Are you wondering how much it costs to build a website? The approximated cost is based on several factors, including which add-ons and platforms you choose. For example, a self-hosted and basic WordPress website costs as minimum as $115 per year.

Often, businesses recruit freelancers to develop websites, hire web development agencies, or take a DIY approach. So, the cost to build websites differs significantly. You may semi-accurately anticipate how much you have to spend by considering what you will need to set aside the funds for.  

Having a website with bad navigation or, worse yet, not having one is destructive to customer acquisition. It has been surveyed that 88% of online customers won’t return to a website after an adverse experience. Hence, to boost the strategies of attracting and retaining consumers, online presence needs to be prioritized a lot.  

Having transparent ideas on website costs and obtaining great value for money is crucial in today’s economic condition. So, this article will discuss the costs of building websites and the factors determining the website cost. Let’s get started! 

The best ways to build your website and how it will impact the costs

If you would like to know the cost to build a website, you should pay heed to the strategies to make your website first to save money. Consider these ways to build your website:

• DIY

It’s one of the best approaches and cost-efficient solutions for building websites if you’re running low on budget. By designing the website yourself, your website cost will have the elementary expenses required to set up and host the website. These consist of your domain name, SSL certificate, hosting charges, a premium theme, and a drag-and-drop website builder, for example, Wix, Squarespace, or Weebly. 

Although this DIY approach is worth exploring while creating a basic website, it has not been a durable option while coping with larger projects. If your priority is to save money, the DIY method is the best option.  

How much will a DIY website cost?

For brochure-style websites required for small businesses, you will need a domain name of approx $12 per year, a premium theme of $60, a shared hosting plan of approx $60 per year, a website builder of $12-$15, and premium plugins of $60 per year. You may anticipate paying more than $200 while developing a website on your own.

• Recruit a freelance web developer 

If you would like to ensure the optimum working efficiency of your website, recruiting a freelancer is the best thing to consider. Experienced web developers can bring your exotic ideas into execution, recommend features that may propagate your business, and assist you in navigating your site’s launch without any hassles. 

How much will hiring an independent professional cost?

Numerous factors, including the website functions, hourly charges of the freelancers, page volume, and custom programming, will consider the price of building a website. Experienced website developers charge between $20 to $80 per hour. Therefore, a small business website will cost you approx $1500 to $5000. 

• Hire an agency

Companies that routinely handle challenging projects can benefit significantly from recruiting a professional web design agency. These veteran agencies can provide a wide array of services beyond the opportunity of web development along with managing advanced website designs. 

Associating with a premium web design agency will cost more, such as tens of thousands of dollars. Their higher price tag comes with an all-inclusive package that includes web design, SEO services, and maintenance. 

How much does it cost to hire an agency?

Based on the agency’s size and the difficulty of the project, the charges of hiring an agency might hit up to $100,000. 

The leading website features and the cost demarcation

• Software

One of the most vital aspects of website creation is to choose software, such as an open-source one, like WordPress, and a proprietary one, such as a CMS hub. The cost to build a website using proprietary software differs significantly.

For example, for a proprietary website builder like Wix, the price begins at $16 per month, and for CMS hub professionals, it is $360 per month. The Enterprise content management systems are highly overpriced, and they start at $1200 per month. Briefly, the total software cost will be up to $25,000 per month.

• Web hosting charges

Web hosting is merged with proprietary software, which is why you have to think about the hosting costs in case you build your website from the beginning or select an open-source strategy. Often, there are different types of hosting services available, including managed, shared, dedicated, and VPS hosting. All these hosting services provide distinguishable features ranging from approx $3 to $400 monthly. 

• Domain registration charges

Regardless of how you host your website, you need to register a suitable and distinctive domain name. Your brand identification will be reinforced, and your online presence will appear more professional if you select a domain name that fits the nature of your business. 

A customized domain will cost about $12 per year for registration and get renewed according to the typical price for a domain name. However, the website cost may differ based on the domain registrar, domain extensions, terms of registration, domain privacy & protection. Therefore, in a nutshell, the total cost for the domain will be $0 to $25 per year.  

• SSL certificate costs

It is a standard safety technology securing information between your website and a visitor’s browser. This crucial addition helps protect sensitive information, for example, payment information and passwords. 

In case your hosting provider does not offer you an added SSL, you will have to buy one from a provider. The best SSL certificates are RapidSSL certificate, AlphaSSL wildcard SSL, Sectigo wildcard SSL, which encrypts the information to fulfill your expectations. However, the entire cost of installing an SSL certificate is $0 to $250 per year. 

• Website design pricing

The CMS platforms and website builders provide complimentary templates, which can be personalized using a drag-and-drop editor. You may opt for a free theme. But if you need the best look, purchasing a premium template would be highly necessary. Therefore, the cost for website design would be $0 to $350. 

• Extension costs

Between platforms, the choice of extensions differs greatly. For instance, WordPress offers more than 60,000 complimentary plugins in its authorized directory. Therefore, whether you want to add questionnaires and live chat to your website, improve the search engine optimization (SEO) of your blog, or simply add event listings to your site, there is a plug-in for WordPress for just about anything you can think of. In contrast, Joomla has about 5,900 plugins, and Magento has even more. So, the total extension charges will be $0 to $200 for each. 

Conclusion

Website development doesn’t need to be overpriced as long as you opt for the right strategy and get value for your hard-earned money. Try to determine which platform will best meet your requirements and objectives, which will give clarity about your website’s charges.