The average cost of website design for a small business is $2000 to $5000. However, several factors are involved in establishing a website.
Mainly, it depends on your objectives for creating a website and the features you want to integrate. For instance, eCommerce businesses may need a cart, a mobile-friendly version, videos, an easy-to-navigate catalog, and more.
Similarly, if you want a complex website with multiple pages or high functionality, it may cost you more than $25000 in the long run.
In this blog, we will break down the factors that will give a rational answer to the question: how much does it cost to build a website?
Importance of Website Design For a Small Business
Your website is an investment that represents your brand throughout the year. It tells people about the unique aspects of your products/services, shares relevant information, and showcases your work portfolio.
If you think your website will play a substantial role in growing your brand, you should make a good budget for investing in your digital presence.
How Much Does It Cost to Build a Website for a Small Business: 5 Factors to Take into Consideration
Here are the factors that affect the average cost of website design for a small business:
1. Design Creation
The average cost of website design for a small business can vary depending on the provider you hire for the work.
Small businesses can build a website using a tool for a few hundred dollars. Or hire a professional to perform backend programming and customization for tens of thousands of dollars. Each has benefits and drawbacks.
If you are okay with using free online pre-made templates, you can expect to pay a few dollars for one-time design charges.
However, if you don’t want a generic website that every other business uses, you may have to hire an expert who costs thousands of dollars.
It’s beneficial for the company to update its design every few months or years.
Elements that Affect the Website Design Cost
Now, let’s take a deeper look at the particular elements that will answer how much it costs to make a website for a small business:
Number of pages: As a general guideline, add roughly $100 per page when you outsource the creation of a page. Even though every circumstance is unique, it provides you with a rough estimate of the average cost of website design for a small business.
Personalized website design: If you don’t want to build a website from the ground up, you can use pre-made templates. A template or theme may do half of the work. However, you require coding and alterations to make the website functional or look the way you want. The average cost of website design for a small business increases with the amount of code and customization your site needs. Yet, the total cost will be less than making a website from scratch.
Unique media and graphics: Expensive graphics and photos can give your website a unique appearance, but they come at a high cost. Complex visual effects require specialized editing software and the skill of a design expert.
Custom logo: To get a decent logo, you may have to spend between $500 and $1,000. Having a unique logo increases the perception of credibility and trust. Nevertheless, you can skip them as they are not mandatory for a website.
Custom programming: With programming, you can add a picture carousel, membership portal, payment calculator, and much more. To add such features, you need a lot of trial and error and testing. This will increase the average cost of website design for a small business.
Number of changes: The design process starts with the creation of an initial draft to get a website that matches your vision. Some companies offer two to three revisions for free and have different charges after that. Others may offer unlimited revisions. So, the average cost of website design for a small business will depend on the company’s plan.
Content Creation: If your website looks spectacular and its content is poor and outdated, you may not get the audience’s attention. Hence, it is critical to get an amazing content copy. So, if you are searching for “how much does a website cost,” don’t forget to add the copywriting cost.
Read More: SEO Content Brief: How To Create It For Your Brand
2. Types of Websites Small Business Can Build
Here is the average cost of website design for a small business for different websites:
eCommerce Website
The main objective of e-commerce websites is to sell goods or services online.
For an eCommerce brand, the average cost of website design for a small business is $2000 to $20000.
A safe transaction process, digital advertising to increase sales, and usability may be the main features of this kind of website.
Product listings, cost details, and product photos may all be included in the text.
E-commerce websites incorporate additional features like user reviews, personalized suggestions, and product ratings, which enhance the website’s functionality and intricacy.
Small business website costs increase as you keep adding more products.
Portfolio Websites
Portfolio websites are designed to highlight knowledge within a certain sector.
For instance, there are many fantastic businesses that show a glance at their work through their portfolio websites.
The Maniac Studios website is a great example of a portfolio website. It shows how to build a personal brand and attract potential clients.
Typically, they have uncluttered layouts with high-quality graphic elements, coordinating color schemes, and straightforward sections for easier navigation.
The average cost of website design for a small business is $500 to more than $2000.
Corporate Websites
A corporate website provides visitors with industry information, job prospects, and the business’s mission statement.
The objectives of a professional website are to establish an online presence, build credibility, and serve as a focal point for communication with stakeholders and clients.
Corporate websites must be simple and frequently include resources like an About Us page and a contact form.
Apart from the basic features, you can add social media integration or chat support to make the website even more convenient.
The average cost of website design for a small business that is made professionally can be around $4000 to $3000.
Usually, such websites need a more sophisticated look and multiple pages to display the services.
Read More: Top 10 Website Designs You Can Take Inspiration From In 2023
3. Domain Name of the Website
This element will cause variations in the average cost of website design for a small business. Purchasing domain names is a continuous cost as you have to maintain ownership or renew the name every year or two.
The domain pricing range varies widely depending on the name you want to use for your small business’s new website.
Several website builders give away a free, non-customizable domain name with their services. Then, there are domain registrars you may purchase from, who include other services linked to websites in their packages.
Looking through the domain options and their variations, such as .ca, .net, and .org, will assist you in finding one for your site. Small businesses can find good domains for a few hundred dollars.
4. Web Hosting Services
If you want to know how much does it cost to create a website for a small business, you need to explore the web hosting options first.
Your web host is essentially where your website resides on the internet, making it accessible to users.
All of your data, photos, videos, and other website material are kept in web hosting.
You will encounter various kinds of web hosting services when developing your website, including cloud hosting, managed hosting, shared hosting, and others.
Let’s go through the web hosting options:
Shared Web Hosting
When your website shares a web server with numerous other websites, it is known as shared hosting.
The average cost of website design for a small business with shared hosting is likely to decrease. Another benefit is ease of use for managing your domain name, emails, and website.
Shared hosting is a good option for small businesses, personal blogs, and websites that receive little traffic. The downside is that it is typically slower and less secure.
The least expensive option is shared hosting. Usually, it costs $3 to $10 a month and is appropriate for light to moderate traffic.
Managed Hosting
A managed hosting provider handles every aspect of your website hosting needs.
The managed hosting provider will handle your WordPress website’s backup files and data, security, and upgrades.
The majority of businesses also offer premium or dedicated customer service, so you can contact them whenever you need help solving an issue.
While managed hosting offers benefits, the cost of hosting is usually more than that of shared hosting. It is limited to WordPress websites, and certain businesses may forbid you from utilizing plugins that can cause your site to load more slowly.
Dedicated Hosting
It offers exclusive server access for the business site. Dedicated hosting is ideal for sites with a lot of traffic. That is because it gives your website its own server and costs between $80 and $300 per month.
5. SSL Certification
Due to the SSL certificate, customers can be certain that their data is secure on your website.
This is crucial for the security of your website’s credit card numbers and private data.
Encryption is a feature of all secure payment systems to protect sensitive data. The certificate that the certifying authorities provide has an annual cost.
The certificate is occasionally given away free of charge by the domain registrar. But, depending on the services, SSL certificates need to be renewed from the registrar every three months to five years because they do expire.
Once your website is live, you must also pay for upkeep. Depending on its complexity, regular software, plugins, and security upgrades may cost $50 to $200 per month or more.
Investing in backups is also necessary to safeguard your website’s data in the event of an emergency or cyberattack.
The price of backup solutions varies, but generally, they cost between $5 and $50 a month, depending on storage capacity and backup frequency.
Regular technical maintenance is also necessary to apply security patches and upgrades to WordPress core files and plugins to prevent website hacking.
Learn More: 20 Web Design Tips From an Expert: The Dos and Don’ts Of Building A Mobile-Friendly Website
FAQs
What elements influence the average cost of website design for a small business?
The intricacy of the site, the number of pages, special features, and the designer’s experience are some of the factors that influence the average cost of website design for a small business.
Can we lower the average cost of website design for a small business?
Small businesses can lower the average cost of website design by using fewer experienced designers, limiting custom features, and using pre-designed templates.
Can the average website design cost for a small business include hidden expenses?
Indeed, the average cost of website design for a small business may include unstated expenses. These may include additional costs for stock photos, premium plugins, SEO, and future changes or revisions.
Contact The Dreams Agency for Website Design & Development
The average cost of website design for a small business widely varies based on the unique requirements, project scope, and updates.
While a sleek and contemporary design is important, your website’s content is what makes an impact. In addition, the total cost may increase due to additional expenses such as premium plugins, SEO services, and continuing upkeep.
Plus, to know exactly “how much does it cost to build a website,” you must discuss every possible expense upfront with the company you hire.
If you can’t keep the design creation in-house, you can reach out to The Dreams Agency.
We offer website design, content writing, SEO services, and PPC advertising, so you get everything under one roof.