When compared to other media, Web sites are an excellent, cost effective way to market your small business. But, like most small business marketing, a Web site is not a free lunch. By far, the largest Web design cost is involved with initially building your site. And there are additional costs from monthly Web hosting and any possible maintenance costs for updating your Web site.
You’re probably thinking, “low cost, yeah right! How much does a Web site cost?”
It’s not that bad! There is a sizeable initial Web design cost, but, you should be looking at a Web site as business investment — not an expense. To save up, know and research firt. I suggest you read some web hosting Canada reviews.
Let’s take a closer look. What if your Web site generates $15,000 in new business each month, but the Web design cost to build your site was $6,000? It’s pretty obvious from that example that your Web site makes a healthy profit and quite easily paid a solid return on your initial seed money. A Web site is a smart investment for every small business.
I’m just starting my business, is Web site design too expensive for someone like me? I run a home based business and don’t have a marketing budget, how much does Web design cost?
Much like buying a new car, Web site design costs vary depending on the features your business needs. For a basic, small business Web site of a few Web pages, you can anticipate a quality Web design firm charging upwards of $2,500. These small, “starter” Web sites are often referred to as a “brochure” Web site because they are the online equivalent to a printed company brochure. A brochure-style Web site is a great first Web site for a small business just getting started because they keep your Web site design cost low, while getting your business on the Web.
More complex Web site features will add to your site’s initial Web design cost. Features like a custom designed Content Management System, video or audio, and multimedia will add to your Web site design costs.
To maximize your budget and your small business marketing, talk openly with your Web site designer about your Web design cost. Be clear when talking about expenses and ask, “how much does a Web site cost?” Ask for guidance in determining the best features to reach your short and long-term business goals without breaking the bank. Respectable Web designers will research your business to identify features that will reach your goals while keeping your initial Web site design cost low.
Besides your initial Web design cost, there are a couple of additional Web site expenses to consider.
Monthly Web Site Costs
Unless your business has a Web server, your Web site will require Web hosting. A good way to think of Web hosting is as a monthly rent to store your Web site’s files on a hosting computer and for e-mail and bandwidth usage. Small business Web hosting isn’t expensive and usually costs between $25 and $35 per month for a basic site. Ask your Web designer if your site will require advanced Web hosting services. More complex Web sites, such as an online store or application, may require more expensive Web hosting.
Here’s A Great Money Saving Tip…
Web hosting companies and Web designers usually offer discounted Web hosting plans. It’s not unusual to receive a discounted rate on your Web hosting when you pay for services in longer terms of 3-months, 6-months and annual, instead of month-to-month.
Annual Web Site Costs
Besides monthly web hosting services, your small business will need to pay an annual domain name registration fee. Fees vary by registrar and by domain extension (for example, a .com will be more expensive than a .biz or .us domain name), but you should expect to pay $25 to $35 every year.
Web Site Maintenance Expenses
Most of the Web site costs you’ll face are from designing and hosting your small business Web site. But, it’s a good idea to set aside a few hundred dollars for yearly Web site maintenance expenses. Typically these expenses are incurred when a Web site owner needs to add new product information or a new Web page, but can also be encountered due to periodic graphic design or technology updates.
Web site design costs as a result of site updates are usually billed on a per-project basis or hourly. As with discounted Web hosting fees, ask your Web designer if there are discounted rates for quarterly our annual maintenance packages.