Searching for realistic numbers, one of the most common questions the clients are trying to find out on Google is – “What is the cost of the website development”?
The answer is not easy of course as it depends on many different factors such as the number of pages, whether the website will be template or custom made, and many other details. The cost can vary between a few thousand euros, again, depending on the simplicity or complexity of the project. The usual clients’ reaction is – “Come on, nowadays everyone can do it for 200 euros”.
Then it’s our turn to explain the cost may be defined based on the individual clients’ needs. In other words, the costs for a one-page website and webshop cannot be the same. Next, it is important to point out the advantages of a well-built site. If they want to rate well on Google the site has to be built properly which cannot be done for 100 or 200 euros.
To prevent misunderstandings, we ask our clients to respond to the 5 questions for our clients before we start with website development, because these answers could be valuable to us to understand their needs, requests, and further for us to shape an offer and respond to all cost-related questions. To make this process easy for clients, we have decided to write this text and add all the relevant info.
Additional costs to consider related to website development
To even start with website development, it is necessary to choose a domain name (so people can recognize you on the Internet) buy hosting services for your web page. Note these services should be paid on a yearly basis, so take care of the deadlines.
Depending on the type of domain (is it com, rs, org, net, etc.) the price can vary from a few euros to ten times more expensive. That could be the case if you register a domain with a completely new name, but if you want to buy an already used domain, it will cost you much more. Let’s take the “hotels.com” domain that was sold for 11 million dollars in 2001.
Hosting services are very important as the site speed and site security depend on the quality of hosting you’ve chosen. You surely want your data to be safe as much as you don’t want to lose your site content caused by a virus. This being said, it is recommendable to choose a good hosting package, which excludes a shared option. The price usually starts at 50 euros per year. The most quality hosting is managed cloud hosting, the starting price is 20 euros on a monthly basis and sometimes even more. Also, if your site contains a webshop too, the hosting expenses could be approximately up to 1000 euros or even more, due to a large quantity of data.
Design and programming stages
After you choose a domain and hosting, it is time to agree on the overall look and functionalities of your future site with a designer. There are numerous options but they are all limited with your budget.
Though it is possible to pick a template site (the cost starts at 300 euros and could be even more expensive), it is always the best option to go for a custom-made design, as this will definitely help you stand out from others.
The custom-made design may cost 1000 euros or even more, as it requires programming from the scratch, it takes more time as you have to choose a site design (HTML, CSS, JavaScript) and programming functionalities (PHP, React), which assumes the knowledge of special programming languages.
If you are interested in the scope of knowledge every design should have, you can read our blog post The most valuable skills each web designer should have. And if you’ve been wondering what a web designer can do for you, we will give you the 5 reasons to hire a professional web designer.
Various types of site content and their prices
Site content impacts the general cost for your website so it is important to determine if the client will deal with the content or copywriters/content writers from our agency, then the price also includes editing, retouching, cropping the images unless the client deals with this too.
Textual content and SEO
The textual content should be tailored in accordance with the SEO rules. This will rank the site better and of course, get a better conversion rate. Without well-optimized texts, the site won’t rate well on Google.
The copywriting prices depend on the topics, time spent on researching the competition, keywords, niche itself, and the language (depending on the language the prices can vary, but the starting price is usually 20 euros).
Photos and their impact on the overall site quality
Photos and visual content, in general, are crucial for attracting the attention of site visitors. This should be covered properly and demand the best quality only from a web designer. Whether the client will use the services of a professional photographer and get the unique photos (which is recommendable as it influences a better ranking) or use the photos from the Internet – paid ones; all this should be taken into account when it comes to shaping the overall site cost. Hiring a photographer costs 20 euros per hour or more, while stock photos can be bought as a package, and the price depends on the source site, usually, it is between 25 to 100 euros.
The prices of various functionalities, scripts, and plugins
One of the crucial parts of any site is a contact form. It can be free though it risks getting too many spam emails, so it is advisable to buy a paid version which starts at 70 euros.
The cost for scripts and different functionalities can vary from free to the ones a developer should create which logically requires a special cost. It is not possible to define this cost without a clear picture of the required functionality, taking the hourly rate of a developer into consideration. There’s a wide range of functionalities, that could be added to the site, especially if the site has a webshop or if it’s a media site which additionally increases the cost. The developer should be informed of all these details as an increased number of functionalities increases his working hours too.
When it comes to plugins, the prices can vary as well, as individual plugins each site has could be found on the WordPress platform. Some of them are free, the premium ones have higher prices, but they ensure better security, so it is not a bad idea to think about them too.
Website maintenance – “a must” point
When the overall web development work is completed, a website is launched, the next step is to secure its regular maintenance so the site can work without any disruptions. A basic maintenance package starts at 30 euros. The price is determined by the site complexity.
Paying a realistic price for the quality you are investing in your business
We are sure you’re well aware of how important it is to have a quality site. Investing in your site means investing in your business, and that approach will pay off. Keep in mind the dynamics depend on the budget, so it is crucial to craft a well-thought plan when and how much can you invest.
Also, remember the cheap sites due to lack of functionalities and general quality will cost you much more in the end. Think in advance of sparing yourself from the stress that might come as an outcome of wrong decisions. Contact our team to get the best possible offer tailored according to your needs.
