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How Much Should A Small Website Cost in 2021...the breakdown.
Updated: Nov 21, 2021
Let's get real here. It is 2021, and having a website for your business is as relevant as ever. In fact, it is the only reliable source of information about your business. The BIGDATA March 2021 report said that with all the junk floating around online, false news, unreliable reporting, etc, people are searching more for business websites more than ever, in order to find accurate information. So how much should it cost you to get a fresh, professional and mobile friendly website up and running...let's take a look.
What do you need on a small business website?
First things first, a single page website will cost less then a 5 page site. Clearly the more time spent on website creation, the more it will cost you. Before you even start talking to designers, make a quick plan of what you need. Here is how to do it:
Think about your target audience, and what questions they will have about your business...what info are they looking for when they come to your website? That right there is your website objective. Answer those questions in an engaging way and you've created a relevant website.
Tip:
If you're a Startup or SME, take note of your new customers questions. What is it that motivates them to choose you or wins them over?
Now lets talk website cost.
If you think that a beautiful, functional and mobile friendly website is going to cost you BIG, you are in for a surprise. In fact, sometimes a pretty ordinary looking site has actually been custom built, costing somewhere between $2000 to $10,000 and a really beautiful, clean and mobile friendly template site can cost as little $199. Can you tell which site below has been custom built, and which has been designed using a template system?
So what site above would you say looks better? Image 1 or 2? Image one was built on the WiX platform using a template system. Image 2 is a custom site built on custom platform.
And the cost? We know the cost of Website 2 will be between $2000 to $10,000, custom sites take substantially more time to design and develop. At minimum your looking at 4 weeks of work, for maximum 5 pages.
Website 1, built on the WiX platform, will cost you between $500 to $2500, depending on what you need your website to do.
So why is the cost difference so huge?
Custom built sites require a lot more time and coding skills to develop. The first stage of building a custom site is the same as building a site from a template, but then it goes in a very different direction...let's take a look.
Custom Build : 5 page business site
Phase 1 cost $3000
Create site map
Create wire frame
Develop content
Website design
Website build (coding)
Mobile optimisation
Phase 2 cost $1000
Connect server
Connect domain
Connect security
Bug fixing
Client training
Ongoing costs $1500 per year avg
Security updates
Domain renewal
Server renewal
Security renewal
Maintenance
Content updates
Bug fixing
Template Build : 5 page business site
Phase 1 cost $500
Create site map
Create wire frame
Develop content
Customise design from template, or create template from scratch
Mobile Optimisation
Phase 2 cost $150
Connect server/domain/security : free with subscription plan
Platform cost: free or subscription plan (for a 5 page business site the plan cost would be $120 per year and includes domain name, hosting, security and updates)
Bug fixing
Client training
Ongoing costs $150 per year avg
Security updates (automated)
Domain renewal (automated)
Server renewal (automated)
Security renewal (automated)
Platform cost: free or subscription plan (for a 5 page business site the plan cost would be $120 per year and includes domain name, hosting, security and updates)
Maintenance
Content updates
Bug fixing
Decide what you need your website for and make an informed decision about what you really need. SEO is fine on platforms like WiX and Shopify, regardless of what a custom website developer will tell you.