“How much does a website cost to build and maintain?” is one of the first questions I get asked by anyone that reaches out to me for a new website or a website redesign.
It’s a hard question to answer because there are so many factors involved.
The following will attempt to break it down for you and help you decide whether or not you should build your website yourself and avoid hiring a web designer, which we’re about to dive into. There are pros and cons of each option.
Before we talk about website design prices, let’s define some terms:
A website is composed of 4 different elements: The domain (your website URL), the server (where all of the files and hosting settings are stored), the SSL certificate, and the content management system that you use to build the website (CMS). In regards to content, there are 2 important things to know. There is copywriting, which is the ability to write words for the website that gets your visitors to take action. And search engine optimization or SEO, which is the ability to draw in traffic from the search engines.
Since all of these elements are so different, each component requires a different type of expertise. These factors lead to the answer to the question of how much does a website cost to build and maintain. So let’s break down the initial costs and answer the question “How Much Does A Website Cost To Build And Maintain?”
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Who’s the right designer for the job? Hint: it could be you
To decide whether or not you need a website designer, look at your current revenue and budget. Then, define your goals.
If you are like most small-medium businesses, the company website is designed to scale your business.
Then, ask yourself what features do I want on my business website? Do I want users to be able to make an appointment online? Am I selling products or services and what is the best approach? Do I want to use SEO to improve my search rankings?
If you are unsure of the answers, this is where a web designer comes in. They will help you strategize your website’s functionalities and design.
How much does a website cost to build and maintain with or without having design, copywriting, or SEO skills? Website designers can charge anything from $100 to $100,000 for a website.
But what’s the difference between a $100 website and a $100,000 website? How much does a website cost to build and maintain with or without additional skills?
The truth is, it’s not about the price tag. It’s about expertise.
Don’t let price be your deciding factor. “How Much Does A Website Cost To Build And Maintain?” Well, in reality, a $100 website can do the exact same things as a $100,000 website.
So how do you know if your website designer is worth their salt? Here are some questions to ask yourself:
- Can the website designer show me examples of websites they have made in the past?
- Can the website designer show me what my new site will look like?
- How much traffic do the websites they’ve made get?
- Are there any testimonials from users of their services?
If they are not able to provide you with answers, then don’t hire them.
If you are tech-savvy but don’t have the money for a designer, then learning how to build websites yourself is your best bet. It’s extremely rewarding to be able to control every aspect of your site. And it’s an incredibly valuable skill that you can use in the future.
Of course, with great power comes great responsibility. If you don’t know how to code, are not solid with your sales copy, and want a highly functional, beautiful business website that actually generates leads and revenue, then you need to hire someone that knows their stuff.
How Much Does A Website Cost To Build And Maintain?
Let’s break down some price points so that you can understand your answer to the question “how much does a website cost to build and maintain”.
- $0 to $50
- $50 to $100
- $100 to $1,000
- $1,000 to $5,000
- $5,000 to $10,000
- $10,000+
Starting with a $0 to $50 budget for a website design.
If your answer to the question “How Much Does A Website Cost To Build And Maintain?” is $0, then I recommend getting started by obtaining a little bit of capital for your website. Unfortunately, a $0 budget gets you nothing. You can’t even buy the domain with a $0 budget. If you don’t have at least $50 to invest, then you shouldn’t be starting a new website. Sorry, not sorry.
With a $50 to $100 budget, you can start a DIY website.
You can purchase your domain, hosting, SSL certificate, and CMS platform for about $50. This is enough to get you started with the bare bones of your site, but it completely relies on your own design skills and ability to write compelling sales copy.
The upside is that you can build and manage your site on your own and you’re in complete control of every aspect of the site. The downside is that building a self-hosted website without previous design or copywriting experience requires a lot of time and effort to get it to look good and sell well.
You’ll also be able to purchase a simple theme and/or plugins for additional design customization, but you will still have to do the copywriting and designing yourself.
You won’t be able to afford any SEO or marketing to drive traffic to your site. Your new self-hosted website would be an exercise in minimalism.
$100 to $1,000 can get you a basic designer-built website.
This is usually your first step into hiring a designer. You more than likely will not get great results in terms of design, sales copy, or SEO, but the website will still function well.
You can expect a designer to be able to create a decent design that displays all of the information that you feel should be incorporated into your site. A professional designer can help you get a leg up on the competition.
A basic website will have a simple theme and maybe a few plugins for additional functionality.
You can also expect to get the bare minimum when it comes to SEO and marketing, so you’ll have to rely on your external marketing strategy to pump traffic to your new site.
Don’t expect great results here but you should at least have a good foundation to start with.
A $1,000 to $5,000 budget can get you a mid-level designer-built website.
You will be able to hire a professional that will create a fully functional design with better SEO and copywriting built into the site. You’ll have e-commerce options as well as complex integrations of plugins for additional functionality. You’ll get a custom theme and additional plugins for advanced features.
A mid-level designer can provide great results in terms of functionality and design. The site will look good and should get you some sales. But if they are inexperienced then it might not be as successful at selling as you need.
You should have a good-looking website with great SEO, copywriting, and marketing. And you may have to manage it all on your own. In addition, there might be some additional costs for upgrades or if the designer creates extra features (such as e-commerce) that you didn’t think of planning originally. Expect this budget to be enough to get you a really solid foundation but don’t expect to rake in millions here either.
With a $5,000 to $10,000 budget, you can get a high-end designer-built website.
A professional designer should be able to provide every part of your site that you’d expect from a high-end website. You’ll be able to have great SEO, copywriting built into the site, e-commerce capabilities, complex integrations (plugins), and a fully custom, brand-ready design that’s intended to get results.
You can expect all of the bells and whistles on this type of site. The level of expertise in the team you hire will determine whether or not your project is successful. You’ll gain access to the team’s experience by hiring this type of website designer.
You can expect to get treated like royalty. You can expect to get everything that you need. And you should be able to expect pretty good results in terms of more sales, better SEO, and increased brand awareness for your company.
$10,000+ can get you a Fortune 500-level designer-built website.
You’ll be able to have every part of your site custom-built for you including a complete brand revamp, an amazing design that sells on each page, and high-end SEO that ranks you on the first page of Google, Bing, Yahoo!, etc., as well as content marketing and viral promotional tools.
I’m talking about all of the bells and whistles you could imagine. You could even get a mobile app built for your business. The sky is the limit with this type of budget, so you’ll have to decide if it’s worth it or not.
You can expect top-notch functionality, design, and copywriting. You’ll be able to get every tool that you could possibly need to grow your company via a website. And you should expect fast results.
You can expect to get a completely unique experience. This budget will provide access to high-end designers and developers that will help your website become the best that it can be.
The end result should hopefully be a site that helps you get countless new customers, leads, and sales.
So how much does a website cost to build and maintain with Mario Flawless & Flawless Website Design?
Well, it depends. Most websites that I design range in price from $5,000 to $25,000 (Don’t let the price scare you, I fall in the “high-end, experienced designer” category).
I always recommend that you try to design your website yourself before hiring someone else, simply because you get first-hand experience of what it’s like behind the trenches of designing a website.
You should consider hiring a designer if you need help with parts of your website, such as copywriting, SEO, integrations (such as e-commerce), or more complex design tasks that would take too long for you to learn.
However, it’s hard to put a firm number on what I would charge for you specifically here now because each project is different. That’s why I recommend getting started with a quote from me first. Some websites are simple, while others require more complex work including custom themes and integrations with certain technologies or strategies.
What you can expect when you hire a designer for $5,000 or more?
With me, you can expect a complete business revamp. Your website will be completely custom, from the perfect visuals to the exact functionality that you need.
I have a lot of experience designing and building high-end websites that move my clients’ businesses forward. It’s my job is to help increase your revenue.
You should contact me if you’re looking to create the best website possible for your business. I’ll provide all of the knowledge that you need in terms of what is most important, what works best, and how you can get the best results from your website.
If you can’t afford $5,000 for a website then I recommend that you read my article about everything you need to design a profitable website to start a website on your own first. I do have payment plans available (only if you’re serious about working with me).
I hope this article answers your question “How much does a website cost to build and maintain?”. If not, please feel free to ask in the comments below. If you’re in need of help with your website, reach out to me so that you can work one-on-one with me on your website to get you up and running.
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