Your prospects and customers check your website before visiting your store. So not having a small business website can leave a poor or negative impression on them. If you’re postponing your plan to have your own site due to money, you should not. This is because small business website cost has come down drastically these days.
But how much does it cost to build a website? Two-thirds of small business owners spend less than $10,000 to design, build, and launch a website.
If you just want to create a website to promote your products and services, you can expect to spend around $1000 to $7600. Businesses that need to offer a booking facility can put up a website for about $3600 to $10,000.
For an Ecommerce business that sells 100 to 1000 products daily, the website cost can vary from $5000 to $55000.
If you want to know the exact average website cost, it will not be possible as the cost of website building depends on various factors, such as
- The complexity of a website
- Copywriting cost
- Choice of domain and hosting company
- Way to have a website (DIY route or hiring a designer)
Also, you should note that custom website development is costly. So if you’re thinking about having a website with special functions, you should be ready to shell out more money.
How much does a website cost per month?
A basic website can cost you from $6 to $50 per month if you set up it using a website builder. To increase the functionality of your website, you may expect to pay some additional fee per month, depending on the price of add-on apps you choose. You can pick a free website builder for your small business to minimize costs.
In case you choose WordPress to make a website, you may have to pay around $15 to $60 per month with an upfront cost of about $60 to $800. And this upfront cost can go up rapidly if you decide to hire a web designer to build a custom website.
You should also understand that your monthly website cost can increases quickly if you choose to have a complex website built by a designer.
How much does a website cost per year?
A website can cost you $70 to $6000 or more per year, depending on the route you choose to have a website and the functions you’re looking at.
If you use a website builder, the cost will be around $70 to $3000 per year. And hiring a designer to get a custom website built can cost you about $1500 to $7200 or more per year plus the upfront cost of hiring a designer.
The annual cost of a website solely depends on the type of website you’re making and how you are making it. Complex websites built by experienced designers cost a good deal of money.
DIY Website Creation Vs. Built for You
The Internet is jam-packed with articles, guides, videos, and other resources on how to build a website.
So if you are web or tech-savvy, you can opt for DIY website creation instead of hiring someone to build a website for you. DIY website creation can save you a good amount of money as hiring a web developer is costly.
However, if you need a website with complex functions, it will be a better decision to hire an expert to do the job. Even if you pick the WordPress platform and buy a powerful theme, getting advanced features right can make you lose patience.
These pros and cons of building your own website can help you better understand which option is good for you.
Using a Website Builder Vs. Custom Made Website Design
With the help of a website builder, business owners can create their websites without hiring a professional web developer.
Is a website builder the right choice for your business? Or you should go for a custom-built website.
Considering the following factors can help you make the right decision:
1- Budget
Building a website using a website builder is cheaper than hiring a web design agency to have a custom-made website. Domain registration fees and hosting service charges are already included in the monthly or annual website builder prices.
But when you hire a developer for a custom-made website, you have to pay for everything, including a designer’s fee.
If you don’t know how to choose the best website builder, you can do some online research to find the best value for your money.
2- Time and Energy
If you’re not web or tech-savvy, using a website builder can eat up tons of your time and energy. But hiring a developer can save you time that you can utilize to run growth driving activities.
3- Security and Support
Website builder’s subscription cost includes security and support. So you don’t have to invest in the security of your website. And there is no website maintenance cost.
But if you hire a web design agency to have a custom-made website, you have to invest in the security of your website. Also, you may have to spend some money regularly on the maintenance of your website.
4- Skill Requirement
Website builders claim that it is super easy to build a website using their platforms. But there is always a learning curve to use those platforms optimally. If you’re not web or tech-savvy, using a website builder will require a huge time commitment.
However, you don’t need any web or tech skills to hire a web designer to have a custom-made website design.
5- Customization
Website builders offer limited customization options. So if you want a professional website with lots of customization to suit your business needs, a website builder may not do the job.
Custom website development costs big money, but it offers endless options to customize your website.
Breakdown Costs of Building and Maintaining a Basic Business Website
Whether you want to run an online store or a simple website, you should know that good website development costs money.
Even if you’re thinking about using one of those free WordPress themes, you will have to spend money on web hosting, domain name registration fees, fee for premium plugins (if you use any), etc.
And not to forget, you will have to hire a WordPress developer if you want to use a custom WordPress theme.
We have mentioned below the breakdown costs you may have to bear to have your own website:
Domain Name
You can expect to pay $2 to $20 per year for a domain registration fee. Some hosting providers and website builders offer a free domain for one year. So you should check it with your hosting provider.
Popular domain name registrars include Domain.com, Bluehost, GoDaddy, etc.
Web Hosting
Web hosting costs anywhere from $40 to $250 per year, depending on the provider you choose. If you’re looking for a powerful web hosting service, you can opt for Virtual Private Server (VPS) hosting or dedicated hosting. If you’re building a WordPress site, managed WordPress hosting can be the right choice for you.
Leading companies offering web hosting services are Bluehost, GoDaddy, Hostinger, DreamHost, etc.
Bluehost is an officially recommended hosting provider by WordPress.
SSL Certificate
SSL certificates cost from $65 to $300 per year. A few hosting companies offer a free SSL certificate with their plans.
Website Theme
To add a professional touch to your WordPress website, you should buy a premium theme. You can buy a premium WordPress theme for $10 to $200. You can find tons of premium themes these days, allowing you to easily pick a theme that can accurately represent your business.
ECommerce
If you want to run an online store, you can expect to pay from $2000 to $25000 to add Ecommerce functionality to your website.
SEO
To improve the visibility of your website on search engines, you will have to pay for search engine optimization. Businesses pay on average $500 per month on SEO. For WordPress SEO, there are many free plugins you can explore to increase your website visitors if you don’t want to spend money on SEO initially.
Website Content
Content cost depends on how many web pages you’re going to have and the type of content you’re going to feed into your content management system. Generally, you will have to pay $100 for one web page. Ebooks, blog posts, white papers are charged differently.
Images
If you’re going to have a visually appealing website, you will have to use quality images on your website. Stock images can cost you $15 to $50 per image. And hiring a photographer can cost you $100 to $15000 per photo shoot.
Additional Apps and Integrations
To make your website fully functional, you may need to buy some apps and hire someone to do integrations. Google Analytics and Google Search Console are critical integrations you must get them done. You may also consider buying a social media plugin.
General Website Maintenance
Website maintenance costs money. You can expect to pay $100 per year for a small website and $300 to $600 per year for a mid-size website.
Digital Marketing
Companies spend $500 to $50,000 per month on digital marketing.
Final thoughts
Now that you know – how much does it cost to build a website? It’s time to make a plan to have a website for your business. You can read these tips to create a good website.
Whether you want to outsource web development or do it yourself, you should understand that a fully functional website costs money. You can learn here what kind of web hosting server you need and how to choose a good domain name.
Image: Depositphotos
This article, “How Much Does a Website Cost?” was first published on Small Business Trends
