How much does your website cost?

This is one of the most frequently asked questions in the web design industry, but the answer is not as simple as you might think.

This question is difficult to answer simply for two reasons.

➢  Websites vary a lot in terms of design and functionality. The type of site you are after makes a huge difference.
➢  Rates vary from institution to institution. UK-based companies charge very differently than overseas providers. But even in UK prices can vary greatly.

A major factor in determining the cost of your website is your requirements. Pricing can seem very confusing if you are not familiar with the web design industry.

If you only focus on low prices, cheap website builders or freelancers may seem like a good choice for website design because they cost less. However, there are many downsides to cheap website design. This is why most business owners choose a web design agency  to design their website.

This step-by-step guide can give you a rough idea of how much your website design project will cost if you hire an agency.

Determine the type of website you need

Simply put, we can categorize business websites into four types.

Simple Small Business Websites

A simple website is perfect if your business has a few services or products that you don’t intend to sell online. This site will serve as your online business card for visitors to come and view your services and learn about your business. This type of site is ideal for small local businesses.

Essential components of a small business website 

Transition center location

If you plan to use your website to attract a steady stream of new business, you need a more polished website that can convert visitors and display your existing work in an engaging way. These sites are great for service-oriented small businesses.

Primary e-commerce site

You need an ecommerce site to sell products or services online and get paid on your website. E-commerce sites have a variety of features (Add Support Links) that place them in certain categories

of websites. This includes configuring the product database, shopping cart functionality, payment gateway (Add Support Links), and shipping matrix.

Sites rich in customization features

If you run a large business, you may want to stand out from the crowd with custom designs and site-specific features. Your site may need to incorporate purpose-built plugins, enterprise-level database integrations, or innovative web apps (Add Support Links), depending on your business.

Of course, this is not a strict classification. However, after reading this article, you will know what kind of website your business needs.

Get your domain name

Assuming you don’t have a domain name yet, the first thing you’ll need for your website is a domain name. A domain name is the address of your website. Domain prices vary widely. It is usually between $10 and $50. You must also renew your domain subscription annually.

After obtaining your domain and setting up your site, you need to install a Secure Socket Layer (SSL) certificate . SSL is a must if you are an ecommerce site or if your website deals with a lot of sensitive information like credit card details, usernames and passwords.

When purchasing an SSL certificate, you can choose from three types. Domain SSL for fast issuance, organization SSL for businesses, and extended SSL. For domain and organization SSLs, website visitors will see a padlock and https protocol next to the URL.

However, if you want a green address bar with your company name on it, you’ll need to sign up for Extended Validation SSL. You will also need to renew your SSL certificate after your subscription expires. If all of this sounds complicated, ask a web design agency for help.

Choose a web host

Website hosting costs around $55 per month for a standard website and can be much higher if you are hosting a large or complex site or web application.

The ideal price and package will depend on the type of site you want, number of visitors per day, storage requirements, and many other factors. Some key factors to consider are security, performance, support (including availability of phone support) and maintenance services.

Your design agency will usually help you choose the right hosting service for your website.

Choose a template or custom development

If you don’t have much web development experience, we recommend leaving this step to an agency.

Websites based on simple templates with few pages are not expensive. In fact, many popular CMSs have a cost to install, but you can install them for free.

The more you customize your site, the more your designer, developer or agency will charge you. Costs range from $500 to over $10,000. More advanced features like interactive web apps or database integrations may require a much larger budget.

There are many different options and techniques in the web design industry, many of which do the same tasks and solve the same kinds of problems. What’s best for you depends on your specific needs. Web development agencies need to find the best solution that balances their needs and budget.

Copywriting and SEO Services

Search engine optimization is no longer optional. It has become an integral part of any business website that wants to stay competitive. A service that helps you reach your target audience more efficiently by improving your visibility in search engines.

The cost here depends on the type of business, the provider you work with and the package you are using.

Professional writers may want to create initial page content optimized for SEO. The cost of copywriting depends on many factors. Since content is so important to Google rankings, your SEO package may include a bit of copywriting.

Regardless of the size or industry of your business, having a strong online presence will help. So, SEO is worth looking at as soon as your website is up and running. SEO service are on-going in nature and can cost between $300 and $10,000 per month and are often bundled with other marketing and website design services.

Integrate design and multimedia

A very important part of the project is developing an attractive aesthetic and positive user experience. So, there are two aspects to the design. One is the visual language of your site. Another is usability.

Just like the development phase, there are many ways to create visual content, whether it’s static images, videos, or interactive elements, and present information on your website. The cost will completely depend on how you want your site to look. Here, your agency will help you come up with effective ideas that align with your business goals. Costs range from $300 to over $10,000.

Ongoing maintenance

The process doesn’t end even after the agency has finished developing the website and handed over the keys. Any modern site needs maintenance to stay relevant and technically up to date.

If your site is very simple or you don’t have a certain level of technical know-how, you may need to allocate a monthly maintenance budget for your website. Regular maintenance costs range from a minimum of $50 to a maximum of $200 per month, depending on the changes required.

Final web design cost

Now you know what to consider to help you budget your web design project. Finally, here’s a rough estimate of your total cost by site type:

A simple site for small businesses: about (Add Amount)
Conversion-focused business sites: (Add Amount)
Ecommerce sites: (Add Amount)
Feature-rich custom site: (Add Amount)
Again, these numbers can vary greatly, so take these estimates sparingly!
Do you want a specific custom quote for your site? Contact us today to get a free quote.