If you're building a brand, you'll need a website, whether it's a one-page portfolio or a full-fledged eCommerce store. But how much does it cost to build a website? This is inevitably one of the first questions you ask yourself, but in reality, website development costs vary. It all depends on how much work is required to create a website that meets your needs. The good news is that you have many options when it comes to choosing a website development process. The best news is that this article breaks them all down for you. From website builders to CMS platforms to custom designs, read on to find out how much a website costs when starting from scratch.
Criteria for understanding website creation costs
To answer the question "How much does it cost to create a website?" As completely as possible, let's first identify some critical criteria. No matter how you choose to build a website, the main components are always the same: you'll need a place to host it, a domain name, an interface, and tools to help people find you. So why are website development costs so varied? It depends on how you are building your site. You can use a website builder, take a more DIY approach and use a CMS platform, or choose to hire a professional to do all the work for you. To understand which web development path you'll need to take, here's an explanation of each necessary website functionality: Website Platform At the beginning of your website development journey, you may be asking yourself "how much does a website cost?" But let's be more specific. There are three main ways to build a website, and breaking down development costs by option will give you the most informed answer. Therefore, we will answer:
- How much does a website cost with a website builder? Users pay monthly or annually to build and design websites without touching code with this option.
- How much does a website cost with a CMS? The very flexible option, a content management system (CMS) and open source software for users with some experience.
- How much does a website with a custom code cost? This option allows users to have a completely customized site, but be prepared to pay a huge premium.
Whether you want a fully customized website or want to work with website builders, every site needs a host. Web hosting is where you store your website files on a server, basically the home of your website, and you can choose from solutions like shared, VPS, or dedicated hosting. You can find a suitable web host for your needs, but make sure they offer the basics like an SSL certificate and plenty of storage space. Here's how you'll need to approach hosting depending on how you build a website:
- Website Builder - Hosting is included in the cost of using a website builder, so you won't need to find a web host.
- CMS - If you are using a CMS like WordPress, you will need to find a hosting provider for your website.
- Custom Code - Similar to using a CMS, you will have to pay for a web host, although often your web designers will find one for you.
Domain name Just like physical locations, websites need to find addresses. Your domain name is the key to your site's identity, so whatever route you take, expect to pay for one. You will need to find a unique domain name and register it with an ICANN accredited domain registrar. Basically, a domain name is rented, so think of the cost as an annual expense. Domain name costs vary, and the extension greatly influences the price range, also known as a top-level domain (TLD), you choose. Here are some examples:
- .com - The most popular and desirable domain name extension, .com is ideal for a business website and you will likely have to pay more for it.
- .online - An affordable option, this TLD would be suitable for a small business website or someone promoting their personal brand.
- .shop - This extension will cost you a few dollars per year and is ideal for an e-commerce website.
Design The design of a website is as important as the infrastructure of a site. Web design has an impact on how users perceive and interact with your website, so this part requires time and energy. The cost of building a custom website varies greatly depending on how you build a website in the first place. In fact, your design requirements will often be the deciding factor when choosing your route builder, CMS, or hiring a professional. Here is a brief web design cost estimate for the three main options:
- With a Website Builder - There are no additional web design fees here. You choose a ready-made template and customize the color, typography, and layout using intuitive drag-and-drop editors on a grid system.
- With a CMS like WordPress: As open source software, you get a lot of design freedom. Choose from thousands of themes to create a custom website. Sites like ThemeForest offer WordPress themes from € 13 to almost € 4,000.
- With a custom coded website: the only limit is your imagination (and your budget). The cost of creating a custom design with a web designer depends on your branding needs and the level of complexity. Expect to pay more than € 4000.
Functionality and Features If you're building a business website, you'll want the space to increase. Therefore, it is essential to determine from the beginning how to add additional features and, more importantly, how much it will cost. Even a small business website deserves the best eCommerce functionality, blog or forum pages, and other cool plugins. Like design, this aspect of website development can vary in complexity and therefore cost. Here's an idea of how features are aggregated at the three levels:
- With a website builder: You will have to pay for an eCommerce plan to get the necessary features like a checkout and inventory planning. Everything is integrated, but you can add integrations like the Facebook store and specific payment gateways.
- With a CMS like WordPress: Download and use plugins or extensions for additional features. While some plugins are free, the premium options can cost up to € 200. Open source software is an ideal platform for bloggers.
- With a custom coded website: To add ecommerce features like payment gateways, tax calculators, inventory management, and product pages, you'll need to pay around € 10,000 of overhead development cost.
(Image credit: Pixabay) Marketing and SEO You can't rely on design alone to attract visitors to your website. Whether you're running a business or pitching a portfolio, you'll need to pull off a few marketing tricks. Search engine optimization (SEO) is essential to getting your site to the top of the search rankings and it helps to use some of the best SEO tools to get started. Your marketing and website efforts will not take place in a vacuum; you need a built-in set of tools to get people interested in the pages of your site. This is what you will typically need:
- With a website builder - A decent option will be optimized to improve SEO essentials such as page load speed, and you will get built-in tools like Google Tag Manager. You can also pay for marketing extras, such as pay-per-click (PPC) ads.
- With a CMS like WordPress: You can implement plugins like Yoast SEO or use certain strategies to promote your business, like PPC ads or affiliate marketing. You can also hire marketing assistance at an hourly rate.
- With a custom coded website - Marketing and SEO tools can be factored into your total website development cost so your website is optimized from the start. Or use a dedicated team or agency for an hourly rate.
Site Maintenance Like any finely tuned machine, websites need to be taken care of after the initial phase of web development. There are some essential tasks that are required to maintain a website, from software updates to security checks and website backups. Here's how you can expect to be involved:
- With a website builder - There are no website maintenance fees you incur as the cost of maintaining your site's functionality is built into your plan.
- With a CMS like WordPress: you can configure your site to update its main features automatically, add plugins to get the job done, or hire a service.
- With a custom coded website: You can often factor maintenance into your website development cost, but if not, an IT specialist can help you for an hourly fee.
Cost of building a website with a website builder
Website builders have revolutionized the online experience for anyone who wants to be on the internet. Easy and affordable, these platforms are designed to be used by anyone who wants a website or online store. So how much does it cost to build a website with a website builder? There are several options available; Let's take a look at some of the major players:
(Image credit: Zyro) Known for its speed and an impressive set of AI tools, Zyro offers four pricing plans for business and e-commerce websites, from €23 to €30 per month.
(Image credit: Wix) With over 500 design templates and plenty of features, Wix offers three pricing plans. A business website plan will cost you more than €23 per month.
(Image credit: Squarespace) With a more complex interface but just as feature-rich, using Squarespace to build a business website costs $18 per month, while an eCommerce plan costs $26 per month. Website Platform With minimal exposure to website development, it's tempting to think that this option won't give you a high-quality, fully customized site. But website builders are designed to take care of the more complex parts of web development so that users of all experience levels can connect. Web hosting is supported, users don't have to touch any code, and quality builders like Zyro, Wix, and Squarespace give each site a free SSL certificate. Because a team of specialists took care of the development, your website is SEO optimized to be immediately optimized online and for mobile devices. If you are more familiar with website development or want to have a...