When you need a new website, one of the first questions you’ll most likely ask is, “How much does a new website cost?” However, there’s not one answer to this question. The average cost of a new website dramatically varies, depending on several factors. Even if you try to look for a straight answer online (thank you, Google), you’ll come up with different answers.
For example, Upwork shares that the cost of a new website ranges from a low of $2,000 to a high of $75,000. The exact amount depends on the number of pages, features, and more. Don’t forget that you must add the cost of hosting, domain name, and website design.
Forbes pegs the cost of a new website around the same as Upwork, from $2,000 to $75,000. Forbes also adds the cost of annual maintenance. For a small website, maintenance can cost $1,200 annually. For a more sophisticated website application, up to $60,000 a year. Now, you can also go with a subscription-based website, which is what Pro Membership Sites offers.
The cost of a new website also depends on who will create the website. Is it a freelancer you found online? Is it a large digital agency with several teams working for different clients simultaneously or a smaller agency with a focus on web design? All these also play a part into how much a new website will cost.
These all play a role in the ballpark figures for the average cost of a new website.
In this article, we’ll take a look at what affects the cost of a new website and how much you should expect to spend on building a new site.
How do you build a website?
There are two common ways to build a website:
- Website builder
- A professional designer
Website Builder
A website builder is the most cost-effective way of creating a new website. In other words, a website builder offers the cheapest new website cost among the three options. There are several options available when it comes to website builders.
You’ve probably heard of Wix, Squarespace, and Shopify. Each website builder has pros and cons; any option will allow you to get a website up and running. They do differ when it comes to pricing, user experience and interface, features included, and web hosting.
Here are a few of the most popular website builders:
Wix
One of the most popular website builders today is Wix. It has often been named the best overall website builder. This website builder offers more than 900 free customizable website templates. You can start with a blank canvas if you already have your own website design ideas.
Wix offers a free plan, and its most popular plans for a new website cost $12.50/month for a personal website and $25 for an e-commerce website. Currently, over 110 million websites have been created using Wix.
This website builder is popular with creatives, thanks to its high-quality designs and affordable price. Think photographers, artists, bloggers, and anyone who wants to puts a premium on top design. Squarespace offers a free 14-day trial and over 100 mobile-optimized award-winning template designs.
While it does advertise itself as a website builder ideal for selling online, it is not recommended for large e-commerce stores with extensive inventories. Other website builders have better features that accommodate these types of stores more. Squarespace has four pricing plans billed yearly, ranging from $16 to $49 a month.
Shopify specializes in e-commerce. It offers a drag-and-drop store creator that allows you to customize their templates without coding. You can add apps and customized content as well. If you love online shopping, chances are that Shopify powers your favorite online store you visit weekly.
In terms of pricing, Shopify currently offers a free trial and three months of Shopify at $1 a month on select plans. Its most popular plan is the Basic for $19 a month, Shopify at $49 a month, and Advanced which costs $299 a month, billed yearly.
WordPress
For those who have some coding experience and who want to customize their website fully, WordPress is a good option. Some people consider it separate from other website builders because it requires some technical background and coding skills.
It’s important to note that WordPress is free, including free themes and plugins. The cost of a new website goes up when you need to hire a WordPress developer to customize your site. Then the price of a new website starts going up.
Other website builders
Other popular website builders include Duda, GoDaddy, and Weebly. Each website builder has its strengths and also offers different pricing plans. Remember that the more features you add, the higher the costs go.
With these website builders, building a new website won’t break the bank. They offer thousands of ready-made site templates you can use instantly. Using a website builder allows users without coding or technical background to launch a website in a few hours.
However, people who need sophisticated features or who want a website design like no other may not be satisfied with the features of a standard website builder.
Professional website designers
If you want a new website different from any other website already around, you might want to hire a professional website designer. In this option, you’ll work directly with a website designer. Doing this definitely pushes the new website cost up. Hiring a professional designer is the most expensive option for creating a new website.
Working with a website designer is best for people with complex websites in mind and large budgets. Website designers charge either an upfront fee or an hourly fee. You can also choose between working with an agency or a freelancer. A professional website designer’s average cost of a new website ranges from $30 to $100 an hour.
You can find independent website designers through Upwork, Fiverr, and Behance. Check out each developer’s portfolio to see how good they are, and read reviews. Working with a professional website developer is also for those who don’t want to create a website themselves and prefer handing over the responsibility to someone else.
Managed Websites
Another way to create a new website is through a Managed Website, offered by Pro Membership Sites. This convenient and cost-effective method offers web design, from conceptualization all the way to maintaining the website, even 18 months or more.
Other website costs
Let’s look at other expenses that go into a new website.
Web hosting
Most website builders, such as Wix and Shopify, already include shared hosting in the cost. However, if you have an e-commerce website and you need a dedicated server, you will need to upgrade your hosting. Website hosting costs from $2 to $60 a year.
Domain name
Of course, you need a domain name, such as yourbrand.com. This also adds to the average cost of a new website. Domains are generally affordable and cost about $12 to $85 annually. The cost also depends on the popularity of the domain name. In 2019, the domain name voice.com sold for an amazing $30 million!
Plugins
Plugins are additional features you want to include in your new website beyond what the standard templates include. Adding plugins may also add to the new website’s cost. Each website builder has an extensive menu of plugins you may want add to your website.
Plugins allow you to send newsletters, apply SEO to your website, have a live chat, build forms, and many more. For example, WordPress has over 50,000 plugins in its plugin directory. Costs of plugins vary from $3 to $60 a month, and some are free.
SEO
If you want your website to rank in Google results, you may want to include an SEO plugin or hire an SEO specialist. This will also add to your new website cost. There are available SEO plugins like Yoast that implement automated SEO improvements. You can also hire an SEO specialist to do keyword research, optimize your website content, and implement SEO best practices.
The cost of SEO can range from $250 a month for a small business to $5,000 a month for large SEO projects.
All these additional costs can add up. This is why we highly recommend using a subscription model for web design (of course!).
There are several reasons to choose this among other models. First, it’s cost-effective. There’s no need to pay a hefty amount upfront, and you’ll know exactly how much you need to prepare monthly for your new website cost. Aside from a one-time setup fee, there are no other hidden fees.
Second, you won’t need to worry about basic SEO, accessibility, and maintenance costs separately. These are all included in your monthly fee.
Simply put, work with our team of experts at Pro Membership Sites, and we guarantee to give you the website you need at a price you can afford.
To sum it up, the average cost of a new website greatly varies. You can spend as little or as much as your budget allows. If you have an ideal amount for how much your new website cost should be, there’s an option for you.
The most important thing is to ensure you are getting your money’s worth and are happy with your new website and its features. Good luck!