When asked to quote a website, if unprepared there can be a bit of sticker shock. That is why when some asks for a quote, my first question is always do you have a budget in mind?
If I had to make an analogy for site cost I would say it’s like going shopping for a suit. Do you have a smaller budget and looking to pick up a nice suit from the department store? Or are you looking to get a custom fit, custom tailored suit made especially for you? Also you may have the tailored suit budget but only have the need for the department store suit depending on your site needs. Either way knowing the starting point can change the entire conversation.
Free Website
Ever hear the saying “no such thing as a free lunch”, the saying is true in websites as well. There are options out there to get a free website. In exchange for that free website your control will be very limited, you probably won’t be able to use your own domain name, and you will more than likely be selling built in ads on your site. Not an ideal option but an option.
Recurring Costs
Now that we’ve discussed the “free” option, lets start diving into the costs of your typical website. Usually with a website you are going to have monthly or yearly costs associated to running your site. I’m going to go through a few but this is not an all inclusive list, but some of the more common costs you’ll have outside of site development.
Domain Name
The first recurring cost of a website is going to be your domain name. Depending on your registrar your domain name will typically cost you somewhere in the $10-$20 a year mark. You can actually spend thousands on the initial purchase of a domain name but most are usually going to cost around that $10-$20 a year average.
Along with purchasing your domain name you’re going to want to bundle that with domain protection. GoDaddy actually best describes domain protection:
The service helps ensure that you retain registration of your domain name, regardless of expiration dates or attempts to transfer.
https://www.godaddy.com/help/what-is-protected-registration-1286
That domain protection is usually only going to cost a few dollars a year and is bundled in with that $10-$20 a year domain cost.
Hosting
Your website has to live on a server somewhere. Your hosting costs will typically depend on the features of the host, the size of your site, and the amount of traffic that is coming to your website. You can expect to pay around $20 a month for hosting on a decent host. Some cost less for basic hosting, some more for premium. For large enterprise size sites you can even be looking at hosting costs in the thousands of dollars a month territory.
Premium Plugins, Modules, Apps, and Themes
Depending on your sites needs and CMS platform you may need a premium plugin or theme. For example if you are running a WordPress site and are using gravity forms that will cost you anywhere from $59-$159 dollars a year depending on your license. Using a premium theme and plugin combo like Beaver Builder, that’s going to be another $99-$499 a year. Depending on your plugin or theme those prices can vary wildly.
Site Build Cost
The cost to actually build a site is something that can vary widely. Some companies will offer you a free site in exchange for signing up for other services, some sites can range into the billions (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HealthCare.gov). Here is my pricing structure and options.
Hourly Theme Setup
If you just want a simple theme site setup you can bring me one, or I can recommend one and I’ll set it up at an hourly rate. You’ll be given a quote on how many hours it will take to set up and we can go from there. I also offer some hourly bundle rates to do this to help cut some of the setup costs almost in half.
Custom Site Build
With a custom site build I will work with you to get an idea of your company and brand and generate a custom design for you to review. Once the design process is complete I will begin custom coding your tailor made website. The cost of this will depend on complexity of your site and the hours it will take to complete it.
Make it Simple
Ok. I get it, that’s a lot to take in, you don’t want to have to deal with a dozen accounts just to have your place on the web. That’s why I’m offering to make it simple for you. Let me handle all of the moving recurring parts and costs of your site, and in exchange you can deal with a one time a month or year payment and can enjoy your site hassle free!