Are you considering creating a website for your business but wondering about the website development cost?
There are several costs associated with website development, so it’s better to know in advance how much you’ll need to invest in your website. Luckily, there isn’t just one way of creating a website, so there are solutions for different budgets!
In this article, we’ll provide a comprehensive breakdown of basic website development costs to help you better understand what to expect and make a more informed choice.
Before we look into the costs associated with website development, it’s important to understand the factors that can affect this cost.
Whether you’re going to create a blog or an e-commerce, every website owner needs to take into consideration these basic website development costs:
The domain name is where your audience will find your website.
A domain name is a unique identifier that is used to locate a website on the internet. It is essentially the address that people use to find your website. When you register a domain name, you are basically renting the rights to use that name for a certain period of time (usually a year). Domain names are managed by organizations called domain name registrars.
The cost of your domain name may vary for different reasons, but a standard domain name will usually cost around $10 to $50 per year.
However, the cost will be higher depending on:
The second step is web hosting.
Web hosting is a service that allows you to make your website accessible on the internet. When you create a website, it consists of various files such as HTML, CSS, JavaScript, images, and videos. These files need to be stored on a server that is connected to the internet so that people can access them using their web browser. Web hosting providers offer this service by providing space on their servers.
The cost of web hosting can vary depending on a few different factors, including the type of hosting you need, the hosting provider you choose, and the features you require. For example, the cost could range from $2 per month for shared hosting, to over $100 per month (or more) for dedicated hosting.
Here are some general guidelines:
Shared hosting is the most affordable option and can typically cost between $2 and $10 per month. This type of hosting involves sharing a server with other websites, which can sometimes impact performance if there is a lot of traffic. Shared hosting is a good solution if you have a small website with low traffic.
VPS hosting is more expensive than shared hosting and can cost between $10 and $50 per month. With VPS hosting, you still share a physical server with other websites, but you have more control over your portion of the server.
Dedicated hosting is the most expensive option and typically costs over $100 per month. With dedicated hosting, you have an entire server to yourself, which provides the best performance and flexibility.
Cloud hosting is a newer option that provides high availability and scalability. Costs for cloud hosting can vary widely depending on the provider and the features you need.
The cost of web design can vary widely depending on a variety of factors, including the complexity of the website, the level of customization required, and the experience of the designer. In general, there are two main options for web design: using a pre-built theme or hiring a professional designer.
It really depends on what you’re looking for. Pre-built themes are of course less expensive and provide a basic design that can be customized with your own content and branding. However, they may not offer the level of customization or uniqueness that you require for your website.
On the other hand, hiring a professional designer will definitely cost more, but you’ll have a more complex website that matches your needs.
If you’re a beginner and you’re just getting started, then pre-built themes can be a good choice. But if your website is a core part of your activity, a web professional is what you need!
We may know the right one for you!
Check out our partner directory: lots of amazing web agencies and professionals ready to help you.
SSL stands for Secure Sockets Layer, and it’s a security protocol that encrypts communication between a web server and a client, such as a web browser. An SSL certificate is essential for you to have, because it confirms your identity as the website owner and ensures your users’ privacy is protected.
There are three main types of SSL certificates: domain-validated (DV), organization-validated (OV), and extended validation (EV). DV certificates are the most basic and typically the least expensive, while EV certificates offer the highest level of validation and security but are also the most expensive.
The cost of an SSL certificate from a traditional provider can range from around $50 to several hundred dollars per year, but there are also providers – like Let’s Encrypt – that offer free SSL certificates (even though these may have some limitations or trade-offs).
👉 Learn more about SSL certificates and security
Legal compliance is an aspect that is often overlooked, but it shouldn’t. With privacy laws being enforced all around the world and people paying more and more attention to how their data are used, you need to make sure that your website is compliant! Not to mention that non-compliance could also expose you to huge sanctions (have you ever heard about GDPR fines?).
Find out with this 1-minute quiz!
The cost of legal compliance can vary quite a bit.
Lastly, when considering website development cost, it’s important to budget for ongoing website maintenance to ensure that your website remains secure, up-to-date, and effective.
The cost of website maintenance can vary depending on the size, complexity, and functionality of your website, as well as the level of support and services that you require. Generally, website maintenance costs can range from a few hundred dollars per year for a basic website to several thousand dollars per year for a larger, more complex website with advanced features.
Besides the standard website development cost, you may need to consider some additional expenses which may benefit your activity in the long run.
Based on your activity, you’ll likely need to add extensions or plugins to your website, to manage some additional functionalities.
If you’re using a website builder, these often have app stores or repositories where you can download some of these plugins for free. But you can expect to pay for others.
The average cost for add-ons and plugins can vary from $0 to $100.
If you want your website to help your brand establish a certain authority within your niche, then you may need to take into consideration content creation costs. Content creation costs for a website can really vary widely depending on what your aim is.
Here you have two main options:
This option is free and you can benefit from many free resources on the internet:
However, the downside of this decision is that – if you don’t have any kind of expertise in this field – the content of your website may not be as engaging as other websites which were crafted by professionals.
This option will cost you more, but you’ll be sure that your content is high quality and that it achieves the goal you want.
The average hourly wage for a freelance copywriter is $27, but it can be higher based on their expertise.
Another website development cost you should probably consider is SEO and Marketing costs. If you want to promote your website and make it rank on search engines, you’ll need to invest some time and money in these activities.
According to Backlinko, the average small business owner spends about $500/month on SEO, and hiring an experienced SEO freelancer or agency by the hour typically costs anywhere between $50-$150 per hour.
To this, then you may need to add other digital marketing activities, such as:
The costs will vary based on the professional and the goal you want to achieve with these activities.
The website development cost for a small business would probably range between $100 and $500. Of course, this cost refers to a website that is created with a website builder and does not take into consideration any potential additional costs for hiring a professional. Then to this cost, you’ll need to add a monthly or yearly cost for maintenance: the average yearly cost to maintain a website is around $200 a year (but this can vary based on the size and complexity of the website).
Hiring a web professional to build your website, while ideal, will definitely cost you more. A simple website for a small business can range between $2,000 and $9,000. Freelancer marketplaces like Upwork and Fiverr might offer a good compromise on price vs quality as new freelancers and developers from regions with lower living costs may charge lower rates. However, keep in mind that maintenance costs will still add up over time while using a professional.
Both methods of building a website (website builders and web professionals) have their pros, cons and associated costs. It’s up to you to decide what best fits your budget and business needs. We hope this article helped.
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