Having a website that reflects your company’s style, ethos, and personality is not always an easy thing to come by. Not only does it take time to get website perfection, but it takes money—the cost of a website can vary greatly. Whether you are looking for a template or custom developed website, you need to consider exactly what qualities your Business websites needs. 

So how much do websites cost? Continue reading to find out. 

Since 80% of people conduct research online before they make a purchase, you need to make sure that your website is top-notch to keep up with the demand of your consumers.

Understanding how much websites cost, as well as which type of website would be right for your business is the very first step. You’ll need to know which website type will fit in with your budget, so let’s explore the options.

Wix or Squarespace Type Websites

Building a website can be costly, which is why many businesses, particularly small business owners, turn to templated and basic website builders to keep costs low. Both Wix and Squarespace are website builders that are extremely popular. 

Currently, plans on Squarespace run between $12 and $40 per month, and this is paid annually (or as a monthly fee if you want to pay extra). Wix has prices that start at around $13 per month for their combo plan, and up to $39 a month for their VIP plan. Wix also offers a free website, as long as you use a Wix subdomain, so your site would look like: yourbusinessname.wix.com. This is not advised for businesses. 

So, the prices of Wix and Squarespace are not all that dissimilar, and while Wix has its merits (such as their strong focus on the small business owner’s needs) there are quite a few disadvantages to using this platform. Some of the disadvantages include:

• Inability to remove Wix ads from your website (if you do not have Premium) 
• More expensive than other competitors out there
• No unlimited bandwidth or file storage
• Lack of solid parameters in the drag and drop design features

Who Should Be Using These Types of Websites

Wix and Squarespace are designed for the smaller business, restaurants, ecommerce stores, and creative artists looking to create a website quickly and for a low cost.

Template or Theme-Based Websites

There are custom designed websites out there that allow for bigger design and development options, but these are not necessary for all businesses. Start-ups may only need a simple website or online brochure as they only want a modest presence online. Template-based websites are a good choice here.

If you have a tighter deadline or restricted content with a much smaller budget, a template-based website could be an option as they have pre-existing layouts and only the very basic functions. Theme-based website designs are a budget solution for businesses, and they are a quick solution to a missing piece of the business puzzle.

The price range for a theme-based or template-based site can vary, especially given that some templates are free and others cost between $500-1000 at a time. While the costs will vary, it depends on what you need for your business as to whether you choose theme-based or template-based designs.

There are pros and cons to these website types, and as templates have been heavily designed over the years, the pros include the fact that they can be attractive to look at and quick to use. The coding has already been setup and created, but this isn’t always a good thing. Templates can be used by more than one company as there are templates that are popular with the competition.

Templates can also have an impact on your search engine optimization as some templates and themes do not offer enough content to add to pages, while others can perform slowly. Lastly, template websites are not as secure as you’d imagine.

Who Should Be Using These Type of Websites?

Small businesses on small budgets tend to use theme or template-based websites, especially as they are cheaper.

Custom Built Websites using WordPress

WordPress is a free website building tool. In the beginning, it was mainly used for bloggers to create a platform to write and gather. The tools that began with Wordpress have since evolved, and it has become a complex platform for building websites for business and personal use.

While the core software for WordPress is free to use, the cost of the website you build from it will really depend on your business. Depending on what you need, the cost of your WordPress site could be anywhere from $100 to $3000 and even higher. 

When you hire a freelancer to build your website with WordPress, you are taking the stress out of your hands. You’ll get the features that you need for your unique business. The cost of a freelancer building your website also can be pricey. It can mean a longer wait to launch your website.

Bringing in an Agency can often be the best decision that you make for your website. A world class website requires a team of experts to help, as one person cannot do the entire thing themselves. Each team member brings their own unique talents. You could have the best freelancer in the world, but one person cannot be an expert at everything; it’s always better to bring in an agency to help.

Who Should Be Using These Types of Websites

Some small companies are using WordPress as a custom-built website, and larger businesses like Microsoft who use WordPress CMS at an enterprise level. WordPress is not just for those who want scalable custom content, but it’s also for those who are starting out. Businesses can choose how much detail they want for their website with WordPress, and it’s important to know the options available to you.

Custom-Built Websites Using Drupal

Drupal is a content management software that is used to make a lot of the websites that we see today. Drupal can cost anywhere from little to no money to thousands of dollars; it’s all going to depend on what you want from your website.

A freelancer who is an expert in building your website with Drupal is a good investment, but you could be looking at having a second-rate website. The best option is always to bring in an entire team of experts who can make your website fresh, new, and innovative. 

It can be the best decision to bring on an agency for your website, especially as a team of experts is always better than one individual. The best freelancers in the world can’t do the job of an efficient agency.

Who Should Be Using These Type of Websites

Over 1,000 websites are using Drupal, and there are big names in that mix such as NASA, Nokia, and Timex. Drupal is a popular CMS option and is one of the three most prominent names in the world. An agency with experienced web developers are usually tasked with building a website with Drupal given the complexities of the website.

Cost For Building An E-Commerce Website

When it comes to building an e-commerce website, there are a lot of considerations that must be included in your budget. Generally, an e-commerce site can range between $10,000 to $500,000, and even more. The features that you need and the type of company that you choose (whether WooCommerce, Shopify, or Magento) will direct the cost.

• Hosting with WooCommerce: this can cost between $4 and $5,000 per month, and that depends on your needs.
• Hosting with Shopify: this can cost from $81.50 to $2041.25 per month, depending on what you need from the site.
• Hosting with Magento: this can cost anything from free (for the community) to $22,000 per year for the enterprise label.

If you need a simple e-commerce website to be developed in a reasonable amount of time, it’s always worth it hiring a professional. You want to have a partner working with you in the long run, and that’s where an agency can come in and help. It’s a more efficient choice for your business, even if it’s at a higher cost, because this is an investment in your business. There is comfort in knowing that you have an agency working for you to keep your website fluid.

Who Should Be Using These Types of Websites

Any business that has a product or service that can be sold online should utilize e-commerce websites. WooCommerce currently occupies 32%of the e-commerce market, and if you are looking to reach a broad audience, you would be using e-commerce sites to do so.

Other Costs To Consider When Building a Website

There are a lot of additional costs when building a website, and these include:

SSL Certificate

A single domain SSL Certificate can start at less than $5 a month. Shopping around for the right SSL Certificate for you is essential for the security of your website.

Website Hosting

Web hosting can cost anywhere between $1,100 and $3,380 per year, depending on your needs and who you would use for the service.

Website Maintenance

For website maintenance, $600 – $3,000 should be put to one side to fix bugs, perform upgrades, and make as many necessary fixes as possible. These costs do depend on whether you outsource these tasks to an agency or freelancer. Any time you experience a breakdown on the website, you need to troubleshoot it.

So How Much Do Custom Websites Cost? 

Want a straightforward calculation of your project but don’t want to spend tons of time to get one? With this tool, you can get the precise estimate that you need for your business, and it won’t take you very long at all!

The detail in this free calculator can give you the cost based on whether you want website development, web design, or mobile application. There are questions to answer with each option, with 12 steps to go through to get the most detailed possible quote for your business website needs. You’ll be asked the number of images you want, what features you want, and even what sales and marketing pages you need. It’s comprehensive, and it gives you clarity for the cost of your website.

Using this custom website calculator could be the best possible option as you can finally see, in great detail, how much you can expect to pay. This not only helps you to align your budget, but it gives you a realistic impression of how much money you will need for website success. 

Take your time with it; it’s in-depth!  

So, to conclude and answer the question of how much do websites cost? As much or as little as you need—use the website cost calculator to get it right!

If you have questions about website design and development, feel free to contact us at Chatter Buzz Media or call us at 321-234-0559.

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