How Much Does A Website Cost [Quick Guide]

 In Web Design

The ultimate question is: how much does a website cost in 2019- 2020?

And the answer is: it depends. Sorry to burst your bubble but it’s true!

We’ll go into more detail as to why the cost will depend on certain factors that you need to take into consideration should you wish to pay for a web developer to design your website.

But for now, let’s state some facts:

Gone are the days where you had to pay over $5,000 for a simple five-page website. This was pre 2010 when drag and drop software like Wix and Weebly wasn’t available on the market.

How much does a website cost

Nowadays, you can literally set up your website in less than an hour using the drag and drop functionality available. It will cost you between $60 to $150 per year to host your website on one of these platforms and the designer is free.

You might have to pay a little more for third party functionalities like a booking system and/or an online form but generally speaking, it shouldn’t go over $200/ year.

And if you are a one-man/ one-woman show, that could suffice. You might need to start here and then once you’ve established yourself as an authority or got a few clienteles, you can upgrade to custom design.

 

Nothing wrong with that at all.

 

Drag and drop website’s goal is to convince you to build a website using their platform because it’s so easy and they’re absolutely right.

Heck, you can have a free domain if you’re ok with leaving theirs alongside yours. For example, our URL would be TheEnlightenedLeaders.wix.com instead of our branded website, TheEnlightenedLeaders.com – not very professional but if you’re looking for a starting point, that could do!

 

The thing that they don’t mention is…

 

You have to do all of the work yourself; from writing the content (copyrighting) to wrestling with a rigid functionality and design that’s available on their platform.

Unfortunately, though, a website template design won’t take into consideration your business marketing & strategic goals.

Online drag and drop platform only offer a handful of templates to choose from. This means that there is the possibility that your website will look exactly like someone else’s website — potentially your competition.

WordPress is definitely a better option for websites but isn’t as straightforward and requires minor coding.

If you know someone who is a WordPress fanatic, we bet that you have heard them rambling about how awesome WordPress plugins are and they’re partially true. Although drag and drop platforms like Wix, are catching up very quickly.

WordPress owns half the market share for Content Management Systems and it has grown by leaps and bounds since its inception in 2003.

 

How much does a website cost

 

The Yoast SEO plugin within WordPress is the undisputed market leaders when it comes to WordPress SEO. Some of the features they offer in the free version include:

  • Writing seo-friendly content
  • Full control over site breadcrumbs
  • Snippet preview
  • Google Preview
  • Advanced XML Sitemaps functionality
  • Canonical URLs
  • Readability check
  • And much more..

I do think that if you have a couple of grand to spend on your website and branding, hiring an experienced and talented web developer is something that you should highly consider.

But before you hire your next web designer you need to know the following:

 

  1. How many websites have they designed in the past? Specifically in your niche. More experienced web developers will come at a higher cost than those just starting out in this field. If you’ve selected a web designer with years of experience, are they keeping up with the latest trends and technological changes?

 

  1. Can they provide you with some example websites they designed or referrals? How do you like their website?

 

  1. Do they communicate frequently and effectively? This is probably the most important factor in determining good fit. Communication is key in web design. Without it, most web design projects fail or end up with disappointments.

 

  1. Do they have basic knowledge of CRO (Conversion Rate Optimization). After all, they could build the most beautiful website out there with no to low conversions. CRO is the process of enabling website visitors to take an action when they visit a website so they become paying customers; actions like making a purchase, filling a form or calling your business.

 

If you decide to hire a web design agency with a team of designers, be prepared to pay up. Cost of hiring an agency can start at $2,000 and go up to $50,000 depending on the complexity, functionalities and nature of your niche.

Here are some factors that determine the cost of a website:

 

  • Website niche: The price depends highly on the type of website you are trying to build. A simple personal blog is way easier to set up than an online e-commerce store. A small personal brand business website has fewer pages than an enterprise website.

 

  • Coding language: This can be HTML or PHP files, a content management system like WordPress or something else. Whatever you decide to choose, the cost will reflect that. The more man /woman hours required to code, the higher the price tag.

 

  • Website functionalities: If you want the next Amazon e-commerce store designed for you, then expect to pay at least 10,000 upfront. With unique functionalities, you might need additional plugins, apps or third-party services that will require testing and more time which equals more money.

 

  • Ongoing maintenance: with a huge complicated website design comes huge maintenance fees to keep it running optimally. Ongoing maintenance (including marketing) is also a part of a website cost formula.

 

To build a website, there are three things you need to have a website up and running:

 

  1. Domain name (e.g. Google.com, Amazon.com, TheEnlightenedLeaders.com). Average prices for a domain name range between $15-$50 per year.
  2. Website builder/ Content Management System (e.g. WordPress, Wix, Weebly, Joomla, Drupal). Average prices for a web hosting range between free with a domain name or up to package-$500 per year.
  3. Web hosting (depending on your website builder, example- GoDaddy, NameCheap). Average prices for a web hosting range between $50-$500 per year.

 

You will also need an SSL Certificate, some come with domain name packages but sometimes you have to pay upfront.

Security socket layer (SSL) is vitally important for those websites that plan to collect and store tons of personal data from their own users. SSL ensures that the information that has been entered by website visitors using browser security reaches the target server.

 

How Much Does A Website Cost

 

An average SSL costs are between $9 and $60– not too expensive but necessary for search engines to display your website.

A website is never a “set it and for get it” type of business.

You will need to maintain it, update it and ensure that it is compatible with the latest browsers and screen sizes.

In addition to that, in order to generate traffic to your website, you need to think about digital marketing to get more leads, more phone calls and more revenue.

Things like:

The costs of building a website, maintaining and marketing it can definitely add up.

However, when you work with the right talented web designer expert, your website costs will turn into an unquestionable investment towards your business goals that quickly pays for itself with new paying clients and additional or even only-source of revenue for your business.

 

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