How Much Should a Website Cost?
There’s no denying that the trend to buy online is increasing. People want to do their research online before parting with their hard-earned cash, and they also want that purchase to be quick, easy and painless.
Everyone expects to have a wealth of information at their fingertips with just a few clicks. The online sales trend is increasing every year with no sign of slowing down. In fact, according to a recent report by Hootsuite, in the last few years, online shopping has risen drastically. In 2022, 58.4% of global Internet users reported buying something online every week, and 30.6% of those purchases were made on a mobile device!
For any business who wants to succeed, an online presence and therefore a website is imperative. If potential customers cannot find you online, you are missing out on huge sales opportunities.
I have previously written about How to Get Online, but I’d now like to focus on how much a website should actually cost and questions you should definitely ask your web developer.
You Get What You Pay For
A website cost very much depends on what you need. There are some extremely cheap options out there but please remember that you get what you pay for! If you expect to have a fully functioning, scalable business website for £400 I think you will be very disappointed.
As a guide, you should expect to pay a minimum of around £850 for a basic website. If you need content uploading or even writing for you, then this will inevitably cost more.
Questions to Ask Your Web Developer
Before you invest in a new business website, you need to be sure you know exactly what you are getting for your money.
Here are a few questions that you should ask the web developer before you commit to them:
Will website content be included?
Most web developers will provide a blank business website for you, and you then need to write all of the website content (which needs to include relevant keywords for search engine optimisation), and you also have to input all of that content into your new website yourself. It’s amazing how many people I speak to who have been sold a website by someone else, only to find out they have to do this bit themselves. Ask your web developer if they will include any content writing. If not, ask what the price will be if you provide the content and they populate your website. This will make it a lot easier for you – especially if you’re not very computer literate.
What are the ongoing costs once my business website goes live?
Once your website is up and running, there will be ongoing hosting costs. Make sure you understand what these will be so you’re not hit with any hidden charges later on.
What about SEO?
Search engine optimisation is imperative if you want your website to be found online. Whether your web developer is doing the content for you or not, ask them about SEO.
Are support and maintenance provided?
Business websites need to be updated regularly to keep them secure and functioning correctly. Ask your web developer if they provide support and maintenance. Ideally you should think about investing in a package which includes this as it tends to be inexpensive, and means you have someone to call if your website goes down.
What happens if I want to move my website somewhere else?
This is an important one. Your new business website should be yours. You should be free to move it to another hosting provider or developer in the future if that’s what you want to do. Some easy-to-use website builders actually tie you to their platform and stop you from doing this. You can read more about this in the WordPress vs Wix article.
Shockingly, some web developers (a much higher number than you would think) hold customers to ransom. A small business owner recently came to us for help because she couldn’t make any changes to her website at all. Her developer had locked it down so that she had to pay him for everything – even small content changes. When she tried to move away from him, he told her she was only renting the site and wanted £450 to release it! We have now built her a new site with additional functionality, and she has full control of her business again.
Invest Wisely!
There are many web developers out there from Freelancers to large organisations so if you put out a request for a quote, you will get a huge range of pricing. Please make sure you ask these questions so that you have all of the facts and pricing to allow you to make an informed decision.
A business website should be one of your most important investments. You want your customers to find you online, get a feel for your brand, and trust that you’re the company they want to buy from. Please avoid the really cheap options as in my opinion, this will just cost you more in the long run.
If you’d like a quote for a new website, please get in touch. We specialise in affordable business websites for small business which include all content to make it as easy as possible for you to get online. We also talk in a language you understand so please don’t worry if you’re not very computer literate/technical!
