Most small business websites are built for $1500 – $5000 (although custom or specialty sites can cost much more). So, what determines how much your new business website should cost? Where are the critical areas where you can save money? It’s not difficult to save at least $1000 when you develop your business website, so read on and save some money!
1. The Technical ($200 – $300)
- setup hosting and domain name
- add emails if needed
- install WordPress
- install recommended plugins
- setup plugins like contact forms and Google Analytics
2. The Design ($500 – $1500)
Typically, this is done by having a designer create several mockups using a program such as Photoshop. You would review these mockups and decide on the overall look that you like.
Another efficient method of arriving at a design you like is to bookmark websites that you like the look of, which helps the designer understand your tastes.
A good design firm will also give you feedback on your selections, depending on your business goals.
Many businesses get caught up at this stage in focusing too much on the website’s “look” and forgetting its ” goals.”
For example, suppose the business aims to get as many new leads as possible. In that case, it’s more important that the site creates a compelling reason for a visitor to contact the business, making this easy rather than only worrying about how the website looks.
3. The Development ($500 – $2500)
The most significant variable is price. This is where you can save the most money. The development is primarily about your content and the home page. To illustrate how a business could save $1000 on its website cost, let’s look at these two scenarios;
Client A wants ten pages about their products and services, but the pictures are mediocre, and the item and service descriptions are brief. In this case, the design company must find images and write content for the client.
Client B also wants ten pages about their products and services but already has the content completed in a program like Microsoft Word. The text is well-written, descriptive, and compelling, and the images are decent quality and work well with the text. In this case, the design firm just needs to create the pages and convert the Word documents to valid and mobile-friendly HTML.
The difference is at least $1000, even more if there are more pages.
If you’re looking to save money but still have a great website, your company needs to spend some time on this. Even if images are a problem, at least try to get the writing done.
Of course, some companies have the budget and are happy to pay for a professional writer and designer to collaborate on the site, but it will cost more.
A good exercise is writing the entire website first in Microsoft Word. This is an excellent discipline in many ways but not easy. It often helps your business and will always result in a better and more effective website.
4. The Final Touches, Review & Launch ($200 – $700)
This is where the site is checked to ensure everything is completed properly.
Search Engine Optimization – Ensure that the site has been optimized to rank well in Google and Bing
The site is Mobile-Ready. Review it on a smartphone, tablet, or desktop and make any necessary tweaks.
Setup With Google Services – assuming everything has been set up with Google correctly (see below for options), check that Google Analytics, Search Console, and Google My Business are all linked correctly to the website.
Social Media—Ensure that can share all content on their Social Media choices and link to your business Social Media pages.
Conversion & Tracking—If you conduct marketing campaigns, we will install the appropriate tracking and remarketing codes and integrate Google Analytics as necessary.
5. The Monthly Website Charges ($10 – $75 pm)
Hosting – Good hosting will make a difference to the search engines and your customers. Nobody likes a slow website. Hosting your website ranges from $10 – $50 pm.
Hosting With WordPress Management – This option costs $20—$35 and includes regular website backups, uptime monitoring, and updates to WordPress and plugins. The most important part is keeping your WordPress plugins up-to-date; otherwise, there can be security and performance issues.
6. The Optional Items
Registration & Setup With Google Services – Even though we list this under Optional Items, it isn’t. That is your correct setup and registration with the various Google Services. So many clients that come to us have not done anything with Google; another company did it for them but incorrectly (and often without their knowledge), or they did some of it themselves but incorrectly also. This can be a mess, but it needs to be done correctly. Today, all of Google’s services work around your Google+ account, so that is always the starting point.
Add Video To Your Site – It is highly recommended to have some video on your site. Either an interview or a slideshow style works very well.
Add e-commerce to your WordPress website – it is easy and inexpensive today. For websites that are online stores and that is their primary business, we recommend that you look at our Shopify option, an e-commerce platform from the ground up.