How Much Does It Cost to Build a Website for a Small Business?
In the era of the Internet, operating business online is a common practice, but what enables this? The answer is a website. Website is used to run a business online, it acts as a storefront but not the traditional brick and mortar type rather a more modern one which is better in many ways. Websites can be used by any business irrespective of its size and type. It helps you to explore untouched markets because it operates globally. The process of creating a website is known as web designing.
How much does it cost to design the website for a small business?
On average, it costs around 2000$ to 10000$, but the actual cost depends upon several other factors. You can either self-design your website or outsource it to a Website Designing Company. The total cost of website development will depend upon its features, size, capability, and complexity. Website Designing Cost is comparatively cheaper for small businesses because they require a simple website with limited features and basic functions.
Factors Affecting the CostofWeb Designing
The website is a collection of a webpage and its features that makes it functional. The quantity and quality of such features affect the web design cost and also depicts its functionality. A highly functional website will cost more whereas a limited function website will be cheaper.
Here are the major factors that affect small business website design cost:
1) Domain name
The domain name is technically the address of a website, your website has a virtual location on the World Wide Web and users will visit your website using the web address. Domain is a part of URL, along with the protocol and the path, for example, www.amazon.com is the URL of Amazon and here the first component is the protocol, second is domain name and third is the path.
Domain name costs around 1$ to 15$, it generally is the name of the company but in some cases, a similar domain name might exist which will be costly to acquire, else you can select an alternate domain name for a lesser price.
2) Design
Design is the main attraction of your website; an interactive design attracts visitors and users. It is one of the most significant features of the website, therefore, it highly affects your website designing cost. The price of web design ranges from 2000$ to 15000$. Web design includes layout, graphics, templates, color, format, etc., the combination of these features determines the overall design of your website.
With the help of a website designing agency, you can create custom designs or select from a variety of web design options. An optimum design is the one that aligns with your business model, its products, and services.
3) Website Hosting
Website hosting is the feature that actually makes your website accessible on the Internet. For instance, a domain name is the address of your website and web hosting is the facility or server where the website data is stored. Cost of website hosting is charged on a duration basis, like yearly or half-yearly and it may cost up to 25$-25000$ per year depending upon the features of the host.
Small businesses can use ‘shared hosting' in which multiple websites share a common host or server. Shared website hosting costs 25$-150$ per year but it delivers limited performance and is suitable for low traffic websites.
4) Security
Websites are vulnerable to cyber threats, therefore, they need to be protected and secured. A Secure Sockets Layer or SSL certificate is a substantial tool that ensures the safety of your website. It protects the website and user data from cyber threats like hacking, phishing, etc..It is your duty to ensure the safety of customer's data, therefore, it is highly important to have SSL certification.
You can get it for free if your website hosting company provide it along with the host server, else it can cost up to 1500$ per year to get certified security for your website. Always remember, a secure website motivates users to entrust personal details and make a payment without any security risk.
5) Number of webpages
The number of WebPages is directly proportional to the web design cost, the greater the number of pages, the higher it will cost. It typically ranges from 1000$ to 5000$ depending upon the exact quantity of webpages. A Website for a small business will comprise 1-50 webpage where every webpage is created and tested separately, therefore, the cost gradually rises with every additional page.
Ecommerce websites require a higher number of pages as they deal in multiple products that demand multiple webpages to orderly display every product. Web design agencies offer categorized pricing for webpages based on quantity like 1-10,10-20 and so on, this is beneficial for small businesses as it allows them to choose from their preferred quantity.
6) Functionality
One of the most essential features of web design is functionality. It facilitates specific features that enhance the interface of your website. An online payment system is an example of this, where you can provide your customers with an option to pay online through a secure payment gateway.
Web design costs for functionality services range from 2000$-25000$ depending upon the quantity and quality of those features. The website for a small business requires limited features at an initial level, therefore, the functionality cost will be lower for them.
7) Content Management System (CMS)
CMS is a magnificent tool that allows user to modify their website and its content without much hassle. It uses a programming process like Microsoft Word, where users can log in to the CMS and edit the contents easily, for example, you can change the terms and conditions, offer details, product name, pricing, etc.
Such small and recurring modifications can be done without contacting the developer. This tool may cost from 2000$-20000$ as per the customization limit and features provided in the CMS. A Website for a small business should have a basic CMS tool that allows them to customize the webpage to give versatile user experience to the visitors.
 Self Website Designing Cost VS Professional Web Design Cost
The Self-created website generally costs less than a professionally designed website. It costs around 300$ to create a website using any web building platform whereas a website designing agency can charge from 2000$-10000$ to create a website for a small business.
The cost of self-designing is cheaper but you will first need to learn programming, designing, and maintenance processes to create a working website. Self-designed websites won't be cutting edge and fast because of limited experience and it will consume a lot of time as well. Plus, you will have to run digital marketing techniques like Search Engine optimization (SEO) lead generation on your own.
On the other hand, a Website Development Company can create a website very fast. Though it is expensive, it will deliver a high-performance website, with great functions and design. With the knowledge and experience of professional web developers, you can create a productive website that attracts a lot of users. The Website designing company in Delhi also performs regular maintenance so you don't need to worry about it.
It is completely your choice to decide how you want to build your webpage, one is cheap but less efficient and the other one is costly but highly effective. Moreover, investment in web services pays off for themselves in a short period, therefore, one thing is sure that your money and resources won't be wasted in any case.
