How much does a Web Design cost in Malaysia?
You may be thinking about getting a new website for your business, but how much should you be paying? Is it possible to have a beautiful customer-generating website no matter how much you have in your budget?
There are a ton of options out there and it can get really confusing especially if you’re just starting out.
Let’s break it all down to give you some of the different avenues you can take in creating your new website. By the end, you’re gonna know your options and what you can expect to pay for each one.
I’ll give you some of my best recommendations on, what you should really be paying for, and what you can probably skip saving some money.
Before we get to all the different options, you need to know that some designers will charge based on the number of pages and some will charge based on the overall complexity of the project.
It’ll be up to your available resources to pick what’s going to work best for your unique situation.
1) DIY Web Design (Self-design)
This may not sound like a really appealing option and most web designers like me would tell you to never go this route. But I’m not gonna do that. There is actually a case to be made for DIY on your website in certain cases.
With DIY websites you don’t really need to have any coding or web development skills all you need is a computer and an internet connection.
That alone, you can access any of the available DIY web website platforms on the market. I suggest that you write down what you want to do with your website.
In other words, what are your goals and what features would you like to see on your website. What more importantly, what’s needed on your website.
If you’re unsure about what you want, then you can check out your competitors or other websites for inspiration. Most website builders out there offer a drag-and-drop user interface to build your website.
It makes it really super simple and most of them I actually do offer you trial accounts which is the perfect way for you to test drive the platform before you make your final decision and drop any money on it.
Pro
Cons
Costs
Between Free to RM150 per month
Resources
Wix.com, Squarespace.com, Google Sites,
For most DIY website builders where you’re kind of renting the website, you’re looking at a cost between Free to RM150 a month.
Here’s what you need to remember for DIY websites, the main cost with this option is going to be your time.
So, don’t be surprised if it could take you to know 100 hours to produce a decent quality website that you can be proud of. That’s assuming you’re already familiar with what goes into a good website.
But there is a really cool way to build your site yourself. I have listed some great Website Builder platforms in the resources area which might help you eliminate most of these cons.
2) Hiring a Freelance Designer
This is probably the most common way for small businesses because when hiring a freelancer.
It balances the cost and the quality of the final product which is of course your website. Also a stable middle ground between doing everything yourself and not doing anything yourself.
Pros
Cons
Cost
Between RM500 to RM10,000
The website design cost depends on their skill level and experience. But I want you to be careful when it comes to budget pricing, with freelancers.
Because unusually low prices usually mean they’re pretty new or inexperienced. Of course, the saying goes, you get what you pay for!
And yes, freelancers can be affordable but they’ll almost always focus on the design part not on what really matters which is that customer generation strategy.
So, if this is going to be a successful project, you’ll definitely want to develop that strategy for yourself. Then, bring that to the freelancer to basically carry it out for you.
3) Hiring a Boutique Agency (Specialized Agency)
Boutique agencies are more or less specialized agencies with a few different areas of expertise and they typically operate with a smaller team.
Because of the smaller size agency, they tend to have a smaller client list with multiple team members who own different parts of the projects.
So, you can let them handle all of the strategic design and technical work with peace of mind.
Pros
Cons
Costs
Between RM5,000 to RM25,000
The cost for a custom website starts at around RM5,000 and can just go up from there, depending on what you need.
You don’t usually have to pay all at once and most require a deposit usually about 50% with progression payments along the way, but it’s definitely gonna need to be paid in full once the project wraps up.
4) Traditional Agencies
Traditional agencies are definitely the most costly option to build a new website because it’s a larger agency with more staff.
They take on bigger projects, have longer client lists and they operate with large teams that handle many projects at the same time.
While it may seem like a good choice if you do have a bigger budget.
Pros
Cons
Costs
Starts at around RM25,000
It might not the most cost-effective option for most small-medium size businesses out there. And for so many reasons, and it’s costly, I don’t really recommend going this route.
But, if you have the budget and absolutely need someone who will be able to help develop a customer-generating strategy, hiring a traditional agency might not seem a bad idea.
Summary
Well, I hope these pricing models have given you a lot to think about when it comes to which Web Designer to hire to build your website.
My advice is, you need to be clear on what are you trying to achieve for having a website. To showcase your product and/or services? Just to introduce your company profile online? Get more sales? Get more leads and/or followers? And etc.
The more clearer your objectives, the easier the decision-making. Good luck!
Disclaimer: The website design cost is from online research and web design agency word of mouth. Please use the cost merely as a guideline for your next website design project.
