So you’ve finally decided to build a website and target the internet customers but jumbled with the actual website building cost? We got you covered. This guide discusses a detailed breakdown of web development costs and helps you invest where it matters.
To attain more business, it’s crucial for you (as a business) to go digital. In today’s time, if you don’t have a stunning, functional, scalable, and secure website, be ready to be left behind. A persuasive website (that catches prospects’ attention within 50 milliseconds) can undoubtedly fuel your business growth.
In fact, websites are considered the most effective marketing channels for businesses. No wonder why businesses (of all sizes, types, niches), from small to big e-commerce companies seek out pivotal growth services to strengthen their web presence, stay competitive, and ahead of the pack.
However, crafting a great website is not as easy as it seems. A lot goes into it. That said, the thought of developing a website doesn’t concern most, but the cost involved in it truly does. Hence, one of the most common questions clients ask from a website design and development company, “how much does website development cost?”
Why Is It So Difficult to Estimate the Exact Website Development Cost?
If someone asks you, “what is the cost of building a house; tell me one fixed amount that goes into building a house,” what would be your answer?
Of course, you will say that the cost will definitely differ based on various factors, such as type of the house, neighborhood, layout, floor area, number of rooms, outdoor space, and other considerable things, right?
The same goes for web development. The reason why it is so difficult to estimate the “one-size-fits-all” website design cost is, there’s no such thing. You can’t gauge a fixed amount that goes perfectly well for all types of website development.
Website building cost is intricate, and you won’t find a simpler answer. You can’t fix a single quote for all types of websites and business needs because requirements vary from business to business.
7 Influential Factors That Affect the Website Development Price
The concept of website development is vast. One can have a static, dynamic, custom, e-commerce, or any other website. Whatever the type of website you need, it’s crucial to know about the factors determining the cost of launching a development. So let’s have a look!
Domain
The domain name of your site is the web address or URL of your website. “WebbyCentral.com” is a good example. Domain registration is a necessary cost and may vary depending on the type of domain name you choose. It starts somewhere from $150 and goes up to millions depending on the precision. Do some research and find the best-suited domain name that conveys your business niche and brand well.
Hosting
Hosting is the service you take to occupy the space on the web. It can cost you from nothing at all to hundreds per month for managed hosting. Depending on your website needs, type, and sizes, you can choose from shared hosting, reseller web hosting, virtual dedicated server, managed hosting, colocation web hosting, cloud hosting, and clustered hosting and pay the amount accordingly.
Design Needs
Design requirements affect the overall cost of web development, whether you’re using a pre-built theme or approaching a custom website design company that crafts a tailor-made website for your business. Great design is a baseline requirement, and how great your design is, decides the cost of your website design. It starts somewhere from $5,000 and can go up to $1,50,000 or more, depending on your design demands.
Content
Content is the foundation of your website. It can make or break your website. Thinking you can write web content is usually a mistake. Web content writing is a specialized skill; just like you need a web designer to design your website well, you need a skilled copywriter to convey the right brand message using the most relevant and effective words. The cost of a web copy depends on the word count required for your web content.
Complexity
Remember, the deeper the functionality, the higher the cost. The average price of building a website often ranges from $10,000 (for a startup/small business website) to $200,000 or more (for a complex custom website). The more features you need in a website, the more complex the design and development will be. Therefore, the more resources it will require.
Maintenance
A website full of glitches and errors is a complete turn-off for visitors, resulting in potential visitors leaving the website and never coming back. To keep the website up and running, routine site maintenance is required. The cost of website maintenance usually depends on your website size, complexity, and functionality. Today, businesses invest around $50 to $5,000 per month or $500 to $50,000 or more per year on website maintenance.
Marketing
Marketing is the most vital part of making a website successful. Most businesses invest $3,000 to $15,000 per month, though some spend more than $30,000 on marketing depending on the business types, sizes, and needs. For better outcomes, take up online marketing services, including SEO, SEM, SMO, SMM, video marketing, and content marketing. The cost will solely depend on the type you choose to market your website.
Website Development Cost Estimations: For Different Types of Websites
Personal Website and Blog
These are simple websites mainly used for sharing news, advice, and any information. These types of websites are easiest to develop; hence, requiring a few bucks. One can easily develop a personal/blog website just by spending something between $1,000 to $5,000, depending on the considerable factors. That said, personal websites or blogs are often on the lower end of website building costs.
Small Business Website
As the name suggests, these types of websites are created mainly for small businesses. These websites consist of around 8 to 16 web pages max. Depending on the type, size, niche, and other considerable things, the average cost of website design for small businesses can be somewhere between $2,000 – $9,000. And if you’re opting for annual maintenance, the cost can climb higher.
Brochure site (Landing Pages)
These types of websites’ primary aims are to attract new customers and sales. However, the designing part plays a huge role in these websites, especially the placement of CTAs. It is majorly a 5-page website consisting of Homepage, About Us, Services, Portfolio, and Contact Us. Depending on the theme and graphics used, the website development cost can range from $7,000 to $15,000 or more.
Corporate Website
Corporate websites transmit business value to clients online. These websites communicate a company’s goal and exhibit its portfolio. Corporate sites are extensively dynamic and convey business information effectively. As the website is usually large, it consists of around 25-75 pages or more. The cost of these websites typically ranges from $15,000 – $40,000 or more depending on the functionalities, features, and other integrations.
Educational Site
These websites are mainly for educational institutions that offer online courses for students, working professionals, and others. The size of these websites depends on the number of courses they want to showcase, overall aesthetics, graphics, functionalities, etc. If you aim for an educational website with at least 10 web pages, be ready to invest a minimum of $20,000 or $25,000 (that can go up to $100,000 and even more).
E-Commerce Website
These types of websites are the most popular and demanding these days. These websites primarily sell products/services online. Amazon and eBay are some classic examples of e-commerce platforms. To put it straightforwardly, the average e-commerce website cost with around 100 to 1000 products is $40,000 – $2,50,000 or more. However, the maintenance cost may vary depending on the website size and complexity.
Catalog Website
These websites are for people who search for particular services or goods, such as jobs, hotels, car rentals, real estate properties, etc. The web pages offer a directory and an extensive search system incorporating location-based features and feedback and rating systems. Airbnb is one great example of these types of websites. Talking about price, it usually costs between $20,000 – $100,000 or more.
Social Media Platform
Social media platforms are widely popular and most used websites these days. Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn are some examples of these types of websites. Coming to cost, depending on the features, functionalities, integrations, and other considerable things, a social media website can cost approximately between $45,000 – $1,50,000.
Website Development Cost: Breakdown of Each Development Phase
We have talked about the difficulty in the estimation of exact website building cost, influential factors affecting website cost, and cost estimation as per the different types of websites. Now it’s time to dig deeper and explore beyond all this. Let’s look at the complete breakdown of each development phase.
Website Design Cost
A stunning website holds potential customers’ attention instantly. That said, UI/UX design plays a significant role in website development. If you want to impress your prospects, invest in good UI/UX design services right now. The process includes researching, wireframing, prototyping, and UI/UX designing.
The UI/UX design might take an average of up to 2-3 weeks, depending on the project complexities. Talking about the price, the website design cost can range from $5,000 – $15,000 and even more. In most cases, the simpler the design, the lower the price, and vice versa. It is highly advisable to invest in responsive/mobile-first design for best results.
Website Building Cost
After designing, the developers start coding the website. It is mainly divided into two parts — front-end development and back-end development. The front-end development is responsible for the interface and first visual touch-point the website visitors recognize. This phase can take up to 6-7 weeks or more, depending on the project requirements and complexities. It typically ranges from $5,000 – $15,000 or more.
Back-end development (aka server-side development) is the core of any website and is responsible for the overall smooth functioning. This phase includes integration with third-party service, complex queries, data processing tasks, and more. Talking about website development price and time, it can take up to 9-10 weeks or more and cost you between $8,000 – $20,000 or more.
Website Maintenance Cost
The work is not done once you launch a website. It requires maintenance to keep it up and running. Website maintenance keeps your website functional. It includes updates on your CMS, resolving glitches, bugs, and other issues, etc. Without maintenance, your website will get obsoleted.
That’s why businesses also need to ask ” how much does it cost to maintain a website?” along with development cost. Investing in maintenance ensures that your potential customers can use it hassle-free without any obstacles. The routine website maintenance usually ranges from $20,000 – $10,00,000 annually.
Website Marketing Cost
Website marketing is another vital aspect that needs to be considered when it comes to talking about website development costs. Website marketing helps you drive in more quality traffic and potential leads.
However, you can choose to invest in the services that offer you the most value and fit your budget, including search engine optimization (SEO), search engine marketing (SEM), content marketing, social media marketing, pay-per-click advertising, email marketing, and more.
Talking about cost, website marketing can cost you somewhere between $15,000 – $50,000 or more depending on your project type, size, and complexities. Moreover, the overall cost depends on the services you choose related to website marketing.
Website Development Cost: Final Words
From site complexity, size, choosing a domain name, opting for hosting, design requirements, web content to marketing, and website maintenance, we’ve walked you through the essential factors and the costs involved in building a website.
To conclude, based on what you want from your website, how much time, effort, and money you’re ready to put into it, and your long-term goal, the cost of the website will be decided.
The web development cost is not only about money; it’s also about the resources you have. Now, take a step forward, pick the best option for you, and build an ROI-driven website. Happy website development!
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