A website can be created in one of three ways:
Using a website builder, WordPress, or employing a qualified designer. The method you choose will have an impact on the overall cost of developing your website; website builders are by far the most affordable choice. So, if you’re looking to save money, we suggest going with a website builder.
Many questions arise that how much does a website cost?
While using WordPress can increase the monthly cost to anywhere between $11 and $50, using a website builder could cost you as low as $6. The choice with the highest upfront cost, a website designer, is the most expensive.
In the current economic climate, it’s critical to be upfront about expenses and receive good value for your money. You need a website that matches your goals, benefits your visitors, and doesn’t strain your budget. Below, we’ll go in-depth on each of the three approaches and break down all the associated expenses so you can decide which is most cost-effective for your budget.
How much does a website cost in 2022?
You should anticipate paying an upfront fee of about $200 and an ongoing fee of about $50 per month to construct and maintain a website. If you hire a designer or developer, this cost will be higher; plan on paying an initial fee of about $6,000 and a recurring fee of $1,000 per year.
| Website Feature | Upfront Website Cost |
|---|---|
| Website Domain | $12 - $60 |
| Website Hosting | $35 - $600 |
| SSL Certificate | $0 - $200 |
| Website Template or Theme | $0 - $200 |
| Ecommerce Functionality | $20 - $24,000 |
| Website Content | $0 - $5,000 |
| Apps and Integrations | $0 - $100 |
| SEO and Marketing | $0 - $90 |
It might be challenging to discover accurate pricing information for web design online, therefore we advise using our web design comparison tool, which is run by one of our most reliable partners, Expert Market.
Realistically, you shouldn’t spend less than $5,000 on a web designer; else, you risk getting a subpar finished product for which you paid a few thousand dollars.
You must select the approach that works best for you. Although it is more expensive, hiring a web designer relieves you of the technical difficulty. Although using a website builder is inexpensive and simple, WordPress gives you more control over your content. Although it’s the most time-consuming and hands-on option, WordPress allows you freedom.
We’ll go over each choice with you, go over the associated costs, and show you how to ask the appropriate questions to make the most of your money. Ready? Move along!
You can create a website in one of three ways: with a website builder, WordPress, or by hiring a web designer. Your website’s cost will be significantly affected by the strategy you select. For instance, using a website builder might make developing content free, but hiring a web designer will set you back over $5,000.
The least expensive option to create a website is typically with website builders. Although WordPress is an open-source, free platform, there are costs associated with hosting, themes, plugins, and even hiring a developer, which can raise the overall cost.
The most expensive alternative is to hire a web designer, but it’s the best one if you require complete control over how the site is built and customized or if it needs to have really sophisticated functionality.
How much does a website builder cost?
Prices for website builders range from zero to more than $500 per month, with yearly maintenance fees ranging from zero to $5400. Your company’s website builder costs will vary depending on a number of criteria, including the level of functionality you require.
Website builders typically provide an affordable answer to:
- Freelancers
- Start-ups
- Small companies
If your company is small to medium sized (or larger), you might want to consider working with a web design company or an experienced freelancer to create and maintain your website. These experts will offer the simplest method for managing and updating your website.
Are Website Builders Valuable Investments?
You may develop a website that is genuinely professional with a high-quality website builder. Sure, using subpar tools will result in a subpar product, but if you are diligent in your builder selection, you can position yourself for success.
In other words, it’s worth it to spend a bit more money on a superior builder rather than simply choosing the first one you discover. A builder like Wix or Squarespace, for instance, offers considerably greater value for your money than a subpar choice like SiteBuilder or 1&1 IONOS.
Which Hosting Plan Should You Buy?
| Hosting Types | Usual Cost | Who Should Use It? |
|---|---|---|
| Shared WordPress | $2 - $15 per month | New builders on a budget Bloggers (small blogs) Hobby builders People creating personal portfolios Students building school projects |
| Managed WordPress | $20 - $60 per month | Bloggers (larger blogs) People building large portfolios Businesses |
| Ecommerce | $7 - $30 per month | Online stores Businesses selling products on the side |
How on earth are you expected to choose the best one for you and discover one that fits your budget when there are managed WordPress, shared WordPress, and ecommerce options? You don’t want to underpay for a plan that you don’t require or hurt your website by choosing a cheap plan that is too limited for your requirements.
We’ll quickly go over the many WordPress hosting options, ideally guiding you to the package that works best for you, your website, and your budget.
What Additional Costs Associated With Using WordPress?
Professional Help: $300 – $100 per hour
WordPress is popular among beginners, but if you want a complicated or customized website, you might need to employ a WordPress developer to assist bring your ideas to life. We won’t include this cost in the final WordPress total because it is optional and many individuals construct pretty well without the assistance of a developer.
However, you should expect to pay anywhere between $30 and $100+ per hour if you do need to employ someone to assist you with your WordPress site. However, always do your research before hiring someone. Generally, the more you pay, the better the developer is likely to be.
Although hiring a developer for roughly $100 per hour may seem expensive, that is within the range of what you should budget for a skilled WordPress expert.
Domain Name: $12 – $60 per year
To make it easier for others to discover you online, your WordPress website needs a domain!
You don’t get a free branded subdomain, unlike with website builders, therefore you must choose a custom domain right away. This typically happens as part of the registration process when you create a hosting account, making the entire registration procedure incredibly simple.
The cost of a domain varies depending on the hosting company you choose to register with and the domain you choose (such as.com versus.rich). These two factors will have a significant impact on the cost of your domain.
However, domains often cost between $12 to $60 per year. The good news is that you can get a custom domain for free for the first year from some web providers, like Bluehost; after that, you’ll have to pay a yearly domain price.
Plugins: $0 – $100+ per year
Plugins provide your WordPress website extra features like contact forms, user reviews, newsletter subscriptions, and anything else you could want it to have! Adding e-commerce or multilingual capabilities to your WordPress website is a common use for plugins.
The cost of incorporating additional features into your website is entirely up to you because there are both free and paid plugins available. Some plugins provide several subscription options, allowing you to use the free version at first before upgrading to a more advanced version.
Plugins might cost as little as $0 or as much as $100 annually.
Themes: $0 – $50 per theme
There are both free and paid themes available, just like there are for plugins. Free themes are a terrific way to get started, and the WordPress theme directory has some chic options. Just keep in mind that they could not be as polished or packed with features as paid themes, which could lead you to depend more on plugins in the future.
Premium themes often cost $50 or less but can cost as much as $200. After paying the one-time fee, you can update and customize the theme as much as you like.
The benefit of using a premium theme is that it typically includes greater support, frequent updates to prevent it from breaking or becoming out-of-date, and built-in features to save you money on premium plugins. Consider it a theme and plugin package!
Using a free or premium theme is entirely up to you; just keep in mind to consider your website and its key features before making a decision.
How Much Does Using a Web Designer Cost for a Website?
| Web Designer Cost Breakdown | Price | More Info |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly subscription | $500 - $1,000 per year | Depending on your agreement with your designer and how much maintenance you require, you might have to pay a recurring price. |
| Apps / plugins | $0 | If you requested specific features, your designer will incorporate them in your site, thus it is part of their price. |
| Themes | $0 | If your designer is starting from scratch, this expense is already factored into their estimate. As an alternative, you can purchase a theme and ask a designer to customize it for you; in this instance, you must first purchase a theme. |
| Hosting | $2.95 - $50 | A necessary expense is hosting. Always double-check. Some designers will take care of this for you; others won't. Keep in mind that hosting fees are often assessed annually, so budget at least $35 per year up front. |
| Security | $0 - $200 per year | Your hosting package may include security features, but it's wise to take additional security precautions. To keep costs down, you can use free security plugins. |
| Professional help | $5,000 - $30,000 upfront cost | You are hiring a professional to design and develop your website. You'll also need to keep paying them to make modifications to your site if it's quite complicated. |
By hiring a web designer, you can put your project in the hands of experts to plan and build your website. Even though you still have to collaborate with a web designer to build a site you enjoy, you can do a lot of the heavy lifting while still getting some of it done.
It is best to hire a web designer for:
- Anyone in need of an extremely intricate website
- Those who lack both time and technological assurance
- Large spending and custom websites
Because different web designers charge varying prices depending on the project and their own experience, this is arguably the most difficult expense to predict. Your choice of an agency or a freelancer will also have an impact on the price.
Overall though, you may expect to pay between $5,000 and $30,000 to have a website made for you.
What Factors Affect a Web Designer's Salary?
When selecting a web designer, keep in mind the following factors because they will all affect how much your website will ultimately cost to build:
- How sophisticated is your website design?
- Would you like the designer to take care of your hosting, domains, and plugins? Or just have them construct and design your website?
- Will you require them to perform continuous site maintenance? Or are you going to handle it yourself?
- Do you already have a template that you want the designer to alter? Do you prefer that the designer create your website from scratch?
- What features do you require? Will you, for instance, sell online?
- How many pages will there be on your website? To receive an accurate quote, you’ll need to be aware of this upfront.
Owning your own hosting and domain name is frequently a smart move because you retain ownership and control. This makes maintaining your website simpler and provides you more control over it; for instance, switching hosting providers will be significantly simpler as a result.
How Much Does a Website Cost? Conclusion
From using a website builder to hiring a skilled designer to build it for you, we’ve taken you through the fees associated with creating a website. Hopefully, you now have a better understanding of the approach that will work best for you and your budget.
Keep in mind that there are other factors to consider when estimating a website’s cost. It also depends on the additional resources you possess, such as time, technical know-how, and design abilities. You can pick up new talents if you have a lot of time, but if you’re strapped for time or have a big money, you can hire a pro.
Making the most of your money over the long run will depend on how carefully you plan out what you want from your website, how much time and money you can realistically invest in it, and how you want to manage it on a daily basis.
Here is a summary of our estimates to assist you in choosing the best choice for you, even if each location has its own own set of prices.
Website Fee: Summary
- Use a website builder: the most affordable alternative costs $6 to $50 each month.
- Use WordPress: You have a lot of control over how expensive (or inexpensive) your site becomes and only pay an initial fee of $35 to $780 and annual costs of $11 to $50.
- Work with a web designer: Minimum time commitment, but most expensive option: $500 to $10,000+
There is a website construction choice for you whether you are watching every penny or have a sizable budget to work with. Getting the most for your money is the most crucial factor. To assist you in choosing the best strategy for you, the following is an overview of each one:
If any of the following apply to you, chose the website builder
- You have a limited budget
- You’ve never built before.
- You’re pressed for time.
- You want to try making a website yourself.
- You don’t want to cope with the complicated technological matters.
