How much does a custom website cost?
Determining how much a website should cost is one of the most frequently asked but rarely answered questions in the web design world. Even now, with millions of websites online, there exists no magic formula for calculating either the cost of a new website or the price of a redesign.
But why not? Questions about website design costs are shared online, but very few people want to answer them without a close review, even for professional web design prices.
It can still be a challenge to nail down a specific professional website cost.
We break down the parts of a website so you can see how much you should spend.
When determining website costs, a cheaper website will have less content and fewer features, while a more expensive site will have lots of additional design features and functionalities. So your overall website costs, like functionalities and interactive elements that can include multimedia, ultimately depends on what you want.
What is the Average Website Cost?
Like other goods and services, the costs of designing, developing, and building a website have changed over time. As a result, a website's value is drastically different from even a couple of years ago.
As website creation has become more streamlined in recent years, the cost of a website has gone down, making it a more compelling investment than ever for new businesses. As a result, the average price of a website, fundamental websites, is now lower than ever.
Responsive design is now a necessity for web design. Responsive design means that a website functions on desktops, tablets, and mobile devices. With 232 possible screen sizes as of 2019, it isn’t difficult to understand why responsive design has driven the high end of website cost upwards. The necessity of having a website with responsive design is one reason for the widening gap between the highest and lowest possible costs for a website.
Responsive Website Design
Although responsive design has driven the high end of website pricing up about 30%, it is not something websites where owners should skimp. Instead, websites are priced at the higher end of the cost scale because the responsive design needs more time to develop and test. Still, they can also adjust their website design and functionality to provide better visitor experiences on tablets and mobile devices. Then visitors experience their website smoothly and efficiently, increasing the cost of a professional website and increasing their potential for reoccurring customers.
On the lower end of web design pricing, competitive industry pressure and advancements in web design tools pushed pricing down by about 10% in 2019. First, substantially more competitors exist in the web design market today, perhaps as many as ten times more than a decade ago. Second, web developers and computer network architect demand will grow 29% by 2022, which is faster than the average for all other occupations in the U.S. Because so many jobs are being created in this market, competition is driving the low end of website pricing down. If you're looking for a basic site, your professional website design cost will be more affordable than it has in prior years.
Second, modern tools have made it easier for web designers to create great-looking websites. Third, advancements in web design tools have contributed to the inexpensiveness of the lower end of website cost. Finally, many free web design tools have been created and made available to the public, giving websites access to design tools that they likely would have had to purchase only a few years ago.
However, it does pay to spend the money to have a professional company create or redesign your website. While free tools can be helpful, you are more likely to get a better, more reliable website if you pay to hire a professional web design company. Websites built on free tools often lack a unique identity because free templates usually only allow a certain extent of customization. As a result, websites using those tools may have no brand identity or trouble attracting traffic. When it comes to web page cost, cheaper isn't always better.
Most notably, in the last five years, the cost of web design has become more disparate. After further analysis, we believe these trends result from the increasing demand for cost-effective websites and the drive for higher-end, interactive, and highly functional designs.
In other words, as websites become the marketing standard for all businesses, the competition grows to produce higher-quality, lower-cost designs. And with more Internet competition, a company now needs to work harder to differentiate its site from its competitors. In that regard, the cost of websites can quickly grow, depending on all of the features you want to include.
How Much Does a Website Cost Per Month?
The monthly costs may fluctuate based on which services you are utilizing from month to month. However, suppose you have an Internet marketing package that includes ongoing optimization or other services. In that case, you may find that your website development costs are similar each month, including your web design costs, web development costs, and more.
Monthly, you should expect to pay for your website hosting, SEO, other ongoing optimization, content creation, link-building services, and unique design projects. The entire cost of website hosting and related services may be anywhere from $100 to $1000 a month.
How Much Does a Website Cost Per Year?
A website's yearly costs depend on the number of ongoing services associated with it, as well as any unique, one-time-only charges or projects. For example, you may factor in the cost of a new logo design or a website redesign, which are typically one-time-only items. On the other hand, if your Internet marketing company performs the same tasks month after month with only one or two particular tasks or assignments, your yearly costs will range from $1500 to $15,000.
Unfortunately, it isn't easy to figure out how much your website will cost without knowing what services you need!
Breakdown of Some Common Website Components and Their Costs
The cost of a website can vary dramatically based on the specific components included. As you can probably guess, a website with basic functionality will cost much less, both initially and over time, than a site that acts as an online store or integrates with a company database or piece of software.
This section will break down some common website components and how much you should expect to pay for them. Some of the components in this website cost breakdown have initial investments, while others are ongoing. We frequently update this page to ensure that the amounts listed below are current.
Domain Management
Cost: $35 per year
Your website’s domain name and related management is the unique name that appears in the URL for your website. It’s kind of like your online fingerprint — it is specific to you. Although other websites may have domain names similar to it, your domain name is yours alone. However, to get the rights to your domain name, you have to register it annually, which factors into the cost of website maintenance.
Your domain name is vital because it creates an online identity for your website. In addition, having a domain name establishes credibility with site visitors and potential customers while helping you further grow your brand. It is also important because if you ever change your hosting, your domain name will go with you. Lastly, your domain name is essential because it expands your opportunities for online advertising, which has become necessary for attracting traffic to today's websites.
Website Hosting
Cost: $25 to $100 per month
Hosting is simply the service that allows your website to be accessible by other Internet users. A web host will provide space on its server for your website, allowing people worldwide to view it. Website hosting is also a factor in your website costs.
Hosting is important because the quality of your host can affect page loading time, the tech support you receive if your site crashes, and the ability of your website to expand in the future. To put it simply, your hosting provider has a significant impact on how your website functions. Although free hosting services exist, their tech support (if they supply any) will not be as good as paid hosting services.
Content Management System (CMS)
Cost: $75 to $200 a year (depending on traffic and hosting features)
A CMS will allow you or your employees to edit information on your website without editing any of the code or mess with any of the files you already have in place. In addition, a CMS makes it extremely easy for you to adjust the little things here and there if you need to add something later or if you want complete control of the content appearing on your website.
A CMS like WordPress may be free, while others may have monthly or yearly licensing fees or usage charges associated with them. What you choose depends on what specific functionality you need your website to have. Choosing a free option may limit you, but it'll also help save on web page prices.
Ecommerce Functionality
Cost: $500 to $15,000+ per year (depending on the platform chosen)
Ecommerce is another moving part for websites that might require a significant effort in overall design and development to make them functional. The addition of eCommerce functionality requires extensive testing of shopping carts, payment options, and shipping systems, as well as the time spent setting up products and ensuring their pages display correctly to shoppers.
The expense comes from the amount of time it takes to ensure every component is working, the acquisition of a payment gateway, and any additional effort you may require to integrate your store with shipping or tracking systems hosted elsewhere. So while it may only require a single payment on your part, eCommerce inclusion can have a big effect on the cost of a website.
Website Design or Theme Creation
Cost: $500 to $5,000 (initial investment)
Design can go from a small budget to world-class quality, meaning the fees for website design can heavily impact web page price. Obviously, a zero-budget design style will not look as good, and a world-class design will certainly be eye-catching and perhaps even award-winning. It all depends on what you would like your website to look like and the desires of your target audience.
For some CMS, like WordPress, creating a website design is as simple as making a theme or "skin" to apply to your site. As a result, the design may cost far less than a created-from-scratch design for another CMS, but it may also look like many other websites and will lack uniqueness and advanced functionality. Website designing costs will be higher for the unique, from-scratch sites, but they'll also distinctly reflect you and your business.
Copywriting
Cost: $250 to $20,000+ (initial investment)
Copywriting goes back to the number of pages your website has. The more pages it will have, the more copywriting it will need, making it an unexpected factor in website creation cost for many first-time website developers.
Good copywriting is a crucial part of being listed in search engines. Therefore, optimizing your content for search engines is vital to be found on the Internet. In addition, the content on your website needs to contain keywords relevant to your products or services. Because the keywords are pertinent to describe your website and its content are not present, your website and the pages within will not be found very quickly on the Internet by potential visitors.
Often it takes a trained writer knowledgeable in SEO to create copy that contains the right keywords and compels your visitors to take action. Some of the more significant content pieces may add more to your website creation costs than you'd like, but the content is king — and it pays dividends.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
Cost: $50 to $500 per page or article
To attract the most visitors as possible, you must fully optimize your website for search engines. SEO services can range from a very inexpensive amount to thousands of dollars per month, depending on how much work you want to put into the ranking and visibility of your website. After your website quotation and budget are complete, make sure you include SEO in your website costs to ensure your estimate is as accurate as possible.
The money you invested in your professional web design cost won't mean much if visitors can't find your site, and SEO is critical to making your site visible.
Multimedia Design
Cost: $300 to $1,500 per month
Whether you desire to have an interactive and eye-catching demo for your website or you want an attractive header, multimedia design is what you need. Of course, pricing varies from firm to firm, but the investment can give your website an invaluable element that engages visitors.
Interactive website design can be very inexpensive or extremely costly, depending on the functionality of your website. For example, a simple multimedia slider may only cost a few hundred dollars. On the other hand, creating an interactive on-site application or tool to visualize colors, patterns, clothing, etc., could cost tens of thousands of dollars to develop from scratch. However, if you want to make a powerful impression on your visitors, it can become a huge part of website design and development costs.
Database Integration
Cost: $250 to $10,000+ (depending on level of interactivity required)
Database integration can lead to some excellent additions to your website. Still, a portion of your cost depends on how much development is necessary and how long it will take to thoroughly implement and test the integration. Integration can be a valuable addition to any online presence, making it an essential consideration in the cost of a new website.
Ongoing Website Maintenance
Cost: $1,000 to $5,000+ Annually
Website maintenance is the entire process involved in updating and managing a website once it is online. This process ensures that your website's software is working well and that your site is up-to-date with the latest products and features. In general, there are a lot of different elements that can impact how much website maintenance costs.
Site maintenance is essential because it affects how interested your visitors are in your site. It allows you to maintain your search engine positions and essentially keeps your website functioning. It would be best if you were willing to spend the money to maintain your website after it launches, or else your site will likely fall into disarray and lose any chance of ranking on search engine results pages.
To completely answer the question "how much should a website cost," it's also helpful to review specific website types. The cost of a new website varies by its type! Generally, the more involved your website has to be, the more significant impact you'll see on your website pricing. For example, you should expect to pay more for a site with eCommerce functionality than without it. Because, with eCommerce, more time and effort goes into populating product pages, adding images, and testing.
Informational or Small Business Website
8 - 16 web pages
Custom graphics
Stock photos
Little or no multimedia design
Web forms sending to email accounts
Project duration: 30 to 75 days
Cost: $2,000 - $6,000
Corporate Website
25 - 75 Web pages
Heavy use of multimedia
High-quality design work
Content management system
Extra components: Intranet, calendars, website search
Project duration: 60 to 90 days
Cost: $10,000 - $25,000
Ecommerce Website
100 - 1000 products
Payment gateway integration
Product descriptions and images
Sales tax and shipping calculation
Customer and administrative control panel
Project duration: 60 to 120 days
Cost: $5,000 - $15,000
Database Driven Website or Web Application
Dynamic Web pages 20 - 2,000
Administrative control panel
Advanced programming skill sets
Interactivity with web site visitor
Enterprise database (MS SQL Server or MySQL)
Project duration: 90 to 180 days
Cost: $6,000 - $35,000
Conclusion
In conclusion, the cost of a website can vary greatly depending upon the site's features, its needed Internet marketing services, aesthetic qualities, and the company that is creating the web design. While the cost of an essential website has dropped, the need for more interactivity has helped maintain the price of a high-end, competitive strategy.
When determining the budget for your website design or redesign project, it is essential to consider the costs. However, the prices of your website project are not the only factors influencing the profit you can make from your site. As mobile internet usage continues to surge, designing for mobile users is imperative. Investing money in creating a responsive Web design may allow you to make future conversions and profits that outweigh the initial cost of redesigning your site.
Planning and finding the exact cost of your new website design or redesign will keep your project on track. Timelines, features, and custom design factors will all vary significantly based on the price of your website requirements. We think that the charts above will prove very useful in grasping what your final website cost will be.
As of 2021, you should expect to pay between $2,250 and $10,000 for a fully functional small business website. This price may be lower if your site has very few pages and minimal functionality or higher if you require custom development, extensive design, interactive elements, and advanced integration.
For more information about cloud website hosting and related services, connect with one of our Business Development Managers today.