Having a website is now an essential requirement for any business. You can attract and retain customers, promote products and services and use it as an anchor for online marketing, but what is the cost of building a website?
Finalizing the total cost of website development is sometimes tricky because many factors affect the final price. Design, pages, tech requirements, features, plugins, and themes all factor into the overall cost.
It’s impossible to define an exact cost without knowing these features in detail.
So, where should you start?
This article will tell you everything about the key factors that affect the cost of creating a website.
By the end of this post, you will know the:
- What impacts the cost of building a website
- Total website hosting platform costs
- Optional costs for building a website
- Different ways to build a website
- Tips to avoid overpaying while creating a website
Key factors affecting the cost of building a website
The average cost of building a website depends on the nature of your business. For example, the requirements for simple blogging websites and huge eCommerce websites like Walmart and Amazon are totally different.
In this section, we go through the different elements that affect the cost of building a website.
Domain name
The domain name (the www. name you type into a browser) is the first factor to consider. Generally, it costs around $10-$15 a year, but this can vary depending on factors that include:
- Domain registrar: A registrar is an agent who helps you with buying and registering a domain name for your website. A web host can act as an agent, or you can buy a domain independently.
- Top-level domain: TLD (top-level domain) refers to the extension of the website. It can include “.com”, “.org”, “.info”, or “.xyz”. Among these, “.com” and “.org” cost more than other available extensions.
- Length of contract: When you select a registrar, they offer different prices according to the length of commitment. The longer your contract is, the lower the cost.
- Domain privacy: You have to provide personal information while registering a domain name, which is publicly available. To secure your identity, most registrars offer client privacy features to protect your sensitive information.
For more information, you can also refer to this step by step tutorial of building a website.
Website functionality
Website functionality is the most important factor in deciding website cost as more functions means more work and longer development time.
A few essential website functions are listed below:
- eCommerce functions: If you’re planning to build an eCommerce website, your site must be equipped with eCommerce functions. Functions include product listings, customer portals, payment gateways, and delivery options. WooCommerce is easy to set-up platform that includes many store functions. But, if you want a custom online store, the cost could exceed $1500 easily.
- Membership portals: This is a great option if you only want registered members to access your website content. By adopting this function, you can provide a seamless user experience and boost your site’s credibility, too. A membership portal can cost from $89 to $399 per year, based on your needs.
- Other Software Integrations: While you may not start a website with integrations in place, over time you may discover that other software can help make your life easier and make your online business more money. For instance if you wanted to create educational courses, it would cost a minimum of $49/month to host online courses using an online course platform that integrates with your site.
- Custom programming: A blogging website or a startup shouldn’t require custom programming. But, big web portals may need custom development for complicated designs or features. You’ll need a professional web developer who adds custom code based on your requirements. Developers can charge anywhere from $75 to $500 per day.
Website maintenance
Website maintenance is a crucial factor that keeps your site functional. If your website represents your brand or earns income, you always want it to work.
As the digital space keeps rapidly changing, your website needs regular updates and routine checkups so that it can perform optimally all year round.
Here are a few reasons why should consider website maintenance tasks in your website development:
- To fix broken links
- To take regular website backups
- To test all website functions
- Fixing software and security issues
Many website management tasks you can perform yourself. If you don’t have the time, you can hire specialist WordPress maintenance companies to do it for you. This can cost from $35 per month upwards.
Size of the website
The cost is different for building a large and a small website. When you build a 450+ page website, it needs a significant amount of time and money. Whereas a smaller website can be built for a much lower cost.
Have a look at the below table to see the different cost when you hire professional to build a website for you:
| Type of website | Estimated design cost |
| Small business website (up to 25 pages) | $2,500 to $10,000 |
| Large business website (up to 75 pages) | $11,000 to $40,000 |
| E-commerce website (up to 1,000 products) | $7,000 to $60,000 |
| Database website (up to 2,000 pages) | $8,000 to $65,000 |
(Source: upwork)
Note: All costs here are estimated and the actual cost will decide based on your website and requirements
Website hosting platform
Web hosting is typically categorized as dedicated server hosting, shared hosting, and virtual private server (VPS) hosting.
If you own an online store or your business is entirely online, dedicated server hosting is a good idea and helps safeguard your customers’ information.
Shared hosting is the most suitable option if your website has a few pages of content and is not used for monetary purposes. This is an ideal option for your website because of its low maintenance requirements and affordable plans.
The virtual private server plays a critical role in shared and dedicated hosting. When your website needs access to customization options and controls, choose this option.
This doesn’t quite work. Hosting plans are based on capability, disk space and speed, not usually functionality or safeguarding information.
- Shared hosting = Cheapest ideal for small blogs or websites
- WordPress hosting = More expensive, tuned for WordPress
- Cloud hosting = More expensive, more flexible
- VPS = More expensive, useful for large websites
- Dedicated server = Most expensive for larger or more complex websites
Total website hosting platform costs
To know the total estimated website hosting platform costs, see below a comparison table of top CMS platforms in 2022
| Platforms | WordPress | Joomla | Drupal | Wix | WooCommerce |
| Cost | Free | Free | Free | Free | Free |
| Ease of use | Easy | Moderate | Hard | Easy | Easy |
| Suitable for | Small businesses | eCommerce and blogs | Large businesses | Small businesses and startups | Small eCommerce stores |
| Choice of designs | More than 10,000 themes | Over 8,000 templates | Over 2,000 themes | Over 300 templates | Over 20 themes |
| Extensions and plugins | 55,000+ | 7,500+ | 40,000+ | 250+ | 100+ |
| Popularity | Over 75 million websites | Over 2.5 million websites | Over 1.5 million websites | Over 3.3 million websites | Over 3.8 million websites |
(Source: upwork)
Optional costs for building a website
The total cost of building a website is pretty hard to define. Most CMS platforms are free to use and there are free plugins and themes too.
There are multiple plugins available for free to use and deliver awesome functionality at no cost. But, if you need advanced features, you can also try premium plugin that’s even more powerful.
The estimated optional costs for building a website are:
| Premium plugins (Optional) | Starting from $0 – $100+ per year |
| Premium themes (Optional) | Starting from$0 – $150+ per year |
Different ways to build a website
The cost of a website depends on how you build it. If you do it by yourself, you can build it for very little.
Hiring a professional service or freelance developer will incur higher costs.
Do it yourself
This is the most cost-effective approach to building a website. You only pay for basic expenses, including domain name, hosting plan, and any premium themes or plugins you want to use.
DIY is perfect for exploring the different functionalities of the WordPress CMS platform when you want a simple website for business.
Hire a web professional
If you don’t have the time or expertise to build your own website, hiring an independent professional is a good option.
Most individuals charge fixed prices or daily or hourly, depending on the functionality and any custom programming. For example, you will get freelancers on Upwork or Toptal who charge $20-$30 per hour.
Hiring a professional web design agency
When you have complex projects, you may be better off hiring a professional web design agency. They can handle advanced website projects and more complex designs easily. They may also provide other services than web development.
Generally, a web design agency costs thousands of dollars based on client’s requirements and the organization’s size. So, the cost of hiring an agency can reach up to $75,000 – $100,000.
Tips to avoid overpaying while creating a website
To avoid overpaying when building your website, follow the tips below:
- First, start with small and add premium options as your website grows.
- Prioritize important features of your website and plan your budget accordingly.
- Last, start with cheaper hosting, and once readership grows, you can buy premium hosting plans.
Just take care of these tips, and you’re good to go!
Are you ready to launch a website? Let us know how much you’re investing in a website and whether you’re doing it yourself or hiring someone to do it for you.
About Author:
Author name – Sujay Pawar
Author bio – Sujay is the CEO and Co-Founder of Brainstorm Force, the company behind Astra. He’s passionate about the online space and writes articles to help entrepreneurs and freelancers succeed online. A father, a Youtube addict, and the brain behind numerous world-class products, you can connect with him on Twitter. @sujaypawar.