No one could have predicted how much the internet would impact our daily lives when it first became available to the general public in the early 1990s. People didn't fully comprehend what going online would mean for us in the future at the time because it was such a novel and costly concept.
Fast forward 25 years, and the secret is out: having an online presence is no longer an option, let alone luxury. Creating a website is an absolute necessity and one that is incredibly affordable. So, how much does a website cost from the ground up?
While you can create a basic website for free online, you may want to include paid features or hire a web designer depending on the type of website you require.
Additional storage, apps that expand your capabilities, and a customized domain name are all cost-increasing elements.
In this article, we've broken down the main components of a website and some of the most common types to better estimate the overall costs. When you're ready to build your site, we recommend going over our entire website checklist to help you customize it from beginning to end.
The Main Components of a Website
Whether you're building a blog or an online store, all websites have three main components: a website design and interface, web hosting, and a domain name. Because each of these components can contribute to the total cost to make a website, it's critical to understand the specifics of each.
∙ Interface and Design of a Website
Image is taken from Strikingly user’s website
The most important aspect of any website is, without a doubt, its design. When visitors first arrive at your homepage, they see and interact with the visual content of your site, which includes text, imagery, and layout. Like any other first impression, the design of your website can have a significant impact on how visitors perceive your product or service. A successful interface will allow your visitors to navigate your site easily and provide them with an overall positive user experience.
∙ Hosting a Website
Your website can go live on the internet, thanks to web hosting. Websites must be hosted on a server to be visible on the internet. The server stores the information on your site to appear on visitors' screens. You can either use a website builder that includes hosting, such as Strikingly, or purchase the two services separately.
∙ The Domain Name
Obtaining a domain name adds significantly to the cost to make a website. To get to a website, just like you'd need one to get to a physical location. A domain name is a web address, and a successful one will make your website easily identifiable, professional, and stand out. Your domain name helps to solidify your brand identity and gives visitors a sense of trustworthiness and dependability.
What Factors Influence the Cost to Make a Website?
Every site has unique requirements, resulting in an additional website creation cost. Some are content with basic functionality, while others require specific and often expensive features. If you find that the price of website development is too high after calculating your needs, there could be two reasons for this: your site requires more resources than the average, or you're overspending. If you want to know how much does it cost to make a website, you must first determine your website's requirements. We'll divide them into six categories in this guide:
1. Website Necessities
Image is taken from Strikingly user’s website
These include the basic requirements for creating a website, such as a domain name, a website hosting cost plan, and an SSL certificate. A domain name is your website's unique address (for example, yourwebsite.com), and a web hosting plan is a rented server space where your website is stored. On the other hand, an SSL certificate encrypts the data on your site and makes it much more secure.
2. Website Layout
Image is taken from Strikingly user’s website.
The appearance of your website can have a significant impact on the user experience of your visitors. When calculating the cost to make a website design, you must consider a theme, a template, or a web designer. The more complex and one-of-a-kind a web design is, the more expensive your website.
3. E-commerce Capability
Stock management, payment options, shipping options, and product pages are frequently needed to support business operations. Because of these complex features, the website cost of an online store is frequently higher.
4. Add-ons and Plugins
These enhance the functionality of a website by adding new features. Premium plugins or add-ons provide advanced features for a fee. The more features you require, the more money you will need to spend on website development.
5. SEO and Marketing
To ensure your site's success, you need to invest in strategies that boost your online visibility. You can invest time, energy, and money learning digital marketing and search engine optimization (SEO) techniques and purchasing the necessary tools. You can also hire professional marketers and SEO experts. The cost to make a website will rise if you opt for complex multi-channel marketing and SEO.
6. Maintenance
A website is not a one-time endeavor. You can automate site maintenance using free and paid tools or hire an expert to do it for you. The more complicated your routine is, the more money you'll need.
Costs and Methods for Creating a Website
There are numerous methods for creating a website, and this is the most important factor in determining the cost to make a website. If you choose to do it yourself, the cost will be much lower than if you hired a professional web developer. However, you may not get the quality and functionality you desire for your website. When it comes to building a website, you have three choices:
a. Engage the Services of a Website Developer
The cost is estimated to be between $200 and $2,500. Professional web developers can build and launch your website for you. Website designers do not have a set rate that applies to all websites. Website designers and developers charge between $30 and $200 per hour worldwide. Some web developers charge an upfront fee and then calculate the total price based on your specifications. Pricing is also determined by the web site's content and whether you want a one-page website, landing pages, or multiple pages that include a homepage, contact us, about us, and other features. Web developers and freelancers can be found on sites such as Upwork and Fiverr. Keep in mind that a lower price does not always imply a better option. It's critical to work with a developer who knows what they're doing and is worth the money they charge.
b. Engage the Services of a Web Design Firm
The cost to make a website this way is estimated to range between $500 and $10,000. Because agencies typically have expert web designers, developers, graphic designers, and marketers working together, you can tap into a pool of resources. Web design costs can range from $500 to $10,000 or more, depending on the agency you choose and your needs. After your site is built, most agencies will offer to manage it for you and charge you website maintenance fees. They will handle backend technical tasks and ensure that your website is up to date, backed up, and secure.
c. Do It Yourself (DIY)
The cost is estimated to be between $12 and $300. There are numerous website builders available that make it simple for anyone to create a website. Strikingly, for example, allow you to get started for as little as $12 to $19 per month. The cost depends on your location. However, they handle web hosting, servers, maintenance, updates, and other responsibilities. You can also use platforms like Strikingly for free, but you'll need to purchase a domain and website hosting cost plan. This can range from $2.75 to $20 per month. You will also be responsible for website maintenance on your own. All of these website builders allow you to create your own website without any coding knowledge! You don't even need basic HTML knowledge. If you're starting a small business and don't want to spend a fortune on a website, you can still build one on a shoestring budget. You will have complete control over the customization of your site if you do it yourself. And, while creating a website may appear to be a time-consuming task, it is actually quite simple and can be completed in a matter of hours. Following that, we'll look at the cost to make a website on your own and provide you with a cost breakdown based on the type of site you want to build.
How Much Does a Website Cost in Strikingly?
Image is taken from Strikingly
Obviously, the answer to your question about website cost is that it will not cost more than a hundred dollars to build with Strikingly. In addition to the free plan mentioned above, you have three other plans to choose from.
1. Limited Plan
This plan is ideal for personal websites, small businesses, blogs, and new businesses. It provides you with the ideal package for building and running your website for as little as $8 per month. You can have the following features on your website with the Limited plan:
- connect to a custom domain
- create two limited sites
- unlimited free sites
- 50 GB monthly bandwidth
- 1 GB total storage per site
- with a yearly subscription, you'll get a free domain
- Add a simple store with 5 products per site
- 24/7 support
2. Pro Plan
Okay, now it's time to upgrade your website for as little as $20 per month. If you choose to be billed yearly, you can save $48 with the Pro plan or save up to $144 if you pay for two years. Do you want to create your own Illustration gallery website? Then this strategy is for you. The plan allows you to remove the Strikingly branding and personalize your website.
The Pro plan provides you with enhanced features for creating and managing your own website. These features offer the following benefits:
- connect a custom domain
- 3 Pro sites, and an unlimited number of free sites
- Unlimited bandwidth
- 3 GB total storage per site
- Free yearly domain registration
- Simple Store - 300 products per site
- membership, custom forms
- multiple pages
- Strikingly app store
- mobile action buttons
- customize checkout
- pop-ups, embed HTML/CSS/JavaScript
- remove Strikingly branding
- password protect your site, site search
- custom font upload
- 24/7 support
3. VIP Package
Have you ever heard of VIP access? The cost to make a website in this plan is only $49 per month? It may appear too good to be true, but you have everything you need to build and maintain your website with the Strikingly VIP access plan. Assume you have everything in the Pro plan plus the ability to add up to 500 products per site. Isn't this a fantastic package for eCommerce websites and online stores? Here is the list of everything included in the Pro plan
- 5 Pro Sites
- 10 GB total storage per site
- multiple membership tiers
- send newsletters to 2000 people per month
- simple store with 500 products per site
- priority customer service
- phone support in English
- account management
At Strikingly, we never run out of options for you. If you don't think you need a plan to reduce the cost to make a website, these add-ons will give you exactly what you need on your website. If you only want an audience plan and domains, you can do so while on a free plan. Strikingly provides many customization options to best suit the type of website you run. Simply put, we put your company at the top of the heap.
Conclusion
Before understanding how much does it cost to make a website, you must first understand what options are available and how much each one will cost to know. We've broken down the cost of building a website using a website builder versus hiring a professional in this guide. Each option caters to different requirements, budgets, and goals. We hope you've discovered the best option.
