful, or social. A product recommendation quiz can help you with all of those things. Here are a few reasons why.

    If your website is overwhelming

    Have you ever been to a website that bombarded you with tons of information immediately? There was so much there that you didn’t know what was necessary or what to look at next. It was just so overwhelming you had to leave.  

    This happens more often than we’d like to admit. Studies show that our attention span has decreased significantly over the years due to the overwhelming amount of information we’re constantly bombarded with.

    To avoid this, many website owners are now incorporating product recommendation quizzes into their sites. A quiz allows you to segment your audience and only give them the information that’s relevant to them. Not to mention, it’s a fun way to engage your readers and keep them on your site longer.

    If your website is challenging to navigate

    If information is hard to find and customers can’t get where they need to go. Websites are many things: transactional, informational, and transformation, but more than anything, a website is an experience. 

    If that experience is bad, people will leave and not come back. 88% of online shoppers say they wouldn’t return to a website after having a poor user experience.

    Part of providing a good user experience is ensuring your website is easy to navigate. A product recommendation quiz can help by giving users a specific path.

    With a quiz, you can guide users through your website and lead them to the right products. By doing this, you’ll not only improve the user experience on your website, but you’ll also increase sales.

    If your website is about your company, not your customer

    Many companies think their customers are coming to their websites to learn who they are. Wrong! They’re looking for a solution, answer, or product for their problem.  Your website should be focused on the customer and their needs, not on you and your company.

    Your customers don’t care about how long you’ve been in business or how big your team is. They want to know what you can do for them and how to solve their problem.

    A product recommendation quiz is a great way to do this because it’s focused on the customer and their needs. By asking questions about their situation, you can better understand what they’re looking for and recommend products to help them.

    Including a quiz on your website is a great way to show your customers that you care about their needs and are there to help them find the right product.

    If your website is too salesy

    Your website should be about more than just making a sale. If that’s all you’re focused on, your customers will be able to tell, and they won’t stay long. 61% of online shoppers say they would leave a website if it were too salesy.

    A product recommendation quiz can help because it allows you to build trust with your audience. By taking the time to understand their needs and recommend the right products, you’ll show your customers that you’re not just there to make a sale. You’re there to help them find the right product for their situation.

    Including a quiz on your website is a great way to build trust with your audience and increase sales.

    What Is a Product Recommendation Quiz?

    A product recommendation quiz is an automated quiz that helps customers find the right products for their needs. It’s a great way to engage your audience, generate leads, and boost social media engagement.

    Quizzes, in general, are a great way to engage your readers and help them find the right products for their needs. They’re also a great way to generate leads, as people are often more likely to share their quiz results than email addresses.

    A product recommendation quiz also does the selling for you. It’s like having a personal shopper at your store, guiding customers from start to cart and helping them find the products that best match their needs. It also helps recover abandoned carts, capture leads, and grow your audience.

    How Product Recommendation Quizzes Work

    Product recommendation quizzes work by asking your readers a series of questions about their needs and preferences. Based on their answers, the quiz recommends an ideal product for them.

    For example, you sell skincare products and want to create a product recommendation quiz for your website. 

    Your quiz might ask questions like:

    • What type of skin do you have? (Oily, dry, combination, etc.)
    • What are your main skin concerns? (Acne, wrinkles, uneven texture, etc.)
    • What is your budget for skincare products?

    Based on the answers to these questions, the quiz would recommend a specific product or set that would be perfect for the reader.

    How Product Recommendation Quizzes Can Be Used

    You can use a product recommendation quiz to benefit your business in many ways. Here are some of the most popular.

    A product recommendation quiz can be used to generate leads

    You can use a product recommendation quiz to generate leads for your business. You can encourage people to sign up for your newsletter or buy your products by offering valuable recommendations.

    A product recommendation quiz can create valuable content

    Your quiz questions can provide valuable content for your website or blog. This content can help educate your readers and position you as an expert.

    A product recommendation quiz can improve SEO

    By including relevant keywords in your quiz questions and answers, you can improve your site’s ranking in search engines and reach more potential customers.

    A product recommendation quiz can educate your customers

    Your quiz can help educate your audience about your products or services. You can turn valuable information into a powerful marketing tool by including valuable data in your quiz.

    How to Make a Product Recommendation Quiz

    If you’ve read this far, you’re probably looking to create a product recommendation quiz for your website. At Structure, we’ve made many quizzes for our clients. If you’d like to talk to us about yours, schedule a Free 30-minute Consult Call with our experts. We’d love to help! Here are the steps to take.

    1. Define your goals & metrics

    First, you need to define what success looks like. What are you trying to achieve with your quiz, and how do you know it’s successful?

    Common goals include the use cases we discussed: lead generation, content development, education, and more.

    In the website planning process that we take all of our design clients through, especially those who want a product quiz, we use a Goals Worksheet (free download) that helps define and document the goals you’re trying to achieve with your website and exactly how you’ll know if you’re meeting those goals. It’s a beneficial process!

    2. Map your customer journey

    Next, you’ll need to map your ideal customer journey. This can be done using our Customer Journey Worksheet (free download) or jotted down as bullet points in a document.

    The reason it’s important to map it out is that you need to know where customers are coming from and where they’ll go after your quiz. In short, this map identifies your customer’s start and endpoints. Now, all you need to do is fill in the gaps.

    3. Document your questions & answers

    Filling in the gaps includes figuring out what questions to ask your customers and anticipating their top answers.  This is where a lot of people get stuck.

    If you’re unsure what questions to ask or what answers to expect, consider surveying your target audience or talking to customer service. They likely have a good pulse on what customers are looking for and why they’re contacting you in the first place.

    Once you have a good handle on the questions and answers, document them in a Google Sheet or Excel document. You’ll need this when it comes time to create your quiz!

    4. Map your customer’s answers to your products

    The best way to map your customer’s answers to your products (unless you can keep it all in your head) is to create a flow chart with every variation. Depending on your questions, you can do this on a single page. If you have more questions, you might need multiple pages.

    Your flow chart maps out all the possible scenarios for your quiz and what product(s) should be recommended for each answer. Doing so will clearly show the steps in the process so you can hand it to a web designer to create.

    5. Design & build the quiz

    While the planning and strategy took most of the time and work, it’s worth it because you’ll make the next steps a breeze. Once mapped, you’ll want to hand it to a website designer to lay the quiz with your brand, goals, and user experience in mind.

    Our Startup Website Design Package could be used for a product recommendation quiz if you want to create a custom quiz. If you’re looking for a more DIY solution, here are a few to check out: 


    It’s noteworthy that Structure does not use software tools or quiz builders. We build custom product recommendation quizzes using GravityForms and integrate the results directly with your CRM, ERP, ESP, and other business systems.

    6. Measure & optimize

    Once your quiz is live, you’ll want to measure the results based on the goals and metrics you defined in Step 1: Define Your Goals & Metrics.

    You might also consider A/B testing different questions or quiz designs to see what works best for your audience. And don’t forget; you can always go back and tweak your quiz as you learn more about your customers and their needs! Likely, your quiz will always need to be updated as you add, remove, or refine your offer.

    6 Product Recommendation Quiz Ideas

    Maybe you’re unsure which quiz type is right for you or your customers. Or perhaps you know what you want to sell with your quiz, but you’re just not sure the best way to do it. Here are six examples of different types of quizzes to consider.

    dryfiremag drop down product recommendation quiz

    The first quiz type is the Drop Down quiz. Structure designed this quiz type for one of our clients, DryFireMag, and called it the Mag Finder.

    How it works is that once you click the button, a menu drops, allowing you to select your options. DryFireMag sells dry fire magazines for shooting practice. Their quiz is quite simple: it asks two questions.

    1. What manufacturer are you looking to buy from?
    2. Which model of their product are you looking to buy?

    Once you’ve made your selections, you click “show me,” and the website automatically redirects you to the shop page with any product options that match your answers.

    Structure built the Mag Finder as a custom plugin using WordPress Custom Post Types.

    2. Multiple Choice Product Recommendation Quiz

    western interlock multiple choice product finder

    Structure designed and built a multiple-choice product quiz for Western Interlock; we called it the Paver Finder. This quiz does not capture customer information but is strictly a shopping assistant.

    This quiz is one of the most straightforward user experience quizzes. The questionnaire walks you through a handful of questions (ideally 5–7), and you select the option that applies most to you. In the end, you’ll “submit” your selections, and the algorithm in the background reads your selections and provides you with an accurate product recommendation. 

    At that point, you could learn more about the product by clicking the Learn more button, scrolling down for additional information, or re-take the quiz if the result didn’t match your liking.

    Structure built the Paver Finder product quiz algorithm using WordPress and Airtable.

    3. Long-Form Product Recommendation Quiz

    earthcruiser long form product recommender

    The EarthCruiser Vehicle Recommender is a long-form quiz with 11 multiple-choice questions intended to generate leads and equip the sales team with as much information about the customer as possible.

    The questions range from “How many people will be adventuring in your vehicle?” and “How far do you intend to travel in your adventure vehicle?” to “How mechanical are you?” Ultimately, depending on a few conditional selections, the quiz presents a vehicle recommendation to the customer. They can then learn more about the vehicle or call a sales representative.

    4. Up-Sell Product Recommendation Quiz

    soona upsell product quiz

    Soona, an online photo studio, uses its Build a Shoot quiz to present upsell opportunities that increase order value. In the example above, as soon as you select “video”, they present the opportunity to buy out the studio for an extra $690 so you can have audio.

    Otherwise, the quiz is much like the Multiple Choice Product Quiz where users are given visual options to select.

    5. Interactive Product Recommendation Quiz

    scotts interactive product recommendation quiz

    If you want to take your quiz to the next level, be inspired by the Scotts Lawn Care Quiz. They made their quiz beautiful, simple, and intuitive for their customers—and accomplished multiple business goals.

    In the Tools step, they ask customers, Do you have a spreader?” Additionally, they take the opportunity to educate their customers about why they need a spreader, so they order one later from Scotts if they don’t have one. That’s increasing education and cart value in one step!

    Additionally, they ask for your lawn size in the last step. If you don’t know the square footage off the top of your head (who does?), you can enter your address and tap (or click) to select the boundaries of your yard on a virtual map. Their quiz app automatically calculates the approximate yard size you selected and recommends the appropriate amount of product to purchase.  

    6. Instant Quote Quiz

    simplicity instant quote

    All the services businesses who want to implement a quiz for their business have been waiting for this example: the Instant Quote quiz! The Simplicity Homes Instant Quote does a fantastic job.

    It is a comprehensive quiz with eight tabs and 10–30 checkbox selection options per tab. Many selections have images you can view by hovering over the camera icon. This is especially useful if you’re unsure what their “Fireplace with Alcove” looks like or what “Soffits” are.

    Each tab shows a live-updated blueprint of the home and a running total of the total cost based on your selections. Ultimately, customers can submit their instant quote and attend a running sales meeting. That’s a salesperson’s dream.

    Benefits of a Product Recommendation Quiz

    Quizzes can fix a lot of website problems. Whether your website is complex and challenging to navigate or has a low conversion rate, a product quiz could help. Here are a handful of benefits of using one for your website.

    A product recommendation quiz can simplify a complex offering

    Make it easier for customers to find what they’re looking for. By understanding a customer’s specific needs, you can recommend right products for them and increase conversions. 

    A product recommendation quiz can help customers find what they’re looking for

    A quiz can help customers narrow their options and find the perfect product for their needs if you have an extensive catalog of products. It does this by asking customers questions about their situation and recommending products based on their answers. 

    A product recommendation quiz can increase order value

    By recommending products that complement each other, you can encourage customers to purchase multiple items and increase your average order value. It does this by recommending products that work well together.

    A product recommendation quiz can generate leads

    People used to generate leads via their newsletters. Most people don’t want to sign up for a newsletter anymore. Today, PDFs and Webinars are great ways to generate leads for your business.

    The best way today is through a product recommendation quiz.

    A product recommendation quiz can automate part of your sales process

    Often, your sales process includes a series of questions to qualify your customers and identify which product or service would be the right fit for them. A product recommendation quiz does the same thing. By implementing an automated quiz, you automate the qualification process—and by the time your sales team gets involved, they know the customer is qualified and which product fits their needs.

    As you can imagine, automating your sales process using a quiz helps your customers and helps you! You can save insane amounts of time and money because you’re not hiring or employing someone to do that job.

    Common Questions About Product Recommendation Quizzes

    Does a product recommendation quiz work in any industry?

    A quiz can be very helpful if you offer products or services that require consideration before purchasing. For industries like home improvement, beauty, fashion, and more, a quiz can help customers find the perfect product for their needs. 

    Do I need to have a lot of products to benefit from a quiz?

    Not necessarily! A quiz can help users narrow their options by offering customizable products or services. For example, a quiz could help customers choose the right style, material, and color for their space if you sell custom furniture.

    How do I know what questions to ask?

    A good start is surveying your target audience or talking to customer service. They likely have a good pulse on what customers are looking for and why they’re contacting you in the first place.

    How often should I update my quiz?

    You should aim to update your quiz at least once per quarter or whenever you add new products or change your existing offerings. This will ensure that your

    What are some common quiz types?

    The options are almost endless. Depending on your industry and offerings, you can use many quizzes to recommend products. 

    We discussed a handful of use cases, benefits, and examples above. However, here are a few more examples for various business types: 

    • Product finder quiz: Helps users find the perfect product for their needs 
    • Style quiz: Recommends products based on an individual’s style preferences 
    • Beauty quiz: Recommends beauty products based on skin type, hair type, etc. 
    • Fitness quiz: Helps users find workout gear or supplements that fit their goals 
    • Home décor quiz: Assists users in finding furniture and home décor that fits their taste and budget

    Can I use a product recommendation quiz on my Shopify store?

    Yes! The RevenueHunt Product Recommendation Quiz for Shopify app makes adding a quiz to your store easy.

    While that Shopify app will help you implement your quiz, take the first few steps and solidify your strategy before you start. It will make it much easier to build. If you want help from someone who has created many successful product quizzes, check out the Structure Website Design Packages.

    How much does a product recommendation quiz cost?

    The cost of a quiz will vary depending on your industry, the complexity of your products, and the features you want to include. Not to mention if you’re doing it yourself or hiring help. Generally speaking, a simple DIY quiz can start at around $500, while a custom quiz could cost $5,000 or more.

    Want Help Making a Product Recommendation Quiz?

    At Structure, we help our clients reach their marketing goals by designing and building profitable features for their websites, like product quizzes. If you’d like help with yours, explore our Website Design Packages or schedule a Consult Call with one of our experts.

  • Website Budget Template: What to Spend, Where to Save, and How to Finance

    Website Budget Template: What to Spend, Where to Save, and How to Finance

    In this article, we’ll provide a free website budget template and go over a website budget in detail, including what to expect, what factors impact the cost of a website, and what your financing options are. 

    A professional WordPress website created specifically for your business might seem like an unnecessary expense when you’re on a tight or unknown marketing budget, but it can help increase your sales.

    Essentially, even though a custom website might cost you $25,000, you could make $2,500,000 with it in one or two years.

    Whether you’re a marketing leader, business leader, or entrepreneur, you’re here because you’re considering investing in a custom website for your company. After reading this article, we hope you’ll have the knowledge and power to build a profitable website that helps your business grow.

    Some questions we’ll be answering are:

    • Do I need a custom website, or can I use a template?
    • What are the costs of a custom website?
    • How can I plan and budget for the website project?
    • Are there ways to save money by cutting costs?
    • What should I spend more money on to get better results?
    • Do I have to pay upfront, or are there financing options?

    We’re ready to get started! But before we do, if you just came looking for a Free Website Budget Template, we’ve got one for you.

    Free Budget Template

    Use our website budget template to calculate your initial investments, benefits, and upkeep costs.

    Download Now

    The Problem with Budgeting for a Templated Website

    If you’re a leader with a tight website budget, little time, or insufficient resources, you can choose between spending most of your marketing budget on a unique, custom website or spending some of your website budget on a low-cost template.

    The only problem is that you think using a website template will save you money AND give you a high-converting website. That’s not how it works.

    Templates are generic. They work across many different businesses, locations, demographics, etc. If you don’t design your website for your company or customers, it will not work.

    I understand your desire to save time and money—and a template feels like a SHORTCUT. However, you’ll find it’s a TRAP.

    People often ask me, “Why should I get a custom website and not use just a template from Wix?” My answer is simple. If you have a new business with no revenue and no money in the bank, it makes sense to start with a template until the company is profitable. 

    A website template isn’t going to help you get there if:

    • You’re looking to increase revenue
    • You’re looking to beat the competition
    • You’re looking to break into a new market

    You should consider a budget plan for a custom website to accomplish one of these goals.

    Screenshot from our Website Budget Worksheet that you can copy for free

    5 Reasons to Budget for a Custom Website

    You know that having a well-designed website is crucial to success. You might even see that it sets you apart from the competition and can help increase sales by providing visitors with a great experience. But that’s not all. Here are some other groups that benefit from your website.

    1. Your Website Is for Branding

    Your website is for branding—but it’s also for much more! Most people think their website is ONLY for branding. They consider the logo, colors, and images when thinking about a website.

    There’s no doubt that your website introduces people to your brand. That’s why it should look professional and represent your company well. It should represent your products well. It should also represent your market well.

    Your website should leave a positive impression on visitors so they leave wanting to engage with your business.

    2. Your Website is for Marketing

    Marketing is the way you introduce people to your brand.  It’s how you raise awareness, build interest, and generate leads. 

    A website is one of your most essential marketing tools—if not THE most important. It’s a 24/7 marketing tool that can help increase brand awareness, provide information about your products and services, and generate leads.

    Think of your website as an investment in your marketing efforts. It’s a long-term investment that will continue to pay dividends over time. And like any good investment, you want to be thoughtful about spending your money to get the best return on investment (ROI).

    3. Your Website is for Sales

    You also know that prospects might have a bad experience and never become customers if you don’t have a great website. In this case, choosing NOT to invest in a professional website could cost you money. 

    A website is one of your most important sales tools. Think about it; if you sell products or services on your website, you want it to be the easiest to use so that nothing stands in the way of someone visiting your website and completing a purchase.

    Your website should cater to customer needs in every interaction. Does a website template accomplish that? If you don’t have customers or a sales process, then it might. However, if you have customers and a buyer journey, you’ll need a website that works for your customers—which, in turn, works for you.

    4. Your Website is for Customer Service

    Where do your customers go when they need help? To your website, of course! They’re either looking for a form to fill out, a live chat to start, or help documentation so they can serve themselves.

    Your website is a critical part of your customer service strategy. It must be easy to use so customers can find what they need quickly. 

    When you don’t have a great website, it can cost you, customers. They might get frustrated and take their business elsewhere. Or, even worse, they might not bother trying to reach out for help and leave—never to return.

    5. Your Website is for Your Team

    Do you know who else uses your website as a resource? Your team.  They might need to reference your product catalog, look up pricing, or find contact information for a customer. 

    Your website is also a great place to store company documents and files that anyone on your team can access. Remote teams love accessible company websites because they often need to access company resources anywhere.

    A poorly designed website can make it difficult for your team to do their jobs efficiently. This can lead to frustration and wasted time, ultimately costing you money.

    And just like employees need investment, training, and resources, so does your website. Like any other employee, your website needs investment to perform. 

    If you don’t invest in your website, you could miss out on thousands of potential customers. You could lose leads and sales. You could even damage your reputation and sink your business.

    Website Budget Worksheet Benefits
    A Website budget sets you up for success

    How Much Should You Budget for a Custom Website?

    There’s no doubt that your website is valuable—it will serve your customers, your team, and you’re business in various ways for many years. 

    Now that we’ve answered the question of “why should I care about the cost of my website,” let’s answer the question, “what is the cost of a custom website—and is it worth it? Let’s dig into the numbers. 

    Free Website Budgeting Template

    Use our website budget template to calculate your initial investments, benefits, and upkeep costs.

    Download Now

    Ballpark Website Budgets

    A website budget can range anywhere from a few thousand dollars to a few hundred thousand dollars. These numbers, however, are only broad ballpark ranges and will fluctuate based on the size and features included in your website. The table below displays approximate web design and maintenance costs according to businesses’ sizes.

    Website TypeDesign & BuildAnnual Maintenance
    Small business website
    (8 to 16 pages)    		$2,000 to $9,000$400–1,200
    Large business website
    (25 to 75 pages)    		$10,000 to $35,000$2,000 – $15,000
    E-commerce website
    (100 to 1,000 products)    		$5,000 to $55,000$15,000 – $30,000
    Database website
    (20 to 2,000 pages)    		$6,000 to $75,000$30,000 – $60,000
    average cost for website building and website maintenance, by business type

    If you’re a small-to-medium business (or bigger), consider working with an online website design firm like Structure or an experienced freelancer to design, build, and maintain your website. An expert will provide the simplest and most cost-effective solution for updating and maintaining your website.

    Website Budget Breakdown

    Here is a rough breakdown of the essential parts of a website budget. These are the basics to get your site up and running—and stay running like a well-oiled machine. 

    Free Budget Template

    Steal our website budget template to see standard figures for each point below.

    Download Now

    Benefits from Your Website

    • Direct sales
    • Incremental sales resulting from enhanced promotional/salesperson effectiveness
    • Incremental sales resulting from increased partner participation
    • Reduced travel costs
    • Reduced customer service costs
    • Reduced printing and shipping costs

    Initial Investment in Your Website

    • Hardware (e.g., servers)
    • Software (e.g., e-commerce catalog software)
    • Development (e.g., third-party site design and development)
    • Total Initial Investments

    Project Costs

    Ongoing Costs

    Success Metrics

    • Total revenue & cost savings
    • The total expense
    • Net return on investment

    Now that you are familiar with everything that goes into your website (enough to create a detailed budget), you’ll be able:

    • Outline key web design and development fixed costs
    • Increase the chances of budget approval
    • Get as much return on investment as possible

    Website Financing Options

    You might feel confident that you need a custom website for your business, but you don’t know how to pay for it or get the budget approved, don’t worry! All is not lost. 

    Consider financing your website. Best of all, there are options available for funding a website without paying a cent in interest. Here are some ideas from the simplest to the most complex.

    1. In-house financing

    You could discuss arranging a payment plan directly with your website designer. Some agencies currently offer financing options with competitive interest rates; this would let you avoid short-term lenders and save money.

    Most website designers will split up the project into payments (either monthly or milestone) that span the project’s duration. If you’re not in a rush and are willing to allow your website to take three to six months to complete, you’ll naturally spread out your payments and make the price tag much more doable.

    2: PayPal Credit

    Take advantage of special introductory interest rates from credit companies! With PayPal Credit, Any purchase of $99+ is interest-free when paid in full within six months. This offer lasts forever for any future purchase above $99. However, make sure to meet the deadline for repayment; if not, you’ll be charged an annual percentage rate (APR) of 25.99%.

    A credit card could accomplish the same objective. Plus, you might even be able to score some airline miles or 2–5% off.

    3. SBA Loan

    The United States Small Business Administration (SBA) backs loans from internet lenders and commercial banks. These loans have lower interest rates and longer repayment durations than short-term business loans but have a more time-consuming and difficult application procedure.

    The 7(a) loan program is the most common program that provides short- and long-term working capital, allows you to refinance current business debt and more. 

    The Microloan program provides loans up to $50,000 to help small businesses start and expand.

    4. Short-term business loan

    A short-term business loan can give you the fast capital you need to bridge cash-flow gaps, cover emergency expenses and pay for other immediate financing needs while you pay for your website — or use it for your website.

    You typically receive a lump sum of cash from a lender with short-term loans and repay it on a fixed schedule. Generally, these small-business loans have repayment terms of 12 months or less, although some may have terms that extend up to 24 months.

    E-commerce businesses with limited funds might feel torn between investing in a new site or paying for more inventory. Financing or an optimized website or expanded list can help your business scale quickly and efficiently.

    Website Budget Tips

    As we unpack the big question, let me first share three quick tips on doing the right website budget for your business.

    1. Prioritize Your Website Wishlist

    When deciding what to spend your money on for your website, prioritize the most important things. “Most important” could mean areas of high use, critical structural repairs, or essential features. It’s your call that matters most in the end.

    2. Identify Your Budget Limits

    What is the most you are willing to spend on your custom website? If you have a long list of features, you hope to include, separate them into must-haves and nice-to-haves. Doing justice to a shortlist of critical features is better than skimping across the board to accommodate for extra bells and whistles.

    3. Don’t Reinvent the Wheel

    Before jumping into your project head, take stock of what is working and what needs to go. Not everything needs to be new if you’re redesigning an existing website. More often than not, the most sustainable thing you can do from a financial perspective is to leave as many existing elements where they are as possible. 

    4. Allow for Plenty of Time

    The notion that “the devil is always in a hurry” applies here. Nothing beneficial can come from rushing an activity. Also, if you’re working with others and the deadline is tight, costs go up fast.

    That’s why emergency calls are widespread among electricians; they allow them to charge a premium. Most website experts follow suit since they must set aside other work to accommodate your project. You’ll keep your budget (and stress) low if you don’t rush and give plenty of time to complete your task.

    5. Budget with Management & Maintenance in Mind

    Every new homeowner understands this. Things break down if you have a busy house (or any other type of dwelling, for that matter). They wear down over time. A feature that you thought would be excellent turns out to be useless. As a result, you must repair, update, or remove it. A website is similar to a home in that if you want to keep it looking nice and functioning well, you must maintain it.

    At the very least, monthly software and plugin updates are required for custom WordPress website maintenance. It necessitates form and checkout testing. And often, there’s a few content updates since your company is evolving and changing daily.

    How Structure Simplifies Your Website Budget

    Structure’s custom website process is for leaders with large and small websites in all fifty U.S. and worldwide states. Our website design packages start under $10,000 and are approachable for startups to scaleups. 

    Every website design project starts with our information-gathering WebsiteBuilder quiz, which prompts you to share everything we need to know to recommend the right website design package for you.

    If you missed it, that’s the key right there. That is how we simplify your website budget. Instead of spending hours weeding through data and trying to make sense of a system you don’t understand, take our WebsiteBuilder quiz and get a package recommendation instantly for your custom website design project. 

    It takes five minutes (max), and at the end, you’ll know what it would cost to get a custom website design for your business. 

    Are you wondering how it works after you get a package recommendation? Once you purchase a package, we begin with planning—understanding your goals, business systems, and brand style—and discussing your budget and vision to minimize surprises when it comes time to build. 

    Our top-notch strategists and designers then create a website that matches your vision. Your design will capture the look, feel, and function you are hoping for, all while keeping costs within range. 

    Once your design is complete, we’ll provide a packaged website development quote to build your new design (if you don’t plan on a DIY build).

  • How to Create the Perfect, High-Converting Home Page [Free Template]

    How to Create the Perfect, High-Converting Home Page [Free Template]

    Customers aren’t buying on your website? There’s a reason, and I bet it’s your website homepage. Your website’s homepage significantly influences how long visitors will spend on it—and if they engage with your business. Here’s how to make yours great so visitors stay and buy.

    What is a website homepage?

    A website homepage is, often, the first page visitors will see when they land on your website. It’s essential to make a good impression because if potential customers don’t like what they see, they’ll likely leave and never return.

    Think of your website homepage as the front door to your business. It should be welcoming, easy to navigate, and give visitors a snapshot of your offer.

    Your website’s homepage can include multiple sections that help guide users through your website. If the homepage is planned correctly, these sections can keep users engaged with your website for extended periods.

    Website Homepage Template Download
    download the perfect website homepage template

    Why your website home page structure is important

    The Nielsen Norman Group (a UX Research Firm) did a study linking the time spent on a website to something called “Weibull distribution,” which is a mathematical way to figure out when somebody gets frustrated and leaves (or “bounces”) from your homepage.

    In just 10 seconds, visitors will determine whether they want to stay on your website or leave. That’s according to research by Chao Liu and colleagues, who found that 99% of websites have a 10-second window of opportunity.

    Why is that important? Because it means you have 10 seconds to communicate your value. If visitors stay more than 10 seconds, they will continue engaging with your site and visit additional pages. But if you don’t catch their attention within those 10 seconds, you risk them leaving.

    Like most people, you may ask yourself, “Where do I begin?” Here’s our answer.

    Common website homepage problems

    First things first, don’t make these standard website homepage mistakes! Most companies aren’t getting engaged customers on their websites because they are making one of these mistakes. 

    The key to remember is this: if your website homepage has one of these problems, it won’t work even if you follow our homepage formula.

    1. Your homepage is about you

    Your website should center around your customers. How you can improve their life, what they gain from using your product, and how it eases stressors in their daily routine.

    You are not the hero. I know this sounds harsh, but stay with me for a second. This message could be summed up in five words: You Are Not The Hero. Yes, I know you solved their problem and changed their life – but that doesn’t make you the story’s hero. “Your customer has a problem, and then you come along as the solution” is something companies often think about because it’s easy to fall into that perspective…but it makes YOU look pompous and self-serving rather than humble and focused on them (which is much more attractive).

    Why not try something your competition isn’t doing? Instead of always putting yourself in the spotlight, focus on making your customer feel like the hero. They’ll appreciate it more than you think and will likely return to you because you make them feel special. All it takes is a change of messaging and perspective; to act as a guide or helper instead of the main attraction.

    On your home page, instead of saying, “We do this and that,” say, “We can help you do this and that.” Do you see the difference? In the first example, you’re the one doing; in the second, they’re the one doing (and you’re helping). 

    Make your entire website about your customer, and you’ll create raving fans who buy once and keep coming back for more.

    2. Your homepage is overwhelming

    Have you ever been to a website that throws so much information at you all at once? There’s so much there, and it’s all so overwhelming that you don’t even know where to start or what’s important. You have to leave the site altogether.

    Most companies do this: they overwhelm their customers before they’re ready for it, losing them entirely.

    Instead, you should set up your website ​using a framework so that it follows a process called “Drip, Sip, Drink.”

    To begin, give them a drip by providing sections on one page rather than overwhelming them with everything at once under one heading. 

    Each section offers the opportunity for further investigations and product detail – that’s the sip.       

    Then finally, if they’re satisfied with what they see thus far – include stories from customers or case studies as an extra convincing edge – we’ll call that the drink.

    If you use a tried-and-true formula and explain it using the Drip, Sip, Drink method, your potential customers will easily understand what you’re offering. They’ll see why it’s valuable and how to purchase it without issue.

    Doing this will help make sure your website is successful.

    3. Your homepage is confusing

    We think we’re being clear. But in reality, we’re being accurate. We have tunnel vision and only see what’s in front of us. As a result, we usually make one of two mistakes: 

    get too involved with the weeds and tell consumers too much about our goods immediately, confusing or frightening them. 

    We say business jargon phonetically using abbreviations that operate in the corporate environment, but the human on the other end has no clue what you’re talking about.

    If you try to sell too much at once, your customers will become overwhelmed and tune out. They’ll ignore everything you say if they think you don’t understand them or their problems. You need to engage your customers and get them to take action on your website! 

    Keep this in mind: if you confuse, you’ll lose. And make sure that what you’re saying is clear; if it doesn’t make sense, it won’t make money

    4. Your homepage doesn’t call people to action

    It’s incredible how many companies don’t ask for a sale. Don’t be one of them! To make it easy for your customers to buy the transformation, you’ll need to do two things:

    • Make your buy buttons easy to find 
    • Make them easy to understand

    Make your buy button visible in an easy-to-find location like the top right corner of your website. It’s also helpful if the button is a bright color that stands out, like red. You can also include a buy button in your hero section.

    Easy to understand means you’ll want your call to action to be direct. 

    • If you’re a photographer, don’t just say Hire Us. Say, “Schedule a Shoot.”
    • If you’re a painting company, your button should say “Request a Quote.” 
    • If you’re a consulting company, your button should say “Schedule a Call.”
    • If you’re a restaurant, your button should say “Make a Reservation.”
    • If you’re a brewery, your button should say, “Order Beer.” 

    Research demonstrates that hearing something takes an individual eight times to process the information thoroughly. So, if it requires eight repetitions for someone to comprehend hearing something one time, how many times do you need to ask a person to buy from you before they understand that you want them to purchase something?

    Include your CTA button on every page, and make it easy for visitors to take the next step.

    5. Your homepage doesn’t communicate the transformation

    Your homepage should show the success your customer will experience if they use your product or service. 

    Here’s why: your customer has two types of problems: external and internal. Another way of putting it is they have both physical and emotional issues. One problem they experience and one they feel.

    An external problem might be that I have a flat tire. The internal problem is that I can’t make it to work on time—my boss might fire me, and I can’t afford to lose my job.

    Every external problem, whether a flat tire or a leaky roof, manifests an internal problem — frustration, confusion, or even the feeling of “I don’t have what it takes.”

    Don’t be mistaken; your customers buy your products to relieve their internal tension. And when you communicate in a way, using words and pictures that show how you can reduce that tension, your customers will be more likely to seek your expertise.

    If you’ve watched a movie, you know every story ends in victory or tragedy. For your customers, it’s success or failure. They will feel one or the other, and I can guarantee they want to feel successful.

    The perfect homepage structure

    Most people think their website is all art: brand, visual design, beautiful images, etc. There’s certainly a lot of art involved in a website project. However, it’s about 20% art and 80% science.

    In other words, if you want your website to work, follow a formula or framework. Here’s that formula for the taking.

    Want a high-converting homepage?

    Download the Perfect Website Homepage Template

    1. Header

    The header is the very top section of your website. Your header should include: 

    • Your logo
    • Your menu
    • Your call-to-action

    Let’s look at each of these header items in further detail.

    Logo

    On most websites, the logo is in the top left corner of your header. It’s clickable and takes visitors back to the homepage no matter where they are on the website. The website’s logo is one of the first things people notice when they land on a website, so it’s essential to make sure it’s recognizable, branded, and positioned in a spot where people will see it.

    Menu

    The menu is generally located next to or below the logo and contains links to the different pages on your website. The menu is how visitors will navigate your website, so making sure it’s easy to find and use is essential.

    It’s called a menu for a reason. It’s the place to show what you have to offer. Like a restaurant menu, it tells your customers what they can buy. 

    There are many items you can add to a menu. However, it’s best to include your main offer in your menu, and access any essential pages people might need (or want) to read before buying.

    Call-to-action

    The call-to-action (CTA) is a button or link that encourages visitors to take a specific action. The CTA should be prominently displayed in your header so visitors can’t miss it. It’s most commonly in the top right corner of the website.

    2. Hero

    Website Homepage Template Hero
    Website Homepage Template Hero

    The hero is the first main section of your website homepage.  It’s generally the most significant section on the page and is immediately below the header. 

    The big idea for this section is to show the transformation your customer will experience when they buy from you. The point is to give them a vision of how great life could be like… if they buy from you. 

    To accomplish this goal, the hero should:

    • Have a headline that communicates their aspirational identity
    • A subheadline that tells them what you’re selling
    • Include an image or video that helps explain your offer
    • Have a CTA that encourages visitors to take action 

    Let’s look at each of these hero items in further detail.

    Headline

    Customers see many “first things” when they land on your website homepage. However, the hero headline is usually the “first thing” they read.

    The headline should offer some value—what your product or service does for your customers. Donald Miller from Storybrand recommends using the headline to give customers an aspirational identity they can cling to. An aspirational identity is something that someone wants to become.

    If you can communicate what or who your customer wants to become that your brand can deliver (in five to seven words), you’ll see a massive uptick in engagement on your website.

    Subheadline

    As stated above, the subheadline should tell visitors what you’re selling so they don’t have to guess. It should be straightforward.

    Image or video

    An image or video in the hero can help explain your offer and make it more relatable to your website visitors. The image should be high quality and relevant to your offer.

    For example, if you’re a landscape design company, you might include a picture of a family enjoying their beautiful backyard. If you’re a vineyard, you might include a video of people enjoying your wine while a band plays in the background. 

    Call to action

    Tell them straightforwardly and instructively where they can go with your organization. This will help them take the next step.

    Your website’s CTA should be the same message across your entire site. If you want your customers to use the store locator to find your nearest location, every CTA should read,  “Find a Location.”  

    The CTA should also stand out so it’s easy to find. You can use an accent color or make it a button instead of just a link. 

    3. Problem

    Website Homepage Template Problem
    Website Homepage Template Problem

    In this section, you take your client on a roller coaster ride from the ultra-high of showing them how wonderful their life could be to the reality they’re in now.

    The problem section should:

    • Include a headline that tells visitors what their main problem is 
    • A subheadline that helps them understand they’re not alone 
    • An image or video that further illustrates the problem  
    • A CTA to encourage visitors to resolve their issues now

    You’ll show them how much they need what you offer and let them know you understand their pain. You’ll also give them a glimmer of hope that their problem can be solved.

    4. Position

    Website Homepage Template Position
    Website Homepage Template Position

    If they’re still reading, they’re very interested at this point. It’s the perfect time to introduce yourself and how you can help. 

    The position section should:

    • Include a headline that tells visitors that you care
    • A subheadline or bullet point that shows your credentials 
    • An image or video that helps explain your position  
    • A CTA to encourage visitors to take the next step

    Customers want two things when you ask for a sale: Empathy and authority. They want to know that you care. That’s why most of our clients hire us—they say we care more than the other web agency. I think it’s true!

    Additionally, your customer needs to know you have the credentials to follow through on your promise. For example, you don’t just hire a doctor that cares. They need to have been to and passed medical school. Even more, you might want to know your doctor has healed a few people before you, and you’re not just his first test case.

    This is where you provide both empathy and authority. The headline that tells them you care is empathy. The points that show your credentials are the authority.

    What kind of points do you put in the authority area? You can put many things in this area, but testimonials from past customers are the best. Testimonials reinforce empathy, authority, and trust.

    5. Solution

    Website Homepage Template Solution
    Website Homepage Template Solution

    This is where most homepages go wrong. They start selling too early. They present a solution without ever establishing the problem or gaining trust.

    If you place your solution right here, you’ll ensure your website’s homepage walks visitors through a sales process that makes them fully aware of their need for an answer. Here’s where your solution (products or services) enters the scene. At this point, your customers are primed and ready. 

    • They have a vision.
    • They feel the pain.
    • They trust you.

    This section lists your core offerings, best-sellers, or top-performing product categories. Include a title and an image or video for each item. You should also include a CTA that encourages visitors to buy that item (or at least learn more about it).

    6. Success

    Website Homepage Template Success
    Website Homepage Template Success

    I’ll illustrate the success section with a story. My family recently went on a hike where we had to cross a muddy creek. I had my four young children with me, and there was no way I was about to allow them to cross the creek without ensuring they would make it across successfully or turn back quickly.

    Lucky for us, someone before us had cut or placed tree stumps in a perfectly-paced path across the creek. This step-by-step path reduced my fear and gave me confidence that we could all cross—or turn back—at any point. We felt great crossing because there was nothing to lose!

    Now, that’s what this section does for your customers. You might as well call it the Crossing the Creek section. This is where you give your customers a step-by-step plan so they feel confident crossing the creek with you.

    Specifically, you want to give them three steps to success. 

    1. First step
    2. Major milestone
    3. Result

    First Step

    Usually, the first step is the immediate next thing you want them to do on your website. In my illustration, it would be “Step on the Stumps.” Structure’s core offering is “Take the WebsiteBuilder Quiz.” 

    Major Milestone

    The second step is a significant milestone that will mark their journey. While crossing the creek, it would be, Enjoy the Adventure.” For Structure, it’s “Launch Your Website.” 

    Result

    Lastly, you want to communicate the result, or feeling, of accomplishing the journey. In our hike, it would be something like, “You’ll Want to Do It Again.” For Structure, “Your Website Works & Makes You Proud.”

    7. Call to action

    Website Homepage Template Call to Action
    Website Homepage Template Call to Action

    You’ll want to cut the clutter and ask for the sale in the call-to-action section. Be very clear about what you wish to your website visitors to do. Your CTA section can include a variety of content items, but the most effective ones only have three parts:

    • Headline
    • Description
    • Button

    Headline

    The headline is a statement closely related to the solution you presented earlier. It should be clear, Concise, and actionable. 

    Description

    The description is a brief sentence that gives website visitors more information about what they’ll get by taking the desired action. 

    Button

    Lastly, the button should say something like “Buy Now,” “Add to Cart,” or “Sign Up.” And it should stand out from everything else on the page so website visitors can’t help but click it. 

    8. Footer

    Lastly, there’s your footer. This isn’t technically a part of the homepage specifically, but it’s on the page. Think of your Footer as the Junk Drawer of your homepage—you put everything that you thought was important but doesn’t fit into one of these sections.

    Use it to link to your Contact Us page, Careers page, blog posts, etc. Many companies use it as a place to put their newsletter sign-up form (which is a great idea)!

    Ultimately, following this formula (from header to footer) will ensure your website’s homepage is designed to guide visitors through a process that makes them fully aware of their need for your solution. By following the simple website template I’ve outlined here, you can build a website that works.

    Want a high-converting homepage?

    Download the Perfect Website Homepage Template

    Three great website homepage examples

    Here are three well-structured website homepage examples that follow this formula. I want to point out that these three companies are in vastly different industries. Yet, they’re all following the same formula because it works regardless of your industry.

    Yardzen

    Yardzen Website Homepage

    Yardzen is an online landscape design service in California. They bridge the gap between local landscape designers and sleek technology companies. Their website homepage is lengthy and includes additional content, such as social media feeds, sustainability information, and a newsletter section. 

    Homepage structure

    Here’s how Yardzen structures its homepage:

    1. Header
    2. Hero
    3. Overview
    4. Success
    5. Call to action
    6. Social Media Feed
    7. Solution
    8. Testimonials
    9. Position
    10. Sustainability
    11. Position
    12. Blog Posts
    13. Call to action
    14. Newsletter
    15. Footer

    Homepage insights

    You’ll notice that they repeat several sections, like position and call to action. They include a few sections that could likely go in the footer and condense their homepage to the most vital sections. 

    Without any insight into how their homepage performs, I would recommend that they make the following changes.

    • Communicate the problem you’re solving earlier and clearer (ideally in replacement of Section 3: Overview)
    • Remove Section 6: Social Media Feed or move it below your final call-to-action
    • Remove Sustainability, Newsletter, and Blog Posts as they’re accessible in the header and footer

    Either way, Yardzen is an excellent example of a well-structured website homepage that follows our formula loosely. Their homepage would likely perform even better with a few minor tweaks.

    Shasta Power

    Shasta Power Website Homepage

    Shasta Power is a solar development investment fund in Oregon. We’re biased here because we did the website design, development, and management. However, it’s still fun to analyze!

    Their website homepage is medium length and follows the formula loosely as well. Although, it does include the top three sections in order, which is very important.

    Homepage structure

    Here’s how Shasta Power structures its homepage:

    1. Header
    2. Hero
    3. Problem
    4. Solution
    5. Position
    6. Success
    7. Content Offer
    8. Blog Posts
    9. Call-to-action
    10. Footer

    Homepage insights

    Shasta Power follows the homepage structure much closer to Yardzen. However, testing a few tweaks and re-organizations would be worth testing to see if it was more effective.

    • Switch the Solution & Position the order
    • Move the Blog Posts below the Call-to-action

    That said, the Shasta Power homepage is a great one that we’re proud of—and we know they are too!

    Jasper

    Jasper Website Homepage

    Jasper is an AI technology SaaS company in Texas. Their homepage convinced us (we use their tool to aid our copywriting and editing), and we think it does a great job. However, you’ll notice that it has some formula elements, but not all. There’s always room for improvement!

    Homepage structure

    Here’s how Jasper structures their homepage:

    1. Header
    2. Hero
    3. Overview
    4. Position
    5. Solution
    6. Product Announcement
    7. Position
    8. Call to action
    9. Footer

    Homepage insights

    The shortest homepage of these examples still includes many elements required for a great homepage. Here are a few recommendations I’d make.

    • Dedicate a section to the problem you’re solving (replace it with the Overview section)
    • Replace Section 6: Product Announcement with a Success section to show users the steps they need to experience your product

    Common questions about the website homepage template

    Do you have to follow this formula exactly to get results?

    You do not have to follow this formula exactly to get results. There’s room for creative liberty and optimization. We recommend using this formula as a starting point, especially if you’re not getting the results you want from your website or don’t have data to inform how customers use your current website.

    Once you implement this formula, we recommend tracking how users interact with your website homepage and making adjustments based on the data you’re receiving. You might need to move one section of your website down in your specific industry or with your specific customers because it’s losing interest. You might need to move another one up because it gets a lot of interaction, but it’s near the bottom of your page (and you want more people to see it).

    However, this is a proven formula that works for almost all companies in all industries, and it’s a great place to start when you’re redesigning, optimizing, or improving your homepage.

    What if we have other content that we want to include?

    Add it between the CTA and the footer after the success section. Whatever you do, don’t add it before the problem because that disrupts the flow.

    What if we want to include a video on our website homepage?

    Great question! A video can go in any section as some of the content for that section. 

    For example, in the hero, you might want to use a background video showing someone using your product instead of an image. Or, in the success section, you might want to use a customer testimonial video instead of written quotes. These enhancements will only improve the experience your customers have with your website.

    You can get creative with where you put your videos but make sure they’re adding value to that specific section, and website visitors will appreciate it.

    Will this template work for our company?

    Yes, this website homepage template will work for companies of all sizes in all industries, whether you’re B2B or B2C. If you want more website traffic, leads, and sales, this is the template for you.

    Note that these are the main building blocks, but you can rearrange them and be creative with how you fill in each section.