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So, you have determined to bring your business online. But, as a novice, it can be quite baffling to get an average cost of designing a website.
Given that the Internet harbors a plethora of information regarding creating a website, it is easier to get lost in the mix of so much content.
Now that you are here with us, we will ensure that you get 100% authentic information and, more importantly, a blueprint that you can follow and get your website up and running quickly.
So, let’s get started:
What is the Average Cost of Designing a Website?
Speaking upfront, you can expect to invest somewhere around $5000-10,000 in building a complete website.
Three factors determine the web design cost:
- Domain name.
- Hosting service
- Web designing.
A domain name is concerned with choosing a name and address for your website. A hosting provider will host your website safely on the webserver. A web designer will give an appropriate look to your website through customization (complexity, size, and features).
However, a large portion of your budget goes into the designing part. If you choose an expensive theme, integrate paid plugins for online transactions, and back your website with SSL security, the cost will escalate.
7 Factors Determining a Website’s Cost in 2024
1. Domain Name
A domain name is your website’s address. A website is built under a domain name that resonates with its actual business.
For example, we all know where www.samsung.com will lead, right? Similarly, your domain address will lead your visitors and customers to your website, where they can connect with you.
Cost
You can buy a domain name for between $1 and 12. HostGator and GoDaddy are two of the best websites to buy domain names from.
2. Web Hosting
If a domain name is your website’s address, then a web hosting plan is like the rent you pay for sharing the market space online.
Now, you can either purchase a complete web hosting plan for your website or opt for shared hosting plans where multiple websites share the hosting space with your website.
Without a web hosting provider, your website cannot go live on the server; hence, it would be invisible.
Cost
Shared hosting plans can cost as little as $24 per year, whereas private hosting can be as expensive as $24000 per year. You can buy hosting plans at HostGator and GoDaddy.
3. SSL certificate
If you are new to the meaning and use of an SSL certificate, then do not worry; we will help sort it out for you.
An SSL or Secure Socket Layer certificate is a security protocol that protects the communication between your website and the user’s web browser.
In content, when a user shares their information such as credit/debit, bank details, username, and password with your website, it passes as plain text on the server. Therefore, any hacker, or third party can sit between the conversation and steal confidential information.
To stop it, an SSL is used that encrypts the data transfer and does not allow any hacker to decrypt the information until it reaches the intended receiver.
In this way, a user can safely share the most sensitive details without being monitored.
For a domain (www.domain.com) that does not have any subdomains (shop.domain.com/news.domain.com), one needs to buy a regular SSL, but if a website has multiple subdomains attached to its primary domain, then one must buy a wildcard SSL certificate.
Cost
Some hosting providers provide SSL for free otherwise it can cost you up to $150 per year.
4. Design Costs
There is no limit to how much you can spend on your web design. Some brands keep things simple, while others like to have fancy websites.
After a certain cost, it is generally up to you to decide the design costs. There are three main pages that a web designer would cover in a basic design plan, namely, a homepage, a products/services page, and a contact page.
These three pages work well for a small business just looking to build a static website. They define your brand, showcase your products/services, and allow the users to contact you.
Cost
A basic web design package starts from $2000. You can pump in money according to your business requirements, and the budget can spike up to $20,000.
5. Page tier costs
Generally, web design and development agencies divide the number of pages on a website into tiers.
For example, in tier 1, pages 1-10 shall be covered, and in tier 2, pages 10-20 shall be covered.
Now, if you want to integrate 7 pages, it will fall in the tier 1 category, and you will have to pay a lesser amount, whereas if you want to have 15 pages on your website, you shall pay the page per tier 2 costs.
In context, e-commerce websites can have several pages, whereas a static service-based website generally has fewer pages. Therefore, the costs will be higher for e-commerce websites than a service-based static websites.
Costs
The average cost of designing a page can vary from $1000-5000.
6. Extensive features
Though all extensive features are not mandatory to run a small business website, they impact a customer’s mind in the long run.
For example, an online payment gateway system is mandatory for every website if they are looking to outflank its competition.
After COVID-19, people are more inclined toward online payment systems. That is why, even if you are providing plumbing and car wrecking services, you must have an online payment system available.
Cost
A high-quality online payment system can cost you somewhere around $25,000. However, if you are looking for a cheaper solution, there are online payment companies that can allow you to start accepting payments within $2500.
7. Content Management System
A CMS platform allows you to customize your website even without coding knowledge. If you use an active CMS platform to manage your website, you will not need any developer to change your website’s colors, attributes, and font.
A CMS allows you to customize your website’s theme, menus, footer, header, images, videos, and content and add or remove plugins.
Cost
A trustworthy CMS platform can cost you between $2000 and-15000. WordPress and Joomla are two of the best-known CMS platforms out there.
Now that you are aware of the cost-determining factors let us discuss whether you should create your web design by yourself or opt for a company.
DIY Web Design Vs. Professional Web Designing Company
If you decide to design your website in-house, you can incur around $300-500, whereas a professional company charges around $2000-10,000.
For website owners looking for a cost-cutting option, DIYing can be a great option. You can craft your site with a website builder and add/remove content willingly.
In contrast, a professional web design company adds a professional touch to your site. They have experienced personnel who take care of their respective areas; therefore, even the minute details are being taken care of by the experts.
Moreover, DIYing can eat a large proportion of your time without guaranteeing the credibility of the final output, whereas a professional company will ensure that you get your website running within a stipulated time.
If you are sticking with us to this point, we assume that you will go to a design company instead of trying to design your website yourself. We are bringing up 7 tips that will help you hire a cost-friendly and authentic design company in 2022.
7 Tips to Choose a Reliable and Cost-friendly Web Design Company
1. Open-minded
You know more about your business than any web design company. That is why they must listen to your demands and requirements.
They must carefully analyze your vision and mission behind creating a website and suggest relevant alterations that can help you get a productive final output.
Moreover, ask them about their experience in web design for small businesses. The aim is to ensure that they have a rough idea about your business type.
2. Marketing experience
In today’s capitalistic economy, your design should complement your marketing team. Therefore, you need to ensure that their designers are good marketers too.
Only then will they understand your idea and create a customer-friendly website. After all, what purpose does a web design serve? Every web design is aimed at enhancing customer experience and interaction.
Appropriate navigation systems, simple UI, and assisting CTAs are some examples of great web design. Only an experienced marketing team knows how to use these attributes to enhance users’ experience.
3. Knowledge of CMS
Earlier, we talked about how you can easily make a website through CMS software like WordPress, Magento, and Joomla, but knowing how to use them appropriately requires a lot of practice and skill.
Professional web designers know how to use CMS customizers to create a perfect small business website for you. Moreover, they complement it with their HTML coding knowledge. Therefore, they can fix codes and ensure that your website runs smoothly.
However, if you come across a web design company that still codes HTML websites from scratch, you are not in the right office. Choose an agency that is well-versed in CMS software.
4. Responsive web design
Though Google talks about the importance of each page’s responsiveness and experience in their Page Experience Update of 2022, they do not tell you to create two separate websites for mobile and desktop.
Modern-day web designers can create responsive websites that can adapt according to devices. They can adjust their fonts, colors, text size, and menus across devices.
Therefore, if your design agency suggests you create separate websites, it is time to bid them adieu.
5. Their achievements
The best way to get to know your design agency is by reviewing their work. No, we are not talking about the best design slides they have mentioned on their website; we mean the REAL WORK- an up-and-running client website.
Web design agencies have a multitude of clients. You can ask them to show their work relevant to your brand. For example, if you provide plumbing services, you can ask them to show their work relevant to services such as car wreckers, sofa cleaners, etc.
Their work will give you a clear idea of how your website will look in the coming days.
6. Their credibility
A web design agency’s service quality largely depends upon its credibility. The Internet is a tough place to sustain a business. The stakes keep getting higher with time.
A web designer who is not versatile enough to upgrade their team, technology, and knowledge is set to leave the global marketplace.
Therefore, you need to find a designer who has survived the test of time and is coping well with changing scenarios.
An easier way to find such designers is by looking at their design methods. For example, a designer who still believes in coding websites overusing CMS is not an ideal choice.
7. They plan for success
Website success is all that matters. All the technology, methodology, marketing, and skills are channeled toward this 7-letter word.
But, to achieve that, a web design company must have a road map. And, to create one, they must first taste success themselves.
In other words, the web design company that you are about to choose must have a success story of its own. Cases of client success should outshine their timeline and portfolio.
Final Thoughts
Creating a website may not have been one of the top priorities for a business 15 years ago, but today a website marks its existence.
Even the biggest brands have to create their website to maintain their presence on the global stage.
The best part about the Internet is that it provides everyone with an equal platform. Small businesses can outshine large enterprises within no time.
You can make your presence felt on the Internet for under $5000. So, what are you waiting for? Get an awesome website designed today.
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