Website cost - how much is it and what does it consist of?
Tips
28 January 2023
Your own website is not only a business card for your company, but also a sales portal and a marketing tool. This is why it is now a must in the sales and service industry. However, it is worth remembering that the cost of web maintenance should also be added to the project itself. Find out how much it costs to build a website and how much you should spend on its maintenance.
Cost of a website - what is worth knowing?
The question of how much it costs to make a website cannot be answered unequivocally. The final cost depends on many factors, starting with the type of website, its purpose, through the templates and plug-ins used, to the additional costs associated with, for example, the monthly price of running a website.
The final amount you need to spend on a simple one page website (which contains the most important information and is just a form of business card) will be very different from the cost of a website with a shop or a dedicated website.
So before placing your first order and planning your budget, ask yourself some basic questions:
- What is the nature of my website? Is it just a business card, a sales page, or perhaps a blog form?
- How many sub-pages should there be on the website?
- How do I want to present my offer to customers? In catalogue form or contact forms?
- Is the website to include additional functionality such as a booking system, account login, social media connection, for example?
- Do I care about the marketing aspect of the website (SEO, social media support, etc.)?
There are many more factors that contribute to the final cost, but this discernment will give potential contractors a starting estimate of how to price a website. It is also worth reviewing the performance of your competitors. 
What factors influence the cost of a website?
If a uniform price list for website design were created, it would come with many asterisks. The cost depends on many different factors. It can be likened to buying a car at an authorised dealership. The price for the product varies from model to model. And even the same model has a basic version and an extended version. If you add more features to your order, the final cost will increase. The same is true for website design. Its pricing is influenced by the following aspects:
- Graphic design - the dedicated one that fits perfectly with the nature of the business will require more cost than the standard, template one.
- What the website is to be built on - whether on one of the popular CMS including templates or "from scratch" using a programming language. As you can easily guess, using off-the-shelf solutions is able to slightly reduce the price of a website.
- Who is designing the website - is it an interactive agency or is it commissioned from a freelancer.
- Additional features - these are all the extras that the simplest website does not have. These include, for example, the ability to create an account, linking the website to other shops, etc. In the case of CMSs, such a role is often played by additional plug-ins. They can prove to be a cheaper and equally high-quality addition than building them from scratch by a programmer.
- Number of sub-pages - a sub-page is any tab that is in the "Menu" field. For example, it could be "Contact us", "About us", "Price list", "Offer".
- Turnaround time - this consists of aspects such as gathering guidelines, signing a contract, preparing the design, implementing and optimising the website. The simplest website project takes between 1 and 2 weeks to prepare. On the other hand, the most advanced orders can take up to six weeks. The longer the time, the higher the labour costs and therefore the higher the price.
- Type of page - at the very end, almost the most important factor remains. We distinguish between a landing page, a page with a shop, a dedicated page or a company business card, among others. Each of these will cost differently.
Type of website and cost of development
A website on the internet fulfils various functions. It can serve as the company's portfolio, where projects completed so far are presented. It also functions as a marketing tool, in which case positioning according to search engine requirements and optimisation are important aspects. Each website owner should therefore adjust the type of website to their expectations. The cost of a website will therefore depend on its purpose:
- Business card page - a simple design with basic information.
- One Page - in this case the main factor is the price of the website layout in this style.
- Blog - this is a simple website, mainly focused on textual content. However, the aesthetic layer cannot be overlooked.
- Landing Page - this project is geared towards marketing activities and user interaction.
- Company website - its purpose is to aesthetically present the product and positioning.
- Large, elaborate website - this type is equipped with many sub-pages.
- A website with a shop and a blog - an extremely complex tool that requires a lot of work and a combination of several functions.
- Product catalogue page - this is a slightly truncated version of the previous site, as it only displays the product catalogue without the ability to order or add to the basket.
- Dedicated website - in this case, the main factor is the individual price of the graphic design of the website.
- E-learning website - this is an elaborate project that combines elements of marketing, sales and e-learning, i.e. the display of courses.
Designing a website from scratch versus a ready-made template
Designing a completely new website from scratch will undoubtedly prove to be a larger investment. Doing so requires more work, commitment to the project and, above all, the contractor's time. This is why some people choose to use ready-made templates, available on popular CMS.
A CMS (Content Management System) is a content management system. It runs on software that allows you to create a website and constantly update it. So if you are going to be running a blog or other site where you will be posting new content, then this could be a good choice. Some of the most common CMSs include WordPress, as well as Joomla.
Creating a website in a content management system is often based on a ready-made template. However, adapting it to one's own needs sometimes takes some time and, when using the experience of a specialist, also requires financial outlay. It is estimated, however, that the simplest page of this type can be designed even for a few hundred zlotys. Professional fine-tuning is likely to cost as much as several thousand zlotys.
What is the cost of maintaining a website, i.e. hosting, domain and something else?
The price of setting up a website is not the end of the list of costs. Hosting and a domain should also be added to the basic costs, as without these two elements it is difficult to talk about the success of the website. The price of hosting a website and funding a domain ranges from a few dozen to several hundred zloty per year. If you use WordPress plug-ins, you should also add an additional annual fee of PLN 100-150.
It is also worth adding additional services to the monthly costs of maintaining a website, which will ensure the security of the site (e.g. through system updates and anti-virus protection) and quick assistance in case of server failure. This is particularly recommended for those who intend to run a sales, registration, etc. website online. In this case, you should also add to the monthly cost of the website:
- Administration and maintenance of the website - these activities can be outsourced to an external company. They consist of ensuring security, fluidity and also expanding the website with new content. These are usually individual quotations that take into account the needs of the client.
- Optimisation and SEO - your website will regularly be looked at by Google bots and analysed for positioning in search results. If you are keen for your website to rank quite high, then you will need to incur the cost associated with SEO activities and optimising your website.
- SSL certificate - applies to sales pages. This is an additional payment security measure to instil confidence in the shop among customers.
Website development - with a freelancer or an interactive agency?
An important factor that affects the price of a website project is the entity that handles it. At an interactive agency, higher amounts should be expected, but this is followed by a comprehensive service. This includes not only the creation of a simple website, but also its administration and hosting. The quality of workmanship by a freelancer may be on the same level, but you should carefully review the candidates' portfolios to avoid coming across an unprofessional person.
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