How Much Should a Website Cost?

A specific answer to this general question does not exist. Websites vary in so many ways, it has become impossible to give a flat cost or price to expect when getting bids for a website. There are, however, a few questions that you should ask when looking for a website provider.

   1. Hosting Costs Every website mush be hosted on a server. Servers can be on location, or on the other side of the globe. You will need to determine what your needs are before you can select the server that is right for you. If you want to create a small personal or company website, there is probably no need to have your server on location. Doing so requires hiring a competent person to manage the server, which increases costs and the overall price of running your website. Most people manage quite well renting server space from a web host for a few dollars a month. A search for "web hosting" will return a slew of qualified potential hosts.
   2. Design & Development Costs This is where the pricing variables become prominent. There are some website providers that will deliver a canned website for a few hundred dollars - sometimes even for free. These sites are usually not very customizable, they are often poorly designed, and they provide limited support once they are launched. Although these sites serve many people well, it is my opinion that they poorly represent most companies and erode brand equity in the mind of the consumer. Mid-range websites cost anywhere from $1,000 - $15,000 dollars. I recommend this range to most individuals and small companies simply because these sites fit their needs best. Mid-range sites usually come with professionally designed user interfaces, custom image work, and customizable content. You could literally develop any website you desire within this price range. At this price, sites could include e-commerce and social networking features, to name a few. High-end websites run anywhere from $15,000 to millions of dollars. That's right - millions. High-end sites require teams of developers, designers, content writers, and more. There are very few companies that will offer to develop a high-end site at an affordable price. If you are looking for something of this nature, you would be better off hiring your own employees to work in-house.
   3. Service & Maintenance Costs Once your site is built, you are not done. Websites are always changing and adapting to technology. Your site will need to be updated frequently, optimized for search engines, and reworked often. When considering costs of developing a website, make sure to take these aspects into consideration. You don't want to own one of those "under construction" sites that litter the web. When choosing a host or designer, make sure that these services are available. Otherwise, unless you learn to do it your self, your site will quickly go the way of the dinosaur.

Conclusion

If you carefully analyze the three aspects of website pricing above, you'll be on your way to developing a site that will meet all of your needs, and remain within your budget. Don't ignore any of these key ingredients initially, or you'll suffer the consequences later. If you can find a provider that does all three, you'll likely save money, develop a better site, and reduce billing and payment headaches.

Derek Walker is a graphic designer and web marketing professional, specializing in the areas of search engine optimization and website design.