How much does a website cost in 2023?

As a business, having a poorly designed website, or worse, not having a website, can hurt customer acquisition. In fact, 88% of online consumers are less likely to return to a website after a bad experience. Therefore, to maximize the chances of attracting and retaining customers, you will need to prioritize your online presence.

Most web designers avoid talking about pricing like the plague. I know that cost is one of the most important factors when it comes to choosing a partner to design a website.

This article covers the following:

• 3 key factors that influence the cost of website design
• How much do website hosting platforms (CMS) cost?
• 2 ways to build your website

3 key factors that affect the cost of creating a website

I know you would like to have a quick and easy answer. Here's the disappointing part... there's none.

There are many factors that influence the average cost of creating a website. The nature of each business varies, as do their website needs.

In the following sections, we'll go over some of the things that can impact the cost of creating a website. It is important to note that this list is far from being exhaustive. In fact, there is a wide range of other factors that are specific to each business and website project.

1. Functionality of the website

Features play a critical role in calculating the cost of a website. In other words, the more functions you add to your site, the higher the cost will be. The functions of a website can be essential to your business or optional, in order to improve the user experience. Here are a few examples:

• E-commerce functions : This includes all the functions required to manage an e-commerce site. For these businesses to be operational, sites must have several configuration features that allow customers to find and buy products. The basic design elements of an online store include customer portals, payment processing, multiple delivery options, and order fulfillment. While prices vary, the costs of designing a fully customized traditional e-commerce site can easily exceed $10,000.
• Members-only area : As the name suggests, this is a part of the site that only registered members can access. Installing these portals is a great way to build the credibility of the content, provide a streamlined user experience for site visitors, and develop a loyal customer base. Depending on the features and type of software you use, a membership portal feature can cost you between $150 and $500 per year (not including the time it takes to set up this feature).
• Custom programming: While SMB websites don't require a lot of backend programming, other businesses may need more sophisticated design elements for their sites. Web portals are a good example. These websites process a large amount of data and offer personalized access to different users. Hiring a web developer to add custom code may be necessary when it comes to such complex architectures.

2. Size of the site

The number of features and the complexity of a website's architecture aren't the only variables that can drive up site design costs. In many cases, site size can be an equally important factor.

The cost difference between designing a large website and designing a small site is considerable. Creating a 500-page e-commerce site will require much more time and effort, which will be reflected in the price of web development services. In contrast, a simple website with a standard format and a limited number of pages can be built for a fraction of that cost.

The list below illustrates this difference:

• Small business website (8 to 16 pages): $2,000 to $10,000
• Website for large businesses (25 to 75 pages): $10,000 to $40,000
• E-Commerce Site (100 to 1,000 products): $6,000 to $55,000
• Database website (20 to 2,000 pages): $6,000 to $100,000

3. Domain name

Buying a new domain name for your site will generally cost you between 10 And 15 dollars per year. However, it is important to note that this cost may vary depending on several factors, for example:

• Domain name registrar: A domain name registrar is a company that helps you buy and register your domain name. There are numerous domain name registrars (GoDaddy, Namecheap, Google Domains, etc.), each offering different packages and features at varying prices.
• Top Level Domain (TLD): A TLD refers to the extension at the end of the domain name. Established TLDs like “.com” and “.org” tend to cost more than those like “.ca” or “.store.”
• Duration of commitment: Most domain name registrars offer different prices depending on the length of the contract. A longer commitment costs you less in the long run, while a shorter contract is cheaper in the short term.
• Domain privacy: Although it is necessary to provide personal information when registering a domain, you can make that information inaccessible to the public. For an additional fee, registrars offer customers privacy features that protect their identity and maintain their anonymity. However, Namecheap offers protection for free.

How much do website hosting platforms (CMS) cost?

Here is a comparison of the main CMS platforms in 2022:

WordPress

• Platform cost: Free
• Accommodation (SiteGround): $80/year
• Domain name (Namecheap): $15/year
• Page builder (Elementor): $49/year

Total: $144/year

Webflow

• Platform cost: $168/year
• Accommodation: Included
• Domain name: $15/year
• Page builder: Included

Total: $183/year

Squarespace

• Platform cost: $192/year
• Accommodation: Included
• Domain name: Included
• Page builder: Included

Total: $192/year

2 ways to build your website and how it will affect costs

In the end, the cost of designing a website depends on how you want to approach the project: do it yourself and save money or hire the services of a professional and incur higher costs. The pros and cons of each approach are discussed below.

Do it yourself (DIY)

The DIY approach is the most cost-effective option for creating a website. By designing the site yourself, your costs come down to the basic expenses needed to set up and host the site. These include your domain name, hosting fees, a website template, and a tool for creating websites without coding like Webflow, Elementor or Squarespace. You can also use a more traditional content management system (CMS) like WordPress.

Remember that once you take charge of the project, you will be responsible for all aspects of the website. This involves finding out how to optimize the mobile version of your site, making sure that security protocols are in place, updating, fixing bugs on the website, to name just a few examples.

But while the DIY approach can be great for creating a simple website, it's not always a viable option for larger projects. Designing a complex website yourself involves overcoming a multitude of challenges and solving several programming problems that only experienced developers can solve.

Benefits

• It is the ideal option if saving money is a priority.
• It's a good opportunity to broaden your skills and learn more about website development.
• You will have the opportunity to test different ideas and experiment with various concepts.

The disadvantages

• The learning curve can be too high if you don't have any prior experience in web development.
• The process can take a long time.
• The quality of the website may be below professional standards.

How much can that cost?

For a small business, a brochure website, you'll need a domain name (at least $15 per year), a hosting plan (at least $100 per year), a template ($80), and website builder software ($60 per year). You can expect to pay over $200 if you build your website yourself.

Use an agency

Businesses that regularly tackle complex projects have everything to gain from using a professional web design agency. In addition to dealing with advanced website design, these agencies can also provide a wide range of services that go beyond web development.

Working with a web design agency can cost several thousand dollars. Web agencies or web designers with experience and specialized knowledge often ask for more.

These can be people with experience in your industry who know how your customers buy and how to use them.

In general, paying more to a specialist makes sense if you are confident that the agency's knowledge will help you better achieve your website goals.

Benefits

• You are guaranteed to get a professional and efficient website.
• You won't have to spend weeks learning web design.
• Agencies have the resources they need to tackle complex projects.
• They offer an all-in-one package that includes website design, writing, maintenance, and SEO services.
• They can help you define your marketing strategy.

The disadvantages

• Working with an agency can require a significant financial investment, especially if the project is complex.
• They may take longer to complete projects.

How much can that cost?

Here at La Ruche, our basic websites generally range from $3,000 to $5,000. Custom design starts at $5,000.

Are we the cheapest agency in the block? No, but we know that the experience, the knowledge of search engines and the excellent design that we bring to our customers make this cost a good investment. Contact us if you want to get a quote for your website project.

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