I receive a lot of enquiries from people wanting a website. Unfortunately in many instances the prospect has no idea of their budget, or they don’t want to tell me what it is. I understand that they feel that if they give out a budget that’s what they will be quoted but they are so off the mark.
Giving the web designer an idea of how much you want to spend helps us suggest a solution that fits your requirements and your budget. I always use the car analogy – if I’m looking at buying a new car I give the car salesman an idea of what I am looking for and my price range. That way he knows whether to direct me to the Mercedes or the used car lot down the road. Without giving him that information he’s not able to make any professional recommendations He’s just flying around in the dark.
You don’t have to give an absolute figure, consider a ballpark or a price range. And remember the web designer you choose must be within your budget but it is just as important, if not more, to make sure the web designer you work with is one that has a good understanding of your requirements, can deliver a successful solution and is someone you’d want to work with.
Using your analogy, when I go to a car dealer I know the range of prices for a Mercedes compared to a used car so I know based on the relative price what I can afford before I even arrive at the dealership. If web designers could give some sample sites and approximate prices it would go a long way in helping people understand how to construct their budgets. Nobody likes to say upfront what they want to spend, especially with no idea about the nominal price. If they knew for example, a 5 page site similiar to xyz.com would cost X amount, and a 1000 page dynamic site would cost Y amount they would be in a much better position to give you a proper budget.
Just my view from the other side of the fence. By the way, I love your designs. They are very clean, well organized and optimized.