Whether you are a business that is up and running or a start-up, if you want a website to promote your business online, you’re probably wondering how much it is going to cost.
How Long Is A Piece Of String?
In the web design world the answer to this question is usually how long is a piece of string?
It’s by no means a flippant answer, but a question to help any business person take stock of what it is that they want their website to do for their business, online.
Ask yourself the following question?
What do you want your customers or clients to be able to do online? Do you want them to:
- Buy your physical or digital goods or book services through your website?
- Be able to contact you through email or through your website?
- Provide information about where you are located, your opening hours and more about your services or goods.
Then ask yourself the following question… What do I want my business to be able to do online? Is it to…
- enable people to buy/book your services/goods online or to be able to make enquiries about our services
- strengthen our relationship with our current customers/clients by with special offers and promotions to our customers
You then need to consider the following:
- how much time and budget do we realistically have to dedicate to putting our website online?
Thinking about your main goals and how much time and money you can dedicate to your website will help you decide which route to take. This will give you an idea of how much information you need to include on your website and what type of features you will need.
DIY or Hire A Web Designer
If you’re just starting out or business times are hard, you may want to have a go at building your business website yourself. As a web designer in a previous life, I would advocate that you should hire a web designer to do the job to ensure your business looks as professional as possible online. However, I’ve been around the business block enough times to know that at times things have to been done on a budget. So whether you can afford a web designer or you go down the do-it-yourself route, every website has 3 main costs associated with being built.
3 Costs For A Website
- Your web address
It’s the bit after the www. This is also known as a domain name. You register your domain name with a domain name registrar such as 123-reg, Heart Internet Web hosting or HostPapa. Domain registration companies can also host your website and may give you your domain free for a set period if you sign up for a minimum contract if you choose them as your web host. Prices range from about £7 every 2 years for a .co.uk or upwards of £40+ for .com or .co
- Your Web Hosting
The type of hosting you choose depends on the type of things you need to do on your website. If you plan to have a 3 page website that includes some basic information and pictures about your business and you need a business email address, starter packages are best suited. If you plan on having a website that will include lots of information and will be updated on a regular basis, say using a content management system, you’ll need a hosting package that is more sophisticated and includes a database. Packages can start from £2.99 per month upwards to £25+. Make sure you check out how much bandwidth you get with your package and also what the charges are if you go over that.
- Design and Content Whether you do this yourself or hire a web designer, you need to think about the cost of designing your website and the costs included in creating your content. Web designers can charge anything from £99 to £4000+ for the design and build of a business website. If you’re taking the DIY approach, you’ll need to consider the cost of the following:
- web templates,
- any stock images/pictures, audio and video you might want to include.
- Or if you use an online builder, what the monthly fee will be.
As you can see, determining how much a website costs is a minefield. If you’re still not sure what requirements are and would like professional advice, why not hire a web designer for an hour? They can give you a guiding hand through the process to help make sure you are only paying for what your business needs online.
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