How much does a website cost?
Running a business comes with certain costs and one is a website. Once you decide on getting a website the most frequent thought is “how much will this website cost?”. The cost of a website can vary depending on what you need it for and who is building it. If you are thinking about getting a professional to build your website read on to see where costs could come from.
FREELANCE WEB DESIGNERS VS WEB AGENCIES
Sometimes agencies can charge more for websites because they may have higher overheads and more staff to pay vs a stand alone web designer. It can also vary depending on the location of the design agency/freelancer. It’s worth bearing in mind, the most expensive website price tag may not equal better quality or the cheapest may not take into consideration your business objectives.
Transparency with any web designer/agency is key, it’s important to find out website costs early on and make sure 1, the budget is in line with your expectations and 2, there aren’t any hidden extras costs that you will get stung with later.
SELF HOSTING WEBSITES VS SUBSCRIPTION MODELS
The main self hosted website platform on the market is Wordpress. Going self hosted means you have to purchase and keep on top of the costs of the hosting (storing) of your site. This means keeping an eye on things like renewals, and reaching any storage limits and costs which can increase year on year. Website builders such as Squarespace offer a subscription model, whereby the hosting and in some cases the security of your website is built into the monthly subscription cost.
ECOMMERCE WEBSITE VS BROCHURE WEBSITE
An eCommerce website is a site where you can purchase items i.e it has an online shop whereas a brochure site does not. Expect to pay more when setting up an eCommerce site as the level of functionality needed for this on your website will be more than a brochure site.
Bear in mind, however, with a brochure site there may also be additional costs if you need to add additional functionality e.g. bookings/subscriptions etc.
ADDITIONAL COSTS TO CONSIDER
Website domain, e.g the www.websiteaddress.com and how much this will cost a year
Website maintenance: will you need someone to manage the day to day of running your website
WHAT SHOULD I BUDGET FOR MY WEBSITE
If you are looking to hire a web designer/agency setting aside an initial cost of £1500-£5000 should get you everything you need to get started. It sounds scary but did you know that in the UK a business website cost is tax deductible?
