Wondering how much websites cost? In the end, it all comes down to how much work is involved in building the website and what level of functionality you want. If you just want a single-page website, just for the sake of having a website, then the cost should be minimal. There’s also a question of how to create a website free of cost, and if it is possible at all. If you want a nice-looking professional 15-page informational with enough customization functionality, then the cost will obviously be higher than a single-page website.
On average, the cost to build a website for a small business is between $200 to $5,000 and in some cases even more. Obviously, that’s a huge cost for building a website, so let’s break everything down on how much websites cost.
How Much Do Websites Cost at Usual?
On average, you can expect to pay an upfront cost of around $200 to get a simple website up and running, with an average of $50 per month to maintain it. If you have a huge brand and you wish to hire a team of developers, then you can easily expect the prices to go as high as $5,000 with an average of $1,000 per year. Here’s a basic breakdown of how much does websites cost:
|
Website Features |
Upfront Website Cost |
|
Website Domain |
$12 – $60 |
|
Website Hosting |
$35 – $600 |
|
SSL Certificate |
$0 – $200 |
|
Website Template & Theme |
$0 – $200 |
|
eCommerce Capabilities |
$20 – $24,000 |
|
Website Content |
$0 – $5,000 |
| Apps and Plugins |
$0 – $100 |
| SEO and Marketing |
$0 – $90 |
You can either go with some of the most popular website builders, use WordPress, or hire a web designer. The method you use to build your website will determine how much it costs. Creating content is free with a website builder, but it can cost over $5,000 if you’re using a team of web designers.
You must choose just the right method for building your website. If your primary concern is how to create a website free of cost, then website builder should be the option you pick. It’s not completely free, but it is the cheapest possible option available. Website domain and hosting costs are included in the primary charge you have to pay to the website builder company.
To figure out how much websites cost, you must consider the best option. Here are some deeper insights into how much it costs to start a small to medium-sized business website.
Website Domain Selection and Cost
A domain name is personal, and you need a domain name that justifies your business and the product and services that you offer. Your website domain selection and cost is the primary point in building a website.
- Choose one or more keywords that represent your site
- You can use an automated domain name generator to pick your options
- Make sure that your domain name is concise and clear, creative and memorable, and should be easy to read and pronounce.
- Register the affordable domain name
Following these simple guidelines during website domain selection and cost will help in figuring out how much websites cost for your business.
Website Hosting Selection and Cost
Basically, every website is just a collection of files on a remote server. When you pay for hosting, you’re paying for space on your website on the server. So if you want a website that’s within your budget, then you need to be careful about website hosting selection and cost. There are different types of hosting and the type you choose will decide your website hosting selection and cost. Common types of hosting are:
- Shared hosting: With a shared hosting plan, your website shares a server and its resources with other users.
- Virtual private server (VPS): With a VPS, you get dedicated servers and all the resources for yourself, but that doesn’t mean that you get a physical server all for yourself. A physical server can have multiple VPS.
- WordPress hosting: As the name suggests, WordPress hosting is customized for WordPress users and sometimes you get access to perks such as free themes and plugins.
- eCommerce hosting: eCommerce hosting plans are for eCommerce websites and all the features are perfect for an eCommerce website. And you get access to perks such as free themes and plugins.
- Dedicated server: With this type of hosting plan, you pay for a complete server for yourself, that’s why it’s one of the most expensive hosting options.
Your website needs will decide the website hosting selection and cost process, there are some free hosting providers available, unfortunately, free hosting won’t provide the quality of services you want to give to your website. If you were wondering how to create a website free of cost, then you can choose a free website hosting provider.
Common factors that include website hosting cost:
- Hosting Renewal: Hosting companies often hide their real prices. In multiple cases, the cost of buying a website won’t be the same as when renewing it. While making website hosting selections and costs, make sure to check renewal costs.
Overage Charges: Web hosting service providers charge extra money if you go over your pre-determined traffic levels. As your website grows, so will your traffic, and you’ll need more expensive hosting plans so the performance doesn’t suffer. - Email Hosting: If you want to use a professional email address with one of your domains to manage customer leads, then you’ll also need to pay for email hosting.
- Domain Privacy: Domain registration information is available to the public through several databases, so if you want privacy, make sure you don’t end up paying 10s of dollars.
- SSL Certificate: Most hosting providers tend to upsell their SSL certificate features. An SSL certificate keeps your website and the visitors’ information safe. If you don’t need to purchase a premium SSL certificate, then you can get free SSL from various sources.
Keep these things in mind during website hosting selection and cost.
Shared Hosting Costs
The cheapest shared hosting costs range from $2.49 – $15/month. But there are a lot of options between them. Here is a breakdown of shared hosting costs:
|
Hosting Provider |
Cheapest Plan | Mid-Tier Plan | Highest Plan |
Subscription Length |
|
$2.49 |
$4.99 |
$12.99 |
3 years |
|
| $2.59 | N/A | $5.99 |
3 years |
|
| $2.75 | $3.95 | $5.95 |
3 years |
|
| $2.95 | $5.45 | $13.95 |
3 years |
|
| $2.99 | $4.99 | $14.99 |
3 years |
VPS Hosting Cost
VPS hosting is an upgrade from shared web hosting whenever the traffic for your website starts increasing. Here’s a breakdown of VPS hosting costs and common providers:
|
Hosting Provider |
Cheapest Plan | Mid-Tier Plan | Highest Plan |
Subscription Length |
|
InMotion |
$22.99 | $17.99 | $54.99 |
3 years |
|
Dreamhost |
$18.99 | $29.99 | $59.99 |
3 years |
|
HostGator |
$19.95 | $29.95 | $39.99 |
3 years |
|
iPage |
$19.99 | $47.99 | $79.99 |
1 month |
|
A2 Hosting |
$25 | $35 | $50 |
2 years |
Dedicated Cloud Server Hosting Cost
If you’re on the lookout for dedicated cloud server hosting costs, then your website must be performing really well. Dedicated cloud server hosting costs and hosting providers are the most varied out of all. Here’s a breakdown of the most common dedicated cloud hosting providers:
| Hosting Provider | Cheapest Plan | Mid-Tier Plan | Highest Plan | Subscription Length |
|
Bluehost |
$79.99 | $99.99 | $119.99 |
3 years |
|
HostGator |
$89.98 | $119.89 | $139.99 |
3 years |
|
iPage |
$119.99 | $151.99 | $191.99 |
1 month |
|
InMotion |
$139.99 | $189.99 | $259.99 |
1 year |
|
A2 Hosting |
$141.09 | $207.49 | $290.49 | 12 months |
Cost of WordPress Developer
While finding out how much websites cost, you should also decide the platform that you need to use your website. When you compare WordPress vs website builder, the choice is pretty easy, and you should pick WordPress for developing your website. The sheer number of free plugins and themes itself can provide your website with every possible functionality.
The cost of a WordPress developer can be broken down into different factors, but the primary cost depends on the experience and skill level of the developer.
The overall cost of a WordPress developer for building your website can be categorized into four categories, which include charges, domain name charges, extension costs, and design costs.
On average, the hiring cost of WordPress developers for having your website built ranges between $3,000 – $6,000. The cost of developing a custom WordPress website with design, development, and custom plugins ranges from around $6,000 – $15,000.
Cost of PHP Coded Server
If your team already has a talented and brilliant PHP developer, then the chances are that you will want a website developed in PHP. So, if you’re questioning how much websites cost, and the cost of a PHP-coded server, then you need to compare all the best PHP servers, and providers. PHP scripts can only be interpreted on a server that has PHP installed, so if you want to enjoy the benefits of PHP servers, then you need a web host that supports it.
Throughout our research on the cost of PHP-coded servers, we’ve ranked them based on price and industry rating. Here’s a breakdown of the cost of PHP coded server:
|
Provider |
Starting Price | Uptime |
Expert Rating |
|
Bluehost |
$2.95/mo | 99.98% | 4.8 |
| HostGator |
$2.75/mo |
99.99% | 4.7 |
|
InMotion |
$2.49/mo | 99.97% | 4.6 |
| A2 Hosting | $3.92/mo | 99.95% |
4.3 |
|
SiteGround |
$6.99/mo | 99.98% | 4.0 |
|
Hostinger |
$0.99/mo | 99.90% |
3.7 |
| iPage | $1.99/mo | 99.98% |
3.7 |
|
DreamHost |
$2.59/mo | 99.95% |
3.5 |
|
WP Engine |
$25.00/mo | 99.98% |
3.5 |
| HostPapa | $3.95/mo | 99.98% |
3.2 |