When it comes to deciding whether to invest in a new school website, there is always one overarching question – how much will a school website design cost, and how can I be sure I am getting value for money?
While there are many factors that contribute to the overall school website design cost, it is important to remember that your website is your most powerful marketing tool. It is the first impression that most individuals will have of your school. So, while cost is a factor, ensuring the site delivers impact, functions well, and reinforces your school’s brand is vitally important.
Pre-Planning
Before reaching out to any school website design agencies for quotes, it is important to do some background research and pre-planning. This will help you know exactly what you are looking for.
Here are some of our recommended steps to consider before reaching out for quotes:
- Go through your current website and write down what you like about it, as well as what currently isn’t working. Going through and deciding what it is about your website that is making you decide to invest in a new site will direct you towards what you are looking for.
- Look at other school websites and note down elements you like and ones you don’t. Take screenshots, save links, create a mood board. The more information you gather, the easier it will be to convey your expectations and brief.
- With all of the information you have gathered, use it to write a clear tender document. In the brief, be sure to outline your values, review your current frustrations, and use your research to define the objectives and deliverables for your new school website. This information is very handy to discuss with your agency of choice and will provide an excellent starting point for creative collaboration. We always say that the best outcomes happen when all parties work together throughout the design process!
- Clarify your budget. Decide how much you are able to allocate to the project as an outright cost (i.e. for design, project management, build, etc.) and what is going to be an ongoing fee that needs to be factored into your annual budget moving forward (this includes elements such as hosting costs, etc.) If you haven’t decided on a specified budget, then most school website design agencies can provide you with a variety of options to suit your needs.
Design Approach
Once you have done this initial research and have established your budget, it is time to consider the design approach and how it can influence the overall school website design cost. When you look into what school website designers offer, you will find that many advertise ‘packages’ that range from low cost to premium value. While it may seem tempting to opt for the relatively low-price options, it is important to establish exactly what is included in those packages and whether they address the objectives of the project and if the end product will do your school justice and stand the test of time.
Bespoke Websites vs. Theme Websites.
Many cheaper ‘off-the-shelf’ school website providers will offer a low-cost package option, where you will be able to browse a library of pre-designed themes and templates that you can choose from. However, these can have limitations and are unlikely to address the frustrations that led you to commission a new website in the first place. A bespoke school website build offers more opportunity to express your brand values and showcase what makes your school unique. With more flexibility in terms of design, it will also allow you to cater to your audience’s specific needs, resolve current website frustrations, and leave you with a more comprehensive long-term solution.
Design Requirements/Integrations
Go through your current website and create a list of its style and layout functions – what works and what doesn’t? Now consider what you would like from your new website – what do you want your users to be able to achieve on your website? It can also be a useful idea to familiarise yourself with current design trends and note what you do and don’t like.
An experienced school website designer will be able to look at this list, understand your vision, and produce a realistic and affordable approach to creating your new school website. There are many options for advanced design and functionality modules as well as integration with third-party apps. It is important to be clear about how you would expect this to work, how it will benefit your end users, and it is definitely necessary.
Modules like this often fall outside of a website provider’s ‘standard functionality,’ so be sure to ask these questions early on and perhaps allocate a small extra cushion in your budget for any potential additional costs. This kind of work can be particularly complex and may increase the cost of the build. During our consultation process, we will discuss these requirements with you, which will help inform the final website quote.
What Extra Elements Are Required?
Often, when schools decide to invest in a new website, it is part of a larger-scale rebrand for the entire school. If this is the case, consider which additional elements might be required, such as photography, logos, etc.
If you are investing in a new school website due to a rebrand, it will likely be a much larger project, and it may be worth breaking it down into stages. Establish the order in which you need to do things to ensure the work is carried out at the right time, and assign a budget to each element to ensure you don’t overspend.
SEO Requirements
When reviewing your current site content and the extra content you might want to add to your new website, consider how SEO-friendly it is. Will you need an additional SEO package to help boost your rankings or a more long-term strategy to help support long-term traffic growth?
Ongoing Website Support
What extra support will you require? This could include:
- Content advice
- Training requirements
- Ongoing website support
We are extremely proud of our support team at Cleverbox, and we recently published our latest feedback survey results. You can read all the wonderful feedback from our schools here.
Considering Building Your Website Yourself? There Will Be a Significant Cost Involved…
With many online website builders available, it can be tempting to have a crack at building your school website yourself. It is important to highlight some of the downsides to this, as well as associated costs:
- Building a website is a complex and time-consuming task that typically requires input and work from a multi-disciplined team. At Cleverbox, we have a team of specialists that cover everything for you, from setting up and arranging hosting to managing the project, designing the website, and even delivering professional photography.
- You will have to self-host your website, which may take a significant amount of time, energy, and money to upkeep. You will also have to take responsibility for website security, as well as accessibility and GDPR requirements.
- You know that frustration when something technical doesn’t work and you don’t know how to fix it? If you build your website yourself, you won’t have any expert support or someone to turn to when a difficult situation arises. If at this stage you wanted to look for support, a lot of companies would not offer their services on a site they themselves did not build.
Measuring ROI on Your School Website
We understand that commissioning a new school website is a considerable investment, and using a more specialist design agency may increase costs. However, using an experienced and sector-specific agency will ensure a high-quality and reliable end product that will maximise your return on investment from the project. Investment in a premium school website helps your ROI on the project in a number of ways:
- Helps attract more students
- Enhances school reputation
- Improves relations with stakeholders through a better-functioning and easier-to-use site
- Provides a long-term solution, reducing the need to redesign or purchase another website in a short time frame
- Reduces the need to pay for fixes or issues that may arise
Benefits of Using a School Website Specialist
At Cleverbox, we have over 25 years of experience in the education sector and are proud to have worked with the UK’s leading schools and multi-academy trusts to make their visions a reality. We know the industry inside and out – we know what works, what your audience will respond well to, as well as what they won’t. In short, we know school websites!
With any school website design cost, it’s scoped according to many of the factors listed above. To get a definitive answer based on your needs, send us an email at team@cleverbox.co.uk or alternatively, give us a call on 0208 466 7222. and let us advise you on a quote tailored specifically to your requirements.
Interested in finding out more?
See how Cleverbox can help you with your next project