I built a free website development cost calculator that got me a client and heres the code so you can use it for yourself or your clients

Ken Jun 13, 2024

I Built a Free Website Development Cost Calculator That Got Me a Client And Heres The Code So You Can Use It For Yourself Or Your Clients

I want to share with you a project that not only increased the traffic to my website but also helped me land a new client. It’s a Free Website Development Cost Calculator. Interestingly, this project started when a client wanted a similar calculator for their office cleaning business in South New Jersey. This tool isn't just limited to web development costs—it can be adapted to various service industries.

If you're running an agency or if you have clients who could benefit from such a tool, feel free to take my code and adapt it for your own or your clients' websites. Here's how I built it, step by step.

What is a Website Development Cost Calculator?

A website development cost calculator is a tool that helps potential clients estimate how much it might cost to build their website. They answer a few questions, and the calculator gives them an estimate based on their needs.

Step 1. Planning the Features

Before writing any code, I thought about what questions are essential to determine the cost of a website. These included whether the client needs a logo, domain name, custom email, etc. Each choice impacts the cost, so I listed all possible services.

Step 2. Designing the HTML Structure

I designed a simple web page layout using HTML. This includes titles, forms where users can select services they need, and a section to display the estimated cost. Here’s a snippet of what the HTML code looks like:

<div class="calculator-container">
    <div class="content">
        <h1>Free Website Development Cost Calculator</h1>
        <p>This is a simple calculator to estimate the cost of a website.</p>

        <form id="costCalculator">
            <div class="question">
                <label>Do you need a logo design?</label>
                <label><input name="logoDesign" onclick="calculateCost()" type="radio" value="yes"> Yes</label>
                <label><input name="logoDesign" onclick="calculateCost()" type="radio" value="no"> No</label>
            </div>
            <div class="question">
                <label>Do you need a domain name?</label>
                <label><input name="domainName" onclick="calculateCost()" type="radio" value="yes"> Yes</label>
                <label><input name="domainName" onclick="calculateCost()" type="radio" value="no"> No</label>
            </div>
            <div class="question">
                <label>Do you need a custom email address?</label>
                <label><input name="customEmail" onclick="calculateCost()" type="radio" value="yes"> Yes</label>
                <label><input name="customEmail" onclick="calculateCost()" type="radio" value="no"> No</label>
            </div>
            <div class="question">
                <label>Do you need a Google My Business setup?</label>
                <label><input name="googleMyBusiness" onclick="calculateCost()" type="radio" value="yes"> Yes</label>
                <label><input name="googleMyBusiness" onclick="calculateCost()" type="radio" value="no"> No</label>
            </div>
            <div class="question">
                <label>Do you need a blog or news section?</label>
                <label><input name="blogOrNews" onclick="calculateCost()" type="radio" value="yes"> Yes</label>
                <label><input name="blogOrNews" onclick="calculateCost()" type="radio" value="no"> No</label>
            </div>
            <div class="question">
                <label>Do you need to sell products/e-commerce shop?</label>
                <label><input name="eCommerce" onclick="calculateCost()" type="radio" value="yes"> Yes</label>
                <label><input name="eCommerce" onclick="calculateCost()" type="radio" value="no"> No</label>
            </div>
            <div class="question">
                <label>Do you need a secure members area with unique user login and registration?</label>
                <label><input name="secureMembersArea" onclick="calculateCost()" type="radio" value="yes"> Yes</label>
                <label><input name="secureMembersArea" onclick="calculateCost()" type="radio" value="no"> No</label>
            </div>
            <div class="question">
                <label>Do you need your website optimized for search (SEO)?</label>
                <label><input name="seo" onclick="calculateCost()" type="radio" value="yes"> Yes</label>
                <label><input name="seo" onclick="calculateCost()" type="radio" value="no"> No</label>
            </div>
            <div class="question">
                <label>Do you need your website to be responsive for all devices (phone, tablet, desktop)?</label>
                <label><input name="responsiveDesign" onclick="calculateCost()" type="radio" value="yes"> Yes</label>
                <label><input name="responsiveDesign" onclick="calculateCost()" type="radio" value="no"> No</label>
            </div>
            <div class="question">
                <label>Do you need hosting?</label>
                <label><input name="hosting" onclick="calculateCost()" type="radio" value="yes"> Yes</label>
                <label><input name="hosting" onclick="calculateCost()" type="radio" value="no"> No</label>
            </div>
            <div class="question">
                <label>Do you need maintenance?</label>
                <label><input name="maintenance" onclick="calculateCost()" type="radio" value="yes"> Yes</label>
                <label><input name="maintenance" onclick="calculateCost()" type="radio" value="no"> No</label>
            </div>
            <div class="question">
                <label>Do you need copywriting services?</label>
                <label><input name="copywriting" onclick="calculateCost()" type="radio" value="yes"> Yes</label>
                <label><input name="copywriting" onclick="calculateCost()" type="radio" value="no"> No</label>
            </div>
                <label for="pages">How many pages do you need?</label>
                <select id="pages" onchange="calculateCost()">
                    <option value="0">Select an option</option>
                    <option value="1-5">1-5</option>
                    <option value="6-10">6-10</option>
                    <option value="11-15">11-15</option>
                    <option value="16-20">16-20</option>
                    <option value="21+">21+</option>
                </select>
        </form>

        <div id="result">
            <h3>Estimated Cost: <span id="totalCost">$0</span></h3>
            <div id="packageOffer" style="display:none">
                <p>You've reached the threshold where you will get a better deal by bundling your needs into one of our <a href="/pricing/packages">pricing packages</a>.</p>
            </div>
        </div>
</div></div>

Step 3. Writing the JavaScript for Calculations

The calculator needs to calculate costs as users select options. I used JavaScript to add up the costs based on the user's selections. Here's a basic idea of how the JavaScript looks:

const costFactors = {
    pages: {
        '0': 0, // Ensure this matches the 'select' value if it's supposed to represent a default/no-selection state.
        '1-5': 3600,
        '6-10': 6000,
        '11-15': 9000,
        '16-20': 12000,
        '21+': 15000
    },
    additionalServices: {
        logoDesign: 200,
        domainName: 15,
        customEmail: 50,
        googleMyBusiness: 150,
        blogOrNews: 300,
        eCommerce: 1000,
        secureMembersArea: 2000,
        seo: 200,
        responsiveDesign: 300,
        hosting: 240,
        maintenance: 360,
        copywriting: 600
    }
};

function calculateCost() {
    let total = 0;

    // Iterate over each service in additionalServices
    Object.keys(costFactors.additionalServices).forEach(service => {
        const serviceInputYes = document.querySelector(`input[name="${service}"]:checked`);
        if (serviceInputYes && serviceInputYes.value === 'yes') {
            total += costFactors.additionalServices[service];
        }
    });

    // Calculate costs based on page selection
    const pages = document.getElementById('pages').value;
    total += costFactors.pages[pages] || 0;

    // Display the total cost
    document.getElementById('totalCost').textContent = '$' + total;

    // Display the package offer if applicable
    const packageOffer = document.getElementById('packageOffer');
    if (total > 3600) {
        packageOffer.style.display = 'block';
    } else {
        packageOffer.style.display = 'none';
    }
}

This script checks what options the user has selected, adds up the costs, and then updates the webpage to show the total estimated cost.

Step 4. Making It Interactive

The calculator works by listening for clicks and changes on the form's options. Whenever a user makes a selection, the JavaScript function calculateCost() is triggered, which updates the total cost automatically.

Step 5. Testing and Launching

After everything was set up, I tested the calculator by trying different combinations of services to see if the total cost calculated correctly. Once everything worked fine, I published it on my website.

This simple tool was a hit!

It attracted a lot of visitors who were curious about how much their website might cost. Plus, it was straightforward enough that even people without much technical knowledge could use it. Best of all, it helped me secure a new client who used the calculator and decided to hire me for their project!

Building useful tools

A cost calculator can significantly enhance your website by providing valuable services to your visitors. It’s not just about drawing traffic; it’s about adding value that can convert visitors into clients. Feel free to adapt this tool to fit your or your client's needs—it's a great way to add interactive elements to any site! I hope this inspires you to create something awesome for your website too!

I Built a Free Website Development Cost Calculator That Got Me a Client And Heres The Code So You Can Use It For Yourself Or Your Clients

What is a Website Development Cost Calculator?

Step 1. Planning the Features

Step 2. Designing the HTML Structure

Step 3. Writing the JavaScript for Calculations

Step 4. Making It Interactive

Step 5. Testing and Launching

This simple tool was a hit!

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