A badly made website, or even worse, no website at all, could hurt a business’s ability to get new customers. In fact, after a bad experience, 85% of online shoppers are less likely to return to a website. So, to improve your chances of getting and keeping customers, you should focus on your online presence.
But how much does it cost to make a website, and where do you even start? This piece will talk about:
Here’s exactly what you’ll have to pay.
When it comes to how much a website costs, there are two main things to think about:
How infrastructure is built and how it works
Infrastructure is connected to everything that makes your website work, like software, hosting, domain names, and so on.
Design and functionality are all the things that your visitors will interact with, like how your website looks and how it works.
Here, we’ve gone into detail about these two parts. Please take a look:
Website Infrastructure Cost Breakdown: Only $70
To sum up, here’s what it will cost you for a year to pay for your site’s back-end infrastructure:
If you host WordPress yourself, it will cost you $70. This includes a free domain name from Bluehost, the WordPress software, and hosting.
A website builder will cost you at least $150, which includes $10 for your domain name and $140 or more for a year of service.
Please keep in mind that these are the prices that will stay the same. So each year, you’ll spend this much to keep your website running.
Costs for website design and functionality range from $0 to $100 or more.
How much the design and functionality will cost in total depends on your needs. You couldn’t spend a dollar on a site that was really important. But if you want a lot of extra features, you will have to spend more money.
Most sites with just the basics will probably spend at least $100 on extensions.
How much does a site’s back-end infrastructure cost?
When making a website, there are three major back-end infrastructure costs to think about:
- Domain name
- Hosting of website software/content management system
- Let’s talk in depth about these specific points:
You might have to pay $10 per year for a domain name.
Your domain name is the permanent Internet address for your site. You can buy a domain name from a domain registrar. Your TLD, which is the part that comes after your name and could be “.com,” “.net,” or something else, decides how much your domain will cost. On the other hand, a typical “.com” domain usually costs $10. You have to pay this fee every year to keep your ownership. But there are hosting companies, like Bluehost, that will only charge you $71.40 for the whole first year. A free domain name is also included. Buying a lot of things at once will help you more.
Free website software or $16 or more per month
The vast majority of websites are not written from scratch anymore. Instead, you will use a content management system, which is ready-made software for websites.
For example, WordPress, a piece of software, is used by more than 35% of all websites on the Internet. Yes, that number is as crazy as it sounds: more than one-third of all websites on the Internet are run by WordPress.
Hosting starts at $5 per month and goes up as you get more visitors.
When you pay for hosting, you are basically renting computer space to run your website and make it available to people all over the world.
If you use a website builder like Squarespace or Wix, hosting is already included in the price, so you won’t have to pay anything else.
When you’re just getting started, hosting that costs less than $6 per month is the best option. For example, Bluehost, which is recommended by WordPress experts, costs $71.40 for the first year and includes a free domain name. If you buy more than one year in advance, you’ll save a lot more money.
When your business grows, you may need to spend more to handle the extra customers, which is a great “problem” to have.
Top Things That Affect How Much It Costs to Build a Website
The average cost of making a website depends on a number of things. Because each business is different, so are their website needs. For example, the factors that affect how much it costs to build a site for a company that does data analytics are very different from those that affect how much it costs to build a simple site for blogging. If you’re just starting out, you can use the free website builder calculator to figure out how much each part of your site will cost.
In the next parts of this post, we’ll talk about some of the things that can affect how much it costs to build a website. Still, it’s important to remember that this is not a complete list. In fact, there are many more things that make each business and website project unique.
Title of the Site
The domain name should be the very first thing you think about. Each year, a new domain name for your website will usually cost between $10 and $15. It’s important to remember that the price can change based on a number of things, such as:
Domain Registrar
In this case, the company helps you buy and register your domain name. You can choose from a number of registrars, all of which offer different packages and features at different prices.
How Long the Contract Is
Most registrars offer different prices based on how long the contract is. In the long run, a longer contract will save you money. In the short run, a shorter contract will save you money.
Security of the Company
When you register a domain, you have to give personal information, but you can choose to hide that information from the public. Registrars offer clients privacy options that protect their identity and keep them anonymous for an extra fee.
Usability of a website
The way a website works has a big effect on how much it costs. Simply put, the cost of your site goes up as you add more features to it. There may be functions on your website that are essential to your business and others that are optional but are meant to improve the user experience. Here are a few examples of this:
Some functions of e-commerce are:
All the features needed to run an online store. For these businesses to work, the websites must have a number of design elements that let people search for and buy things. Important parts of designing an online shop are customer portals, payment processing, different shipping options, and order fulfillment. Prices vary, but a fully customized, standard e-commerce site can easily cost more than $2,500.00.
Portals for members
As the name suggests, this is a part of the site that can only be seen by people who have signed up. Installing these portals is a great way to improve the credibility of your content, make it easier for people to use your website, and build a loyal customer base. Depending on the features and licensing type you choose, a membership portal function could cost anywhere from $89 to $399 per year.
Services by Subscription
For your site to set up a subscription model, it needs to have these features. They are either restocking services that send out products on a regular basis or curated services that send out items based on what each customer needs. For example, Bold Subscriptions charges $49.99 per month for full integration of subscription services.
Programming just for you
Certainly, a small business website may not need much back-end programming. Other companies, on the other hand, may want their sites to have more complicated designs. Portals on the web are a great example of this. These websites handle a lot of data and give different users different ways to access it.
When working with such complex systems, it may be necessary to hire a dedicated software development team to add custom code. Upwork has a huge number of independent web developers who can help with any programming needs.
Maintenance of the site
Website maintenance is important to the success of your business because it keeps your website working and safe. Still, when making a budget, many people forget to include costs for repairs and maintenance. Taking care of a website means doing the following:
Repairing broken links
- Trouble with CMS patching and server software
- Every three months, all online forms and e-commerce functions are tested.
- Trying to fix security flaws
- Frequently making copies of the site
These jobs are often done by specialist firms or web developers, and the cost varies based on the size and complexity of the website.
The size of the site
The number of features a website has and how complicated its architecture aren’t the only things that can make web design costs go up. In many cases, the size of the website is just as important as its content. The price difference between making a big website and a small one is big.
For example, it will take a lot of time and work to build a 500-page e-commerce site, which will be reflected in the price you choose to pay for web development services. On the other hand, a simple website with just a few pages that uses a standard template can be made for a fraction of the cost.
A place to host a website.
Web hosting must be different for each company. If you only do business online, you might want to look into dedicated server hosting. This will let you handle more people using your server without having to shut it down.
You will also have access to better security features that will help protect the important data of your clients. If you don’t plan to use your website to make money, shared hosting is the easiest option. These plans are good for websites with only a few pages of content because they are easy to keep up and don’t cost much.
To Sum It Up
It might be hard to figure out how much it will cost to build a website, but it’s not hard to find the best people for your business. dropship-empire can help you find skilled people who can guide you through the process of building your dream website, whether it’s a simple WordPress site or a big online store. It’s never been easier to have a website that looks professional, but for better results, it’s better to hire someone who knows the industry well.