How much does it cost to design a website?
Like a carefully designed physical store, a well-designed website makes visiting, browsing, and buying an enjoyable experience. It provides easy access to the products or services, their prices, and finally the payment process. This channel also adds a unique value, as the majority of internet users check if a company has a website before making an online or offline purchase.
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So, how much does it cost to design a website that delights customers?
The average cost of a website for SMBs is $5,000 to $15,000. This upfront expense covers professional website design and development - or the basics. If you're getting into website maintenance, you should set aside another $40 to $300.
A website budget of thousands of dollars is typical if you want to deliver an exceptional user experience (UX). The estimated final cost of a website varies depending on several factors, such as choosing between a basic, functional site and a complex one with all the bells and whistles. Whatever you choose, don't forget to delight your target audience.
Also, with updates rolling out Google In mid-2021, like mobile-first indexing and page experience, those who ignore UX will find their search ranking and presence suffering. With that in mind, let's dive into the cost of building a homepage for your online business:
What is the average cost of creating a website: Factors to consider
There is no one way to answer people who ask: "How much does it cost Website Design ?" Even small and medium-sized businesses are charged for a wide range of professional services, somewhere between $5,000 and $15,000 on average. The cost of creating a complex website can be as high as $20,000.
To narrow it down, you can check the common factors that affect the average cost of website design and development.
Note: Don't confuse web design withDevelopment ! To simplify it, think of website creation as building a house. Designers are the architects who visualize the structure while developers are the craftsmen who set it up, turning the vision into reality.
Let's see what items you would include in your website budget:
The first set of factors relates to infrastructure, so you can refer to them as website development costs.
Domain
10 - 12 USD per year
A domain name gives your site its identity on the Internet, similar to a web address. When entered by a user in the URL box in browsers, it loads the index or front page. Before you can use it, you must purchase it from a domain name registrar.
Fake domain name: www.example.com
The cost of a website domain depends on the registrar's pricing scheme, the type of top-level domain or TLD (such as .com, country code like .us, and premium like .archi), and the initial fees. For example, you get a low cost for a website domain from a popular registrar GoDaddy but you have to buy a package for two years.
Protection
From $10 to $300 per year
All types of websites, not just e-commerce sites, should be HTTPS sites, where S stands for "secure". Purchasing a certificate ensures SSL (Secure Socket Layer) encrypts sensitive data that passes through your site. An SSL certificate should be included in your site development costs. You can get one for about $10 a year, but installation by a professional can cost you between $200 and $300.
Programming
Starts at around $150 per year
Some people ask "How much does a website cost?" and think about content management systems (CMS) like WordPress or website builders like Squarespace and Wix. These are the platforms that allow you to run a site with or without a backend. But to make them practical, we say you need to know how to navigate at least HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) and CSS (Cascading Style Sheets), or you'll end up with an online space that looks like everyone else's.
Hosting
Starts at $60/year
Your site is already built using files stored on a physical web server. The service that sells or rents space on the server is what we refer to as hosting. Sometimes, you'll find that the cost of website hosting is bundled with the cost of a website domain. Other times, the cost of website hosting and the cost of the domain are included in the platform's pricing plan.
Note: WordPress vs. WordPress.org. If you want to learn how to host a website for free, you can try WordPress.com. But this free version has features that often only work for informational sites such as personal and educational blogs. Businesses, especially e-commerce sites, can do better with WordPress.org which allows you or your hired WordPress experts to customize the site's design and functionality. The cost of website hosting for this WordPress version is affordable.
Website development costs don't completely answer "How much does it cost to build a website?" There is another set of factors, which are related to design, and together make up the total cost of website design.
Number of pages
Starts from $1000 to $1500
The number of pages is a key factor if you sign up for professional web design services. The number of your pages depends on your business model, size, industry, and offerings. An e-commerce store with dozens of products requires more pages than, for example, an HVAC service company.
Responsive design
Starts at $3000
Mobile website responsiveness can account for the bulk of the cost of website design. A responsive web design adapts your site's layout to each user's screen size or device dimensions. Paying attention to these details is critical to Google. This means that the search giant will now use the mobile website version for indexing and ranking, effectively killing the desktop version.
Investing in this functionality will not boost your search engine optimization efforts (SEO) but will also keep old and new users happy.
Interaction
Starts at $250
Placing interactive elements on your mobile website is the last major factor that affects the cost of your website design. How much does it cost to build a website when you add interactivity? It depends. Something as simple as a clickable button or a quick pop-up form can lead to conversions without breaking the bank. But animations and videos may increase the average cost of website design.
The average cost of web design and development is upfront and ongoing, but some of it can be attributed to the cost of website maintenance. Compared to the first two, the latter is less expensive.
technical support
If you have an in-house team that knows how to host a website, you may be charging the cost of website maintenance to operations and payroll. But making sure everything runs smoothly, from sales to support, is still $40 to $300 per month or $480 to $3,600 per year.
How much does a website cost: The basics
How much does it cost to build a website in 2021? Based on the factors outlined above, the average cost of building a website that covers all the basics is as follows*:
| Services | Expected cost |
| Domain | 10-12 dollars per year |
| Hosting | 60-100 dollars per year |
| Design | 4,250 dollars per project |
| Technical support | 480-3600 dollars per year |
| Fees Web Design Agency | 550 to $3,700 or more per year and $4,250 for a one-time web design package |
* Average cost of a website for a small to medium-sized company that hires a website design company
How much does it cost to design a website with all the services
How much does it cost to create a website when you include additional website development and website design services to optimize its functionality? Below are estimates based on the average cost of website design, development, and maintenance for the following types of websites:
- Informatics/Small Business: $2000 USD to $8000 USD
- Medium-sized company: US$10,000 to US$25,000
- E-commerce: $5000 to $40,000
- Data-driven / corporate / big business: $25,000 USD to $40,000 USD
Working with Web Design Company
Asking how much it costs to build a website is essential for small and medium-sized businesses. The average cost of a website reaches hundreds to thousands of dollars when a website design agency is involved.
However, with Web design agency Proper web, you can customize website components to your needs and preferences.
Here are some of the pros and cons of hiring professionals to deploy web development and web design services:
Pros
- The right web design company can save you time, money, energy, and resources.
- Reliable and responsive website development and web design services.
- It provides an online strategy that integrates SEO, content writing, conversion rate optimization, and social media.
- It gives you access to a prolific team that knows how to host a website, makes you look trustworthy and puts you in front of your target audience.
- Having presented the results beforehand, it provides a reasonable response to "What is the average cost of building a website?"
Cons
- Initial costs are high.
- A web design company may be the wrong fit or have the wrong culture that includes miscommunication, lack of transparency, and delayed delivery.
We can't emphasize enough how important it is to find an agency you can trust and get along with. "Would you trust putting your biggest client in the hands of someone who has no experience in sales or service delivery? You should think of your website in the same way. You need an expert who delivers a website that positively impacts your reputation as well as your profits."
In the meantime, here are the pros and cons of doing it yourself (DIY).
Pros
- Time is on your side, so you can start playing when you want.
- With free options, the initial costs may be more manageable.
- Some website builders come with basic SEO, analytics, hosting, and security features pre-packaged.
Cons
- It can be time- and energy-consuming. Even in the absence of any coding, you'll have to figure out how to use a website builder or install an SSL certificate yourself.
- Some service packages are limited, so you can't maximize your site's potential.
- Free hosting, speed, and security may be unreliable.
Maximize the potential of your website
A website that offers a seamless and enjoyable experience brings in new business, sales, and revenue. Google's Page Experience Update and mobile-driven indexing also put the visitor experience front and center, making it more important than ever to invest in a professional-looking, fully functional website.
In this article, we answered the most pressing question: "How much does it cost to build a website that prioritizes the user and adheres to web best practices?" We've published the latest figures for SMBs to use as a guide to get started.
Most importantly, here's a reminder to allocate a realistic website budget. Contrary to popular notion, hiring a web design agency might be one of the smartest decisions you can make in 2021. We've proven how the advantages of providing web development and web design services outweigh the negatives.
In this regard, finding the right fit is key to minimizing costs and achieving better results. iKitch is a full-service digital marketing company that offers website design services. We have provided customized web design solutions for diverse clients. Our vast experience has honed our skills in spotting trends and maintaining high standards for any business and budget.
