Many small and middle scale businesses often have questions about building their first website and making it live on internet. Moreover, they have the common question about why it makes sense to invest in web design and development and what cost they need to invest to build a website for their businesses.
As per the internet surveys, on an average small and middle scale businesses spends $500 to $5000 USD to build their first website but again it also depends on the website functionalities they required to design and develop.
Let’s see why a small business needs a website?
A website is not just your online presence but it adds the credibility to your business. In this 21st century, everyone is going digital and marketing their products or services on internet.
Moreover, your website can be your brand presence from where your customer can acquire information and can ask for the quotes.
In this competitive world, almost every businesses who want to expand their small or middle scale venture, they are required to have a website where their consumers and visitors can go through the brand information.
Factors to keep in mind while developing your first website & website design costs.
1. Your Domain Name:
Domain name is like your web address where your audiences can reach. For example, you are living in XYZ Street NY, USA so your domain address is the place where people can find you on the internet.
Generally, any businesses register their domain names identical to their business names. A domain name can cost you $1 USD to $ any amount depending on the name you choose to buy. However, there are maximum chances you can get your domain name identical to your business name.
You can buy your domain names from GoDaddy, HostGator, Dreamhost, Bigrock etc.
2. Web Hosting:
Web hosting used for upload your data where your users/ audiences/ consumers can see it in the manner you want to show. Web hosting companies provides different kind of platforms where you can upload your website data in various frameworks.
If you are using open framework like PHP, WordPress CMS, HTML, you should go with the Linux hosting or you can go for .NET hosting. Again it based on your platform or technology requirement where you want to upload your data on the specific server.
Nowadays, most of the companies using shared hosting where you can share your server with multiple websites (It might effects on the speed of your website but it really depends on the server bandwidth and CPU capacity to process your website data).
Generally web hosting will cost you $50 to $5000 USD per year. But most of the small businesses uses single domain hosting plan where they can be benefited with the amount they spend on yearly basis subscription.
3. SSL Certificate:
SSL is all about securing your data over your website when someone request your website domain to see in the browser. SSL (Secure Socket Layer) is must in the most cases as many search engines including Google, Bing has announced that, SSL can help your website rank in search engine.
However, it is optional thing but we suggest to have SSL on your website to protect the visitor’s data, and entrust the visitors to navigate your website without having any security threat.
A SSL certificate will cost you $0 to $2000 USD per year as there are different kind of SSL are there to protect your website data & visitor’s data in different manner.
4. Website Design:
Website Design is the key factor when we are talking about engaging the customers. Serving the enriched user experience on your website for small businesses is must as your website will be interacting with the user with its design.
Web design is the key phase after understanding the website flow for every small businesses. If the web flow is referring the website design in proper manner, you will be showcasing your brand that converts your audiences into paying customers.
There are now many website builders in the market where you will be able to design your own website with pre-designed templates without coding. However, there are disadvantages of it as well, as most websites needs the constant updates and website builders for website design might not be the fit for your business.
Without website builder, your custom web design can cost you $200 – $5000 USD. But again it depends on the deadline of the project and number of revisions you want.
5. Functionality & Number of Pages:
This is the key factor while designing and developing the website for any businesses. Number of the pages and functionalities on each pages will be focusing on how the data will be interacting on your website.
In most websites for small businesses, they are required to have E-Commerce functionalities and call to action buttons or landing page solutions where user can directly redirected to specific product/service or contact page.
For smaller businesses, website might have less functionalities but they must need website speed, robust payment & secure data with server accuracy in future, so we the companies like GoCinico take care of this all website design & development pre-requisite handy before undertaking any project.
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Functionality and number of the pages will impact on your cost to develop your website. In most cases, development cost range from $500 to $5000 USD for small businesses.
6. Content Management System (CMS):
The platform of management system where you can easily design and develop your website within few hours (The basic website / basic blog). These content management systems are let you update your content/ images/ website data with no time.
There are many CMS systems are available in the market where you can easily install (free set-up install) and can use them to design and develop your website.
WordPress is one of the most downloaded and installed CMS on the 35% of the website globally (As per the internet survey).
On an average, CMS customization (with preferred functionality integration) will cost you $500 to $5000 USD as per your requirements.
7. Website Maintenance:
The last but not least website maintenance factor might affects in your cost. Since, there might be multiple complex functionalities integrated on your website, it happen sometime that your website might not work properly due to updates or issues.
Website Maintenance will cost you $30 to $500 USD per month, and it does depends on your website functionalities.