How much do websites cost?

Having a website that reflects your company’s style, ethos and personality is not always an easy thing to come by. Not only does it take time to get website perfection, but it takes money—the cost of a website can vary greatly. Whether you are looking for a template or custom developed website, you need to consider exactly what qualities your business websites needs.

So how much do websites cost? Continue reading to find out.

Since 80% of people conduct research online before they make a purchase, you need to make sure that your website is top-notch to keep up with the demand of your consumers. Understanding how much websites cost, as well as which type of website would be right for your business is the very first step. You’ll need to know which website type will fit in with your budget, so let’s explore the options.

Wix or Squarespace Type Websites

Building a custom website can be costly, which is why many businesses, particularly small business owners, turn to templated and DIY basic website builders to keep costs low. Both Wix and Squarespace are DIY website builders that are extremely popular.

Currently, plans on Squarespace run between £8 and £30 per month, and this is paid annually (or as a monthly fee if you want to pay extra). Wix has prices that start at around £10 per month for their combo plan, and up to £35 a month for their VIP plan.

Wix also offers a free website, as long as you use a Wix subdomain, so your site would look like: yourbusinessname.wix.com. This is not advised for businesses.

So, the prices of Wix and Squarespace are not all that dissimilar, and while Wix has its merits (such as their strong focus on the small business owner’s needs) there are quite a few disadvantages to using this platform.

Some of the disadvantages (cons) include:
  • Inability to remove Wix ads from your website (if you do not have Premium)
  • DIY (Do it Your Own)
  • Limitations on the features you can have on the website
  • Restrictions on specific layouts considering it is a template
  • Lack of solid parameters in the drag and drop design features
  • Loads slow which is bad for SEO
  • Not SEO friendly
  • No unlimited bandwidth or file storage
  • You DO NOT own the website so if you cancel your service, your whole website disappears.
Who Should Be Using These Types of Websites?

Wix and Squarespace are designed for:

  1. Personal websites
  2. Bloggers
  3. Solo entrepreneurs
 

Template or Theme-Based Websites Built on Open Source CMS

There are custom designed websites out there that allow for bigger design and development options, but these are not necessary for all businesses. Start-ups may only need a simple website or online brochure as they only want a modest presence online. Template-based websites are a good choice here.

If you have a tighter deadline or restricted content with a much smaller budget, a template-based website could be an option as they have pre-existing layouts and only the very basic functions. Theme-based website designs are a budget solution for small businesses, and they are a quick solution to a missing piece of the business puzzle.

Most web templates are built on popular open-source content management systems such as WordPress, Joomla, and Drupal. The price range for a theme-based or template-based site can vary, especially given that some templates are free and others cost between £399-£5000 at a time.

Once you purchase a theme you will need to hire a freelancer or learn HTML and PHP yourself to make further edits such as:

  • Install the theme to your serve
  • Customize the theme to your style and business brand
  • Integrate forms or newsletter to third party apps
  • Install Google analytics, etc.

Customizing a theme can be anywhere from 20 – 40 hours if there are no major modifications to be done.

So if you hire a developer, this person can charge anywhere from £30-£100 per hour.

So you will be looking at an additional £600 – £1,200 additional spend (low end), up to £2,000 – £4,000.00 (high end).

There are pros and cons to these website types, and as templates have been heavily designed over the years, the pros include the fact that they can be attractive to look at and quick to use. The coding has already been setup and created.

Templates can also have an impact on your search engine optimization as some templates and themes do not offer enough content to add to pages, while others can perform slowly. Lastly, template websites are not as secure as you’d imagine.

Who Should Be Using These Types of Websites?

Some small companies are using WordPress as a custom-built website, and larger businesses like Microsoft who use WordPress CMS at an enterprise level. WordPress is not just for those who want scalable custom content, but it’s also for those who are starting out. Businesses can choose how much detail they want for their website with WordPress, and it’s important to know the options available to you.

A Website with Net Access Marketing

The cost of the website you build from it will really depend on your website requirements. Depending on what you need, the cost of building a custom website built could be anywhere from £399 to £50,000 and even higher. 

Our plans start with websites from £399 offering full training to easily add or modify content. When you hire us to build your website, you are taking the stress out of your hands. You’ll get the features that you need for your unique business.

Bringing in Net Access Marketing can be the best decision that you make for your website. A world class website requires a team of experts to help, as one person cannot do the entire thing themselves. Each of our team member brings their own unique talents. You could have the best freelancer in the world, but one person cannot be an expert at everything; it’s always better to bring in an agency to help.

Subscribe To Net Access Marketing's Newsletter and learn more about how to go digital

My Account
My Account