But Seriously, How much does it cost to build a website in 2022?
The answer varies depending on the type of website you want to build.
You must first know the cost of building a website before starting one.
Budgeting adequately for the project will help ensure that you don’t run out of money before the project is complete.
Many business owners think building a website is a one-time thing.
You build it, and then you go to bed.
There are both fixed and recurring costs associated with building a business website.
It is important to understand that there are different costs associated with building a website depending on the project’s complexity.
For example, a basic 5-page website will usually be cheaper than building an eCommerce website, a social networking site, or a Gambling website.
Creating a website has no fixed costs.
Building websites vary greatly in terms of cost. Some cost 100,000 nairas (about 250 US dollars), while others could cost up to 1 billion nairas (about 2.5 million US dollars).
If you’re looking for a new website design or redesign, you might be wondering how much it costs to build a website.
Most freelance web developers charge between $500 to $10k per project and development agencies might charge more than that.
These prices vary greatly depending on the kind of project.
For example, a simple personal blog may only cost around $500/mo.
On the other hand, a complex eCommerce store would likely cost upwards of $15k.
The cost of building a website has gone down significantly over the last decade.
It costs less to create a website today than it did ten years ago.
This means that anyone who wants to launch a new site can do so without spending thousands or even tens of thousands of dollars.
Here are four things you should consider before building your website
#1. Domain Name Fee
Domain names are undoubtedly one of the most vital aspects of any website and even the internet.
To start developing a website, you first need to choose a domain name.
You can register a domain name for free, but there are many other ways to do it.
Depending on which registrar you use, the cost of registering a domain may vary.
For example, if you register through Hostinger, the cost of a .com domain is $10 per year.
It can go higher for special domain name extensions (like .io or .ai) or for names that have been bought and are up to be sold.
A domain name is similar to an internet data subscription that expires after a certain period.
They usually expire on an annual basis, so they need to be renewed at a fee.
#2. Web Hosting Fee
A key factor affecting both the potential speed and cost of a website is the quality of your website hosting service.
And you’ll pay web hosting fees for whatever time you own your website.
The cost of hosting your website may vary depending on the type of website you want to host.
It can be as low as $3/month for simple blogs with low traffic and thousands of dollars for more advanced and complex websites with a high traffic.
The different web hosting plans differ in their website storage, bandwidth usage, etc.
You can use these plans to determine which one works best for your website.
After choosing a web hosting company, you need to set up and configure the site.
If you don’t have any experience designing websites, you can hire a professional designer.
Here’s a look at the different types of web hosting and their respective costs.
a. Shared web hosting
Cost: Starting from $3/mo
This is the most economical hosting plan.
Your site will share the same server as many other websites.
This is the first step in creating a website or blog for your small business.
Using this hosting is not recommended if you plan to build an eCommerce website.
The top hosting providers offer shared hosting.
b. Cloud hosting
Cost: $10 to $1000 or even more (monthly)
A cloud hosting service combines the flexibility and reliability of virtual private servers with the affordability of shared hosting.
This is the best way to build a website in 2020.
Cloud hosting can host several websites on one server, but in practice, the websites are hosted across multiple servers (server clusters).
A virtual server hosts each website and provides it with its resources.
Cloud hosting runs on multiple servers, which makes it more reliable due to its excessiveness.
c. VPS hosting
Cost: $30 to $300 (monthly)
Cloud hosting evolved from VPS hosting.
A VPS stands for a Virtual Private Server.
As opposed to Cloud hosting, VPS hosting is built to be highly configurable, whereas Cloud hosting is designed for simplicity.
You should consider VPS Hosting if you have a website that requires technology that is not supported by cloud hosting platforms or if the website needs a lot of resources.
d. Self-hosting
Cost: from $1000 / year (can go as high as millions of dollars)
You can rent, purchase, run, and secure a server yourself.
You do not need to do this unless you have some particular software you don’t want people to steal from you without the right security clearance.
This is why so many government departments and agencies and the world’s biggest companies run their servers.
e. Managed WordPress hosting
Cost: $10 to $400 (monthly)
WordPress is the most common platform used to create websites.
This is why most hosting companies offer WordPress hosting services optimised for WordPress.
A managed WordPress host will be great if you’re building a website using WordPress.
WordPress Hosting is just another hosting service that combines either shared hosting, cloud hosting, or sometimes, VPS hosting optimised for running WordPress efficiently.
f. Dedicated server hosting
Cost: $40 to $1000 (monthly)
You can get access to a real server with dedicated server hosting.
Depending on the configuration, the cost of hosting could be different.
If your application needs many resources and configuration, then dedicated server hosting is best.
However, if you don’t want to be burdened with the complexity and cost of owning and managing your servers, then shared hosting is better.
#3. Web Developer/Agency Fee
Most times, you will need to hire a web developer/agency to help you build your website.
Unless you want to use Website Builders or Content Management Systems that have a visual design interface.
If you need a custom/complex website, it might become necessary to hire a developer/agency.
Here’s a general overview of what rates freelance developers charge.
Basic One-page Site
Just one-page coding. A basic lead-gen page or landing page.
Average Hourly Rate: $15-$40+
CMS Code Customization (WordPress, Joomla, etc.)
Basic customizations of your theme’s code or the general functionality of a common CMS platform.
Average Hourly Rate: $30-75+
Full Custom Site Code (typically enterprise)
It is creating a website from scratch with custom code and design elements. Usually, a large project requires coding from scratch.
Average Hourly Rate: $75-150 +
#4. Recurring Site Maintenance Fee
A lot of businesses tend to overlook the cost of maintaining their website.
To maintain a website, you need to set money aside for its ongoing maintenance.
Connect your website with your offline business.
Therefore, your website should reflect those changes when you introduce new products, update pricing, post job vacancies, update business policies, etc.
As a result, you still have to update your website frequently after the initial website design.
The service can either be performed in-house by yourself, outsourced to a web developer or agency, or executed by someone else.
You should invest in a web development package that incorporates a content management system (CMS) like WordPress to make updating your website simple.
For example, you can easily update the content of your site.
Using a Content Management System, you can update the content yourself.
Other ongoing costs include link building, keyword research and optimisation for search engine traffic, social media marketing, online advertising, Google AdWords, Facebook, annual web hosting costs, and annual domain cost.
Conclusion
Knowing the cost of building websites can help you make better decisions about your next project.
That’s why it’s important to have an estimate of what it will cost you to build a website.
Need a web agency to handle your next project?
We are a Creative Digital and Website Development Agency in Nigeria that helps businesses build highly professional conversion websites and create digital strategies.
Get in touch with us today, and we’ll more than happily provide a free video site audit that explains the current state of your website and practical tips + and resources to improve.