How much does a website cost?
Without a doubt, this is the most frequently asked question web designers get. And it's a tough one to answer because there are many factors to consider. The cost of a website can vary significantly, depending on your business needs and objectives.
It's like a car...
A good way to explain this is comparing it to the question, "How much does a car cost?" The price can range from a few dollars (a piece of junk that doesn't run) to hundreds of thousands of dollars (a Bentley). It all depends on what you are looking for. Does the car need to run? New or used? Just something to get around town in or a high performance car in mint condition? Your budget? The list goes on and on....
The same considerations are true for a web site. You may have a cousin who can throw up a web page for next to nothing, but will it meet your business needs? Increase your donations/sales? Present the desired image of your orgainization? Meet current industry standards for web sites? Work on cell phones and PDAs? Show up on search engines such as Google?
Costs depend on what you want and need.
While there are many questions that a person can determine and answer beforehand, there's no magic formula to calculate. But, we can tell you that costs typically fall into four categories:
Domain name
registration: usually $10/year per domain name
Hosting: This is for the company who stores your web site on their server. Hosting typically starts at $20/month for a reputable hosting company with quality customer service.
Web site design: This is usually the biggest expense. These questions will help determine the extent of the cost. A good web designer will discuss these considerations with you, prior to giving you a cost estimate.
- What kind of graphics do you want? Highly customized, uniquely for you? Or something more generic, from a template?
- Is the copy already written? Do you need the web designer to write copy for you? If yes, how involved will you be?
- Do you know how you want the pages set up?
- Do you already have the images you want to use? If yes, do you have permission to use the cover art from your books?
- What extra features do you want on your site? Blogs? Forums? Chat? Wiki? Flash banners? Flash slide shows? Content management systems? Video? Podcasts/MP3 downloads? Site audio? Knowledge base/online resource library? Customer service features (on-line chat, contact forms, help desk tickets, etc.)?
- What extra services do you need? Photography? Search engine optimization? Pay-per-click campaigns?
- Do you know your priorities for getting your site up and running?
- Do you need help with contests, or mailing lists, or screening e-mail?
- Do you have a print designer in place who's already done some of the design?
Maintenance: In the future, your web site will need to be updated. This is typically called "maintenance." Maintenance costs can be charged on an hourly, monthly, quarterly, or annually basis, depending on the agreement you reach with your web designer. Costs can be minor or significant, depending on the nature of your business. Start by analyzing how often you will need to update the various sections of your site.
If the content on your site won't regularly change...
...maintenance costs can be relatively minor. Most companies charge an hourly rate, typically around $75/hour, but companies also offer monthly, quarterly and annual plans. For example, if your web site provides information about your company, your services, and your staff, this will not change regularly (only when you move, when you get a new staff member, etc.). These simple changes usually can be made in an hour, so this may be the most cost-effective route. Keep in mind that a professional can make these changes in less time than it would take the average computer user to figure it out.
If the content will change frequently...
...there are three main options you can consider:
- Establish a maintenance agreement with your web designer at the time your website is built. The advantage of this option is that it's hassle free for you.
- Use a content management system (CMS) so that you can update yourself, using a simple web interface. There are a growing number of CMS systems available today. Some are better than others, so shop carefully. For more information, read our article about CMS options.
- Hire a specialist with the requisite technical skills so that you can keep the maintenance component in house (although with CMS solutions readily available, this is becoming the way of the past).
Want to see what you should do before talking to a web designer?
Read our article here.
Want to discuss your new website with our web team?
Give us a call at 562.436.5802. We'd be happy to talk to you about your next steps.
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