So, you’ve decided to have a new website, and rightly so, you’re wondering how much it’ll cost. In this blog, we’re exploring the question, how much does it cost to build a website?
A new website is essential every so often, as it allows you to keep up with the latest design trends. It can also help to ensure that your website still meets your company’s values.
Finding a professional web developer
You’ll need to find a great web developer if you want a professional-looking website. If you don’t know which developer to choose, you could look at their website to find previous work and look at reviews too. This will give you an idea of the service they provide. Take a look at our web design service.
It can also help to give web developers a call to see if they could achieve the design aspects that you’d like for your own website. A great developer will be honest with you about their web design capabilities.
If you’re not sure what kind of things to ask, read our blog on questions to ask a web developer.
From the beginning, you’ll want to find out which content management system they use. Then, you can do some research into the options. Typically, WordPress is the most popular option as it provides many benefits. A WordPress website is easy to update and offers search engine optimisation benefits.
Planning your website
Perhaps you’ve got plenty of your own ideas for your website’s design, or maybe you need guidance from a designer. Either way, great web design agencies will be able to support you. Make sure that your web designer has experience in responsive web design.
You might want to consider the following for web development:
- Website layout
- How much text you’d like, and where
- How many pages you need
- Any features your website specifically needs
- Colour scheme and fonts
- Any images or videos you’d like on the website
Some business owners may want a new site completed by a certain date due to an event or something similar, and if that’s the case, you need to let the web design agency know. Creating new websites takes time, so you need to allow them to plan ahead. Most web designers have multiple projects on at once, so they need to be able to manage their time.
What to consider when having a new website
There are more aspects that need to be considered than just the design of your site.
Website Hosting
All websites must be hosted on a web server to be accessed. We offer a range of hosting packages to suit your needs. If you’re not sure which hosting plan to choose, we can help you decide. An eCommerce website (online store) would be better off having a more advanced hosting package, such as a dedicated server.
Hosting packages can also help to increase the security of your website, as maintenance and updates can be taken care of by the experts. Using a poor or cheap hosting solution could lead to your site being the victim of malicious attacks and downtime. Both of these will drive customers away from your site rather than encourage them to stay.
Great hosting providers will monitor your website closely to ensure there is minimal downtime and that all updates are completed when they need to be on your business website.
Domain name
If this is your first website, you’ll need to find a domain name. This is the URL that people will use to find your website. Usually, you’ll want to include your business’s name in the URL. You may also have the option to select a top-level domain, such as ‘.com’, ‘.co.uk’ or ‘.org’.
Make sure that your URL is easy to read and understand. Once you’ve found the perfect domain name, you’ll need to purchase it. Most domain names renew every year. You’ll need to ensure that you renew it; otherwise, someone else may buy it. You also need to ensure that you have an SSL certificate on your own site. Some domain name companies offer a free SSL certificate.
How much does a website cost?
There’s no straightforward answer to how much your website will cost. Every website is different, and every business has different requirements for their website. Here are some aspects that can affect your web design costs.
Functionality
What do you need your professional website to do? Do you need custom forms creating? A booking system? The more complex functionalities you need, the more the cost will be. It’s a good idea to check with the web designer first that they can achieve the functionality you need on your website.
Design
Some businesses choose to have custom-built websites as it gives them a unique look and means that more can be achieved. The other option is to use a template that many others may have used. Of course, these templates are fully customisable so that you can use your branding to make it your own.
Another important part of the design is animations. Do you need any special effects on your site? These require planning, creation and implementation, which can increase the price, but are definitely worth it. A professional website designer will advise you on design functions and how they will affect your website costs.
Content
Your content is very important and goes hand in hand with your site’s design. You’ll need to decide whether you have time to create the content yourself or whether you’ll need a copywriter’s support. We offer a copywriting service to help you keep your audience engaged on-site. Our copywriting service includes website pages and blog creation.
Maintenance & Web Hosting Services
We already mentioned how important it is to have a great hosting provider. This is something you need to consider early, as you may feel more at ease hosting with the same company that created your site. After all, they know your site inside and out and may be able to troubleshoot any problems faster.
Websites use plugins which require regular updates and monitoring. Our hosting packages include all of this to keep your website running smoothly. Contact us to find out our website maintenance cost.
All website development costs will vary for many reasons. Some will include a hosting cost or use a different website builder. Some website builders can increase the website building cost but may not offer any more benefits. We’d always recommend a WordPress site as they offer so many benefits, such as free plugins and ongoing support. WordPress plugins range from free options to more premium plugins.
Our web developers have experience creating websites for clients of all sizes across multiple industries. All of our websites are created with user experience as a priority, and we make sure they look impressive too. Our developers stay up to date with the latest trends to keep your website looking its best and working efficiently.
We hope this article has been helpful regarding how much does it cost to build a website? If you’re considering having a new website, get in touch with us.