How much does it cost to build a website?
And why is there such a huge range in web development cost?
The truth is—as you probably guessed—it depends.
Every business or non-profit has its own set of needs.
These can include (but are by no means limited to):
Dozens of pages
Customer portals
Portfolios or galleries
eCommerce
Digital Courses
Subscription services
Automated workflows
Built-in CRM
Email Marketing
Regulated security/privacy
Fancy animation or responsive design
Your business might need to display available inventory to your members by interfacing with your inventory tracking system and syncing with your customer database in a members-only area of your website.
Or you might just need a single page with a nice headshot and a subscription pop-up.
Like a perfectly tailored suit, a website that is designed to meet all of your unique needs will not be a templated, one-size-fits all solution. It will take time and precision, it will fit beautifully, and you’ll want to show it off immediately.
Why should I pay $10K, $20K, or even upwards of $150K for a website when AI can do it for free?
Maybe you shouldn’t!
Here’s a quick way to assess how much you should spend:
The cost of your website should mirror the intricacies of your company's infrastructure.
How complicated is your operation?
If it’s pretty straightforward and/or you don’t have a budget for a professionally written/designed website, or if you’re about to start a business from your sofa, great! Block a Saturday morning to see what you can churn out on Squarespace, Wix, or Shopify. (Here’s a comparison article on Wix vs. Squarespace.)
On the other hand—if you are a:
Manufacturing company trying to build an international presence
Retailer with multiple locations and fast moving inventory
Space booking months in advance, selling tickets, and processing online payments
Author pivoting to selling digital content and courses to thousands of users
Gym with constantly rotating class schedules and online registrations
Organizer building an interactive online community with message boards and forums that needs to be curated, monitored, and safe
Or an individual who wants something nobody else has, or simply wants to pay a pro to do it right…
….you might consider a more sophisticated website.
What kind of costs can you expect to pay when setting up a website?
Whether you’re drag-and-dropping or custom-coding your website, there are some standard costs that will always be part of the process.
Domain Name
Your domain name functions as your internet street address (e.g. “luckyduckpastries.com”). You can purchase it through any platform that offers a domain registrar, including GoDaddy, Registrar.com, and NameCheap.
Many domain names cost about $20 annually, though highly desirable domains can go for much more. It all depends on perceived value.
You might also want to consider purchasing more than one domain.
If, for example, there’s a risk of a common misspelling of your name (colorord vs. colorwoLd), or if your ideal customer might look for what you offer by searching a specific phrase (awesomemarketing.com), go ahead and snag the domains. You can leave them dormant, or you can direct them all to your website.
Hosting Platform
Your hosting platform is like a vacant lot you buy to build your house on.
GoDaddy is the most popular web hosting platform on the internet, but there are many others, like BlueHost and HostGator. And you can even host your website on a private server.
Other options that tend to be easier for beginners are Wix, GoDaddy, Squarespace, and Shopify, because they not only host your website, they’ll help you build it, too.
The cost of website hosting depends on if you’re on a shared or dedicated platform, how big your site is, and if you need extra security or features. It can range anywhere from $0 to $80 per month.
Website Builder/Content Management System (CMS)
Once you have a street address and a plot of land, you can finally build your house.
Squarespace is ColorWord’s favorite all-in-one option where you can purchase your domain, build, and publish your website all on the same platform. It starts at $23 a month for business plans ($16 for personal), or you can get a reduced rate by paying annually.
Godaddy, Wix, and Shopify are other popular all-in-one platforms that are great for anyone who needs a website they don’t have to code. Just keep in mind that most all-in-one platforms offer different tiers of capability at different prices, so as your web needs increase, the cost will, too.
If your company does want/need a robust, fully customized website—either for function or design or both—you’ll probably want to work on an open source platform. Wordpress is the most popular open source platform on the internet, and it is free.
Cost is added when you purchase anything that you don’t code yourself—a website builder within Wordpress, for example, or plugins to accomplish different functions like forms, pop-ups, banners, payment processors, etc. These can be one-time, annual, or monthly fees, and cost varies widely. If you’re not a coder, the cost of your website will depend on how much code you purchase from others within Wordpress.
Email hosting is different from website hosting, so if you’re setting up a new domain and want to have your email address match (“stephanie@luckyduckpastries.com”), you may need to pay for an email platform as well.
If you’re starting from scratch, Gmail Business Suite is the simple built-in option for Squarespace. If you would rather use Outlook or another platform, or if you’re going to update an existing email inbox, be sure to ask your web developer if they are comfortable changing your MX records to redirect your email to the proper inbox.
A note about ADA Compliance
The Americans with Disabilities Act requires that all websites comply with requirements that make it easier for individuals with disabilities to experience the internet.
These include things like making sure text is legible (large enough, spaced enough, high enough contrast with the background, etc.), animation/motion doesn’t move too fast, and there’s nothing that might trigger an epileptic episode, for example.
Because there are so many, the requirements are fairly difficult to sufficiently meet for even a talented coder, and the laws are notoriously difficult to enforce, but if your website is out of compliance, you are technically breaking the law.
(And the law notwithstanding, we think it’s best to include everyone in your place of business, be it in person or online.)
Because of that, we recommend that our clients install a simple code snippet from AccessiBe, which covers all the bases with a copy/paste. It ensures your entire website is ADA compliant and automatically updates as the laws and requirements change. This service costs ~$500/year.
What other factors could impact the cost of my website?
Ecommerce/Private Member Areas/Payment Processing: Whether you’re selling digital or physical products, tracking inventory and building a store front will often cost a little extra hosting fee. Keep in mind that credit card processing fees will also be paid per transaction, so be sure to shop around for the best rates.
Email Marketing: Many all-in-one platforms offer a built-in email marketing platform. These can be very handy if you’re looking to consolidate, but just like if you were to use a third party platform like Mailchimp or Constant Contact, the service will cost extra often depending on your list size and email frequency.
Migrating Content: If you already have a website or a blog and are considering changing platforms, keep in mind that moving content is a big job and may not be included in the initial quote for your new website. Be sure to ask your web developer how many blogs/pages are included in your migration.
Security: If you are in an industry like healthcare or finance and are using your website to collect or store sensitive information, you may require additional security beyond the standard. This extra protection may increase the total cost.
Size: Building and storing hundreds of pages of content costs quite a bit more than a simple 1-5 page site, so keep that in mind.
Extra Video Storage: It’s typically best to store video on a third party site like YouTube or Vimeo, but if you need to store actual footage on your website, you may need to pay extra if your videos take up a lot of space.
SEO: Baseline SEO optimization might be included in a new web build, but SEO is not something you can set and forget, so if you’re hoping to climb to the top of a Google list with a brand new site/domain, you’ll probably need some ongoing SEO work. This can range anywhere from $500 - $5,000/month, depending on how aggressive your strategy is. Either way, be sure to ask your web team if they’ll be doing any SEO optimization, because it’s not a guarantee.
Scope of work: A copywriter is rarely a web designer, and a web designer is rarely a coder, a coder is rarely an SEO expert, and none of those folks are typically marketers. If you hire a solo web designer, be sure to ask about their speciality, and what you’ll be required to provide for them (web map, words, photography, etc.). If you hire an agency, be sure to ask if they’ll cover all these bases, or if you’ll need to hire other experts after the new site launched.
Matching the quality of your website to the quality of your business is absolutely worth the investment.
No matter which option is best for you, remember that your website is often your digital handshake, and it’s important to make a great first impression.
In an instant, a person landing on any page of your website catches a vibe. You’re communicating exactly the kind of professionalism, creativity, style, personality, quality, and service your potential customer should expect—which is something to seriously consider whether you’re building it yourself, paying an agency or freelancer, or trusting artificial intelligence.
Bottom Line: You want your business to grow, and your website should be a tool to do just that.
That might mean hiring a team of developers to create a $100,000 site, it might mean DIYing it from your couch, or it might mean hiring us to help.
Whatever happens next, we’re rooting for you.
Wondering what’s not working with your current site? Click here to request a free, 5-minute scan of your homepage. We’ll send a video review and recommendations for improvements you can make right away.
Questions? Send us an email anytime at hello@colorwordcreative.com.
