Having a website is no longer a luxury, but a necessity as the world continues to embrace digital transformation. However, website development costs have been a considerable obstacle many businesses have faced to adapt. Things have changed; building a website today is not much of a big deal.
Many tools are readily available to help you create a good business website. You could alternatively pay a website designer if you want something more quality. Nonetheless, the average cost of building a website applies to both, regardless of your choice. The cost often depends on the type of website, type of team, and team’s region.
Read on to learn more about what goes into building a website.
Factors Affecting the Cost of Web Development
Type of Website
The type of website you’re after will affect the cost of its development. It will cost you relatively cheaper to build a minimalist site than a complex, highly functional and customized one. Other factors to consider here include additional features such as integrations, number of pages, and images and media.
The Type of Team
The team behind web development will determine how much you’ll spend. A typical team comprises a project manager, analyst, UI/UX designer, information architect, web developer, QA engineer, and user acceptance tester. You have two options when it comes to choosing a team – in-house or outsource. Outsourcing costs more but it’s worth it if you don’t have an in-house team. It’s offers more skilled and trained professionals with the right technology to get the job done.
Team’s Region
The cost of web development varies from one region to another. Teams based in developed markets like North America and Europe will generally charge more. Therefore, if you want a quality website but are financially constrained, outsource a team from South Asia regions. They are relatively more affordable.
What Are the Hidden Costs of Making a Website?
3rd-Party Integrations
Let us say you have created a good e-commerce website but want to enhance it with additional functionality. Do you also build those features from scratch? Not necessarily. Thanks to ready-made apps and APIs provided by other web services, you can enrich your website. Third-party integration is not free, and some apps and APIs cost a fortune. It’s something you should consider when estimating the average website cost.
SSL Certificates
Security is crucial to any website and, more so, to a business website, says Kaspersky. You’ll notice that HTTPS sites are considered more secure than HTTP. The “S” in the HTTPS is the difference and stands for Secure Sockets Layer (SSL). The feature adds an extra layer of protection to your website (more details about this here). You can rest assured that all communication, data, and information that passes through your site is encrypted and protected from unwanted parties. The web development cost should therefore factor in the price of the SSL certificate.
Domain Name
Every website needs a unique address, known in the tech language as a domain name. It is the address users type in the browser to visit your website. Securing a domain, therefore, forms an unavoidable part of your web development cost. Prices can vary, but it often ranges between $5 and $15 a year.
Website Hosting
Website hosting is another inescapable website creation cost. Without web hosting services, you won’t get the necessary facilities to create, maintain and make your website accessible on the world wide web. You can choose multiple web hosting service providers, and their charges may range between $75 and $200 per annum.
Marketing
We may not consider marketing an essential development cost, but remember that your website needs to be promoted to as many people as possible. The more people know about your website, the more online customers, which translates to more sales. Marketing is broad, but in the digital space, common strategies such as PPC, SEO, copyrighting, and SMO can go a long way.
Why is it Difficult to Estimate the Website Development Cost?
A lot goes into building a website and running it effectively. Some factors, such as tools and technologies used, type of website, the time required, content, and the like, are straightforward when estimating the last price. However, many other factors may not be so obvious. Examples include time, ongoing maintenance, opportunity cost, design, and manual errors, besides the above factors. It’s easy to overlook these crucial determining factors if you choose to go the DIY route for web development. Therefore, unless you are a professional, you are better off outsourcing website development services. So, the major step is to find a reliable software development company
How to Choose the Right Team for Your Project
The web development sector has multiple providers, and choosing the right one for your project can be overwhelming. You are also prone to inevitable mistakes when selecting a team. Lucky for you, we can simplify this critical decision-making process in just five crucial steps.
First, understand that not all websites are the same. You, therefore, need to define the type of website you need. The next step involves determining your compatibility. Here you’ll choose a company that’s the right fit for your business and what it stands for.
Next, you’ll then determine the level of support you need. The less knowledgeable you are in web development matters, the more you will rely on the tech partner. Fourthly, you need to choose a company that pays attention to details.
In the final step, factor in all costs. You will have an estimate of the average cost to develop a website at this point. The next thing is to choose the company based on estimated costs. Always go for the company that offers the highest quality services at the lowest rate.
Get Your Website Today!
Your website is the front door to your business in the digital space. It’s, therefore, in your best interest to build an appealing and high-performing website that stands out from the rest. This goal is not easy, considering the work and resources that go into web development. As a US-based software development company Spiral Scout helps the ambitious businesses to solve their most complex technology and hiring challenges. We put our clients first and prioritize their needs. That means you get nothing but world-class web development services.
Last Updated: December 7, 2022
