Not all website design companies are created equal
Website Design Comparison Chart
What you actually get - and who’s actually doing the work — across every type of website vendor, from DIY builders to big digital agencies. The old saying, "You get what you pay for" really holds true with creative work.
| DIY (Yourself) | $99/month Companies | Boutique Agency | Mid-Size Agency | Big Digital Agency | Development Firm | Freelance Designer | Freelance Developer | Emulent | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| What's Included | |||||||||
| Design | Basic Templates | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | Yes |
| Development | Basic Code | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Maybe | Yes | Yes |
| Information Architecture | No | No | Maybe | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | Yes |
| Content Strategy | No | No | Maybe | Maybe | Yes | No | No | No | Yes |
| SEO Included / Priority | No | No | No | Maybe | Maybe | No | No | No | Yes |
| Transition / Relaunch Plan | No | No | No | No | Maybe | No | No | No | Yes |
| Google Analytics Setup | No | Maybe | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes |
| Website Management Offered | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Design | Development | Yes |
| Content Creation | No | No | No | No | Maybe | No | No | No | Yes |
| AI Integration | If you know how | Not Effectively | Maybe | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | Yes |
| Team Member's Skillset | |||||||||
| Team Experience Level | Your Skills | Junior Level | Junior to Mid-Level | Junior to Mid-Level | Mid-Level to Senior Designer | Junior Level | Junior to Senior Designer | Junior Level | Only Senior Level |
| Design | If you know how | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | Yes |
| Development | If you know how | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Maybe | Yes | Yes |
| Information Architecture | If you know how | No | Maybe | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | Yes |
| Content Strategy | If you know how | No | Maybe | Maybe | Yes | No | No | No | Yes |
| SEO | If you know how | No | Maybe | Maybe | Maybe | No | No | No | Yes |
| Website Relaunch Planning | If you know how | No | Maybe | Maybe | Maybe | No | No | No | Yes |
| Content Creation | If you know how | No | Maybe | Maybe | Yes | No | No | No | Yes |
| Additional Info | |||||||||
| Project Pricing Type Offered | NA | Subscription | Hourly | Hourly / Project | Hourly | Hourly / Project | Hourly | Hourly | Project |
| Completion Time (Months) | If you know how | 1–2 | 3–6 | 3–6 | 4–6 | 1–3 | 1–3 | 1–3 | 1–2 |
| Understands Holistic Digital Marketing? | If you know how | No | Maybe | Maybe | Yes | No | No | No | Yes |
| Will They Need To Outsource? | Probably | Yes | Maybe | Maybe | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Never |
| Average Website Price? | NA | $99+/month | $12,000+ | $30,000+ | $100,000+ | $15,000+ | $3,500+ | $7,000+ | $8,000+ |
| Holistic Website Quality? | If you know how | Poor | Good | Good – Great | Great | Average | Poor – Average | Poor | Good – Great |
Want a website that comes with the strategy built in?Design, development, SEO, content strategy and a relaunch plan — one senior team, no outsourcing.
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