Your website is your online storefront, whether you operate online, offline, or both, which is why it makes sense to invest in professional web design. How much does it cost to build a website for a small business, though?
On average, small businesses will spend $2000 to $10,000 to build a site. The cost to create a website for your small business will depend on your site’s features. Websites with more features or custom-built components generally cost more due to their complexity.
Are you ready to learn more about small business website costs? Keep reading and learn:
What factors determine your web design costs
Whether to use a website builder or a top web design agency
How much to set aside for website maintenance costs
If you’re looking for a fast (and accurate estimate) for creating a site for your small business, use our free website cost calculator. You can also check out our 30-day web design services, which give your company a brand-new, custom site in 30 days!
What is the average cost to create a website for a small business?
The average cost to create a website for a small business is $2000 to $10,000. This average includes purchasing your domain name and website hosting plan, as well as designing and building your site. How much your business pays to create your website will depend on its size, features, and complexity.
7 factors influencing your small business’s web design costs
Sure, you know the average cost to create a website for a small business, but what makes up that number? When it comes to small business web design costs, you have several cost factors — and many are essential.
For example, your website design costs will almost always include these seven factors:
Small Business Web Design Cost
Cost
Domain name
$0.95-$12 / domain
Website hosting
$24-$120 / year
SSL certificate
$0-$1500 / year
Design
$2000 to $15,000
Pages
$1000 to $5000
Functionality
$2000 to $25,000
Content management system (CMS)
$2000 to $25,000
1. Domain name ($0.95 – $12 / domain)
Your domain name is like your online street address. For example, Apple resides at apple.com — apple.com is the tech giant’s domain name. Generally, you’ll purchase a domain name identical to your company name, like Apple did.
A domain name will generally cost $0.95 to $12 per domain name.
You can browse and purchase domain names from companies like GoDaddy, HostGator, and Dreamhost. If your domain name isn’t for sale, you may have to choose an alternative option. While you can approach the existing owner of a domain name, this option will generally cost more.
2. Website hosting ($24 – $120 / year)
If your domain name is like your online address, website hosting is like your online power company. You need a website hosting plan if you want to turn on your storefront’s lights in the digital world. That’s because web hosting companies power your site and make it available on the Internet.
Website hosting prices range from $24 to $24,000 per year. As a small business, you’ll generally see lower web hosting costs. Most small websites, for example, use shared hosting, which costs around $24 to $120 per year.
With shared hosting, your company will “share” a server with several other websites. That’s why shared hosting costs less. Shared hosting does come with more limited server resources, but it’ll often work well for small sites because they require fewer resources.
If you find you need more server resources, like due to a slow site, you can always upgrade your plan.
3. SSL certificate ($0 – $1500 / year)
A Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) certificate protects your website and its visitors’ data.
While optional, most businesses consider an SSL certificate essential. It serves as a trust signal, which can motivate users to complete your contact form or purchase your product. SSL certificates also protect customer data from hackers, which protects your business and brand.
In some cases, your company can receive an SSL certificate for free.
Your web hosting company, for instance, may include an SSL certificate with your subscription. Depending on your needs, however, you may opt to purchase an SSL certificate, which can cost up to $1500 per year to secure your site.
4. Design ($2000 – $15,000)
When it comes to small business web design costs, design is a cost factor that varies widely. Your company may prefer a no-fuss look while another may want a high-end layout that requires more designer time.
In addition, you’ll likely need multiple designs or templates, like for the following pages:
Homepage
Product or service page
Contact page
That’s why website design costs can range from $2000 to $15,000.
In most cases, small businesses will not reach $15,000 in design costs.
When meeting with web design agencies, ask about their design costs. Request examples, for instance, of what a high-end design looks like and what a basic design looks like so you can build a realistic budget for your business.
5. Number of pages ($1000 – $5000)
Websites range in size.
While an ecommerce store may feature over 100 pages, a service-based company may have less than 10. From a web design and development perspective, it takes time to design and build those pages, even if the pages use some of the same layouts.
For example, an ecommerce store may have 50 product pages. Those product pages use the same design template. The design and development team, however, needs to upload images, videos, and copy to those pages, as well as test the pages.
These tasks take time, which is why websites with more pages cost more.
Page costs can range from $1000 to $5000 for sites with 1 to 50 pages, which is the average page number for small business websites.
Generally, web design agencies will price pages in tiers, like 1 to 10 pages or 10 to 20 pages. If your business required 8 pages, for example, you would fall into the 1- to 10-page category and pay that tier’s rate.
6. Functionality ($2000 – $25,000)
When it comes to web design, functionality encompasses a range of features, with most focusing on ecommerce capabilities. If your company wants to accept online payments or orders, plan for functionality expenses in your small business’s web design costs.
Even if you provide services, like landscaping, plumbing, or home maintenance, it’s worthwhile to offer online payments. For many shoppers, online payments deliver convenience. If your business’s site accepts online payments, it can serve as a unique selling point and help you earn more clients.
Web design costs for functionality features range from $2000 to $25,000.
As a smaller business, your functionality costs will likely range towards the lower end versus the higher end. That’s because smaller websites don’t require the robust payment systems that large sites like Amazon do.
For reference, a CMS is a type of software that lets your business create, manage, and update website content without coding knowledge. For many users, it’s similar to working in a word processing program like Microsoft Word.
With a CMS, your company can edit and update your website with ease. For example, if you want to change service or product pricing, you could easily log into your CMS and make the change, without contacting your developer.
On average, a CMS costs $2000 to $25,000.
In most cases, how much you invest in a CMS will depend on your preferred CMS and the amount of customization. If your design and development team spends more time customizing your CMS, it makes sense that your CMS will cost more.
How much does DIY web design versus professional web design cost?
The cost to create a website for a small business depends heavily on whether your company builds your site in-house or with the expertise of a professional web design agency. Typically, do-it-yourself web design with a website builder costs $0 to $300, while professional web design costs $2000 to $10,000.
A website builder can seem like a cost-effective option, but there are some downsides, including:
You must do all the work, which can delay your site’s launch significantly
You must learn how to maintain your site and troubleshoot issues
You must settle for a cookie-cutter website
While you may pay up to $300 to create your site with a website builder, you’re also paying with your time. It’ll take time for you to learn how to use the website builder, as well as read up on critical factors, like basic web design rules and best practices for SEO, which helps people find your site.
The question you must ask is, “Do I have the time?”
If not, think about investing in professional web design services. An expert team of web designers can help your business create a beautiful and functional site that helps your company attract new customers. Over time, your investment in web design services will pay for itself.
Beyond small business web design: 6 recurring website maintenance costs
Besides calculating your small business’s website design costs, you also need to plan for website maintenance costs. While routine expenses, you can look at these recurring charges as an investment into your site’s performance and security.
Six website maintenance costs to expect include:
Domain
SSL certificate
Website hosting
Ecommerce functionality
CMS
Website maintenance
Check out the table below to learn more about these costs:
Factor
Cost
Why
Domain name
$2 to $20 / year
Renew your domain name purchase every year. If you don’t, someone else can purchase your domain name.
SSL certificate
$2 to $20 / year
Renew your SSL certificate each year to keep your website secure.
Website hosting
$24 to $120 / year
Keep your website live by paying for monthly or yearly website hosting.
Ecommerce functionality
$180 to $300 / year
Maintain your ecommerce system through routine updates, including for security.
CMS
$0 to $40,000 / year
Keep your CMS updated with the latest patches, as well as online if using a subscription-based CMS.
Website maintenance
$200 to $1250 / year
Maximize your site’s performance with regular performance and security updates, as well as any miscellaneous fixes.
Calculate your small business’s website design costs instantly!
Small business website costs depend on a range of factors, from design preferences to must-have features. That’s why web design calculators are so useful. They provide you with a price estimate based on your specific needs.
Got more questions about professional web design costs for a small business? Connect with a seasoned WebFX strategist and ask away. Give us a ring at 888-601-5359 or contact us online to learn more about using web design services to build your dream website!
Another free service has been added to the
Free
Source Code Hosting Services page. This one not only allows you to host software projects,
but you can also use it to create
websites containing free content on any subject. You can use
your own domain name
for the site, or the free web address they provide.
I'm not the one who philosophizes often in public, but indulge me this thought on the types of work we do as programmers and feel free to add your own dimensions.
I've thought about how sometimes I like to work on user-facing products and sometimes on developer-facing ones. Real products that my mom can see vs libraries and tools to empower other programmers. Spend too much time on a general user-facing website and (if you're lucky that it does well) inevitably the stakes get higher, the product starts moving slower, you spend more time in meetings, more product-manager type of folk show up and less you have a say in the direction. The romance starts to disappear and I decide - let me build something of my own where I can move fast and make decisions quickly. Then, if I spend too much time building libraries and tools, the more it feels like programming for the sake of programming, not for solving real-world problems. As Vonnegut puts it when talking about writers who have only studied literature "Literature should not disappear up its own asshole, so to speak." s/literature/programming/
And so the pendulum swings in the other direction.
I was thinking about this recently and it occurred to me that, when talking about the type of work that makes me happy, general-public vs developer-public is not the only dimension where the pendulum swings and balance can be sought. I came up with a few more.
And another overall trend of risk-taking vs comfort zone can be spotted in the dimensions. Of course, all of this is approximate and I'm sure you can think of your own dimensions. But indulge me.
Another dimension I find myself swinging back and forth is productizing the code you're hacking on. Is it a prototype that you can iterate quickly? Or something in production that needs to be performant and stable and scalable and bug-free and analytics-ladden. Prototyping is fun. But spending all the time prototyping and never seeing anything bear fruit can become boring soon. Productizing can be a "death march" but can also be a challenge worthy of the quest.
And how about using the skills you already have mastered vs learning new things. Being comfortable and fast and productive and on top of your game is exciting. But venturing into unknown territory is rewarding too. A version of this dimension is also being a specialist in a certain part of a stack or technology (say JavaScript) vs being a more general jack-of-all-trades, full-stack kind of person.
Then speaking of career and development do you want to focus more on your company's particular tech, processes and ways of doing things and grow there? After all, at a certain level you need to be deep in your company's machinery to grow, promotion-wise. Or would you rather be involved with the larger industry out there, do something open-source, get involved in web standards, blog, etc and grow your career jumping from between companies a little quicker?
So what?
Is there a perfect balance of dimensions that make you happy? (Maybe.) Should you be chasing this balance? (Hmm...) Is it a static balance? (Unlikely.)
Anyway, I'll stop here, just wanted to share something to think about next time you need to think about moves worthy of thinking about
Oh, and what other dimensions do you see for yourself?
The tools we use can go a long way towards determining whether we produce a quality end product. And they also play a huge role in helping us stay within a project’s budget and timeline.
So often, we tend to focus on the software side of things. That makes sense, as the right apps can help us produce stunning designs, layouts and special effects.
But hardware doesn’t seem to be the hot topic it once was. That’s a shame, because the components we choose are real difference-makers. Use the wrong setup and you can go out for a cup of coffee while your After Effects project renders. The right one may not even allow you a full sip before completing the task.
Today, we’re going to show a little love to the gadgets that make our design businesses go. We’re not going to go into specific model numbers, as these things change faster than a client changes their mind. Instead, we’ll focus on some general guidelines on how to make the best choices to suit your needs.
Consider the Form Factor for Work On-The-Go
We all see people working from far-flung locations with laptops and even the occasional tablet. Those devices offer the convenience of portability. But how appropriate are they for design and code?
Tablet Devices
It seems like a lot of software vendors see vast potential in tablets. Apps such as Photoshop have been made available with the added bonus of enabling users to draw with a stylus. Then there’s, Procreate, a design app built specifically for the iPad.
That being said, tablets often lack the processing power required to do intense graphical work. That’s not to say you can’t create some amazing art – just don’t expect apps to perform as well as they do on a more traditional machine. Then too, the apps themselves may not have all of the bells and whistles that you’d find on a laptop or desktop computer.
Meanwhile, coding on a tablet might be possible, but it’s unlikely to be an efficient way to do so. If you do attempt this feat, an external keyboard is a must-have accessory.
If you need extra horsepower, there are some high-end options worth considering. But, in general, a tablet probably works best as a secondary device for creative professionals.
What to look for: Choose a tablet that has a comfortable screen size, lots of internal storage and the ability to add more via a memory card. Also, verify that it’s capable of running the latest version of its mobile OS.
Laptop Computers
These days, laptops can be had at virtually every price point. But you get what you pay for.
The lower end of the spectrum may stick you with an outdated processor and rudimentary graphics. Plus, internal storage tends to be incredibly light. So, going this route would probably mean working in the cloud.
This doesn’t mean, however, that you have to spend thousands of dollars for good performance. Unless you really want the status that goes with top-notch industrial design (ahem, Apple) or enough power for a desktop replacement, a solid midrange model will do.
A middle-of-the-road processor from AMD or Intel should be enough to run most applications reasonably well. As for multicore options, the more cores you can afford – the better. But aim for at least four cores if you plan on doing even mildly intense graphic or coding work.
Mobile graphics tend to pale in comparison to their desktop counterparts, except at the very top end of the pricing spectrum. Still, it’s important to have a graphics chip or discrete card that provides 2D and 3D acceleration.
Portability and battery life are also key considerations. If you’re working on the road, you will probably want to avoid something that’s too heavy or can’t hold a charge for more than a handful of hours.
What to look for: Aim for a laptop that has enough processor and graphics muscle to run your preferred apps. Ideally, you’ll have enough solid-state storage to allow for fast boot times and the ability to install all of your necessary software. RAM is also important – especially if you’re multi-tasking. Go for at least 16GB.
Build a Better Workstation
Desktop devices are still the top choice for creative professionals working at home or in an office. While you lose portability, you gain tons of computing power. Not to mention the opportunity to rock a gigantic display and loads of storage.
Among the top considerations for your workstation:
Form Factor
Desktop devices usually fall into one of two form factors: All-in-one (AIO) or the more traditional mid or full-tower. Whichever you choose, the ability to perform future upgrades is vital.
Smaller devices may not allow you to, say, add an additional internal drive or swap out the graphics card for something bigger. At the very least, you should have easy access to exchange or expand RAM and any internal drives.
Needs inevitably change. So, think about the future before deciding on a workstation setup.
Display
How big is too big? The rule of thumb here is ensuring that you have enough space for your applications to fit comfortably on your screen. At the same time, you shouldn’t have to strain your eyes to read text at a comfortable distance or have to crane your neck.
With today’s creative applications requiring a lot of screen real estate for settings panels, etc., a size of at least 24-27 inches is ideal. Anything smaller than that could be a little too cramped. If you have the means to go bigger – go for it.
When it comes to resolution, 1080p (full HD) is the absolute minimum these days. 4k monitors are becoming more popular. However, the pixel density can be difficult to deal with at smaller screen sizes. And you’ll also need a solid graphics card to feed it high-quality video.
Other considerations are refresh rates and response time (not terribly important unless you’re working with a lot of fast-moving images), connectivity (HDMI or DisplayPort) and an adjustable stand. There are plenty of other goodies to be had, but the basics are of most importance.
Graphics Card
Speaking of graphics, this is an area where you don’t want to skimp. Professional-grade apps are relying more on graphics cards than ever. Look for a card that will work with your favorite apps and provide acceleration. Photoshop, for example, publishes some GPU guidelines that are worth a look before you buy.
While onboard graphics are indeed getting better, they still don’t hold a candle when compared to discrete cards. Therefore, it’s often worth the investment in a mid-to-high range card.
Processor
Many of the preferred apps that graphic and web designers utilize are multi-threaded. Having a processor that is optimized for these sorts of tasks is a must. Thankfully, most recent models from AMD and Intel have this capability.
This especially comes into play when doing intensive work like editing large media files or compiling code. The more threads your processor can handle, the quicker things get done (to a point).
Avoid the bargain bin if at all possible, as spending just a bit more can really improve performance. It may also be wise to avoid the very top-of-the-line options, as it is unlikely to be worth the cost. Instead, opt for a processor that occupies the sweet spot in the middle.
Storage
Sure, it’s quite common to store your files in the cloud, but it’s not always ideal for home-based freelancers. Internal storage is still vital to system performance and convenience. Plus, this is an area where you can get a lot of bang for your buck.
For faster boot times and the ability to quickly launch your apps, a solid-state (SSD) drive with at least 1TB of capacity is recommended. Anything less and you might find yourself in a crunch for free space later on.
For local file storage, old-school mechanical drives are still a good choice. Buy a terabyte or two more capacity than you think you’ll need. This should serve you well both now and a few years from now.
Memory
RAM plays a critical role for designers. It’s what allows us to have 20 tabs open in our browser – in addition to all of our resource-hogging creative apps.
Having too little will hinder your ability to multitask. Therefore, it’s important to stock your system with enough to handle your daily workload (and then some).
As with laptops, your workstation should have at least 16GB of memory. Doubling up to 32GB is even better for those who want even snappier performance.
Final Thoughts
The hardware needs of designers aren’t the same as the same as that of the typical consumer. When it comes to laptop and desktop devices, most off-the-shelf systems aren’t going to get it done.
Instead, each major component should be carefully considered. After all, they do have an impact on our daily work.
The good news is that, in most cases, you don’t have to blow out your budget. Solid performance and future upgradability can usually be found for a reasonable price.
The key is in not splurging on high-end components the moment they hit the market. Instead, look for midrange options or maybe let that expensive part age for a few months before making your move. The price will likely have been slashed over that time.
And, if you’re not sure where to start, look at reviews from a variety of sources. That will give you a better idea of what to expect when it comes to both cost and performance.
Hi, I'm Derick. And this is PHP internals news, a weekly podcast dedicated to demystifying the development of the PHP language. This is Episode 53. Today I'm talking with Nikita Popov about a few RFCs that he's made in the last few weeks. Let's start with the constructor property promotion RFC.
Nikita Popov 0:36
Hello Nikita, would you please introduce yourself? Hi, Derick. I am Nikita and I am doing PHP internals work at JetBrains and the constructor promotion, constructor property promotion RFC is the result of some discussion about how we can improve object ergonomics in PHP.
Derick Rethans 0:56
Object economics. It's something that I spoke with Larry Garfield about two episodes ago, where we discuss Larry's proposal or overview of what can be improved with object ergonomics in PHP. And I think we mentioned that you just landed this RFC that we're now talking about. What is the part of the object ergonomics proposal that this RFC is trying to solve?
Nikita Popov 1:20
I mean, the basic problem we have right now is that it's a bit more inconvenient than it really should be to use simple value objects in PHP. And there is two sides to that problem. One is on the side of writing the class declaration, and the other part is on the side of instantiating the object. This RFC tries to make the class declaration simpler, and shorter, and less redundant.
Derick Rethans 1:50
At the moment, how would a typical class instantiation constructor look like?
Nikita Popov 1:55
Right now, if we take simple examples from the RFC, we have a class Point, which has three properties, x, y, and Zed. And each of those has a float type. And that's really all the class is. Ideally, this is all we would have to write. But of course, to make this object actually usable, we also have to provide a constructor. And the constructor is going to repeat that. Yes, we want to accept three floating point numbers x, y, and Zed as parameters. And then in the body, we have to again repeat that, okay, each of those parameters needs to be assigned to a property. So we have to write this x equals x, this y equals y, this z equals z. I think for the Point class this is still not a particularly large burden. Because we have like only three properties. The names are nice and short. The types are really short. We don't have to write a lot of code, but if you have larger classes with more properties, with more constructor arguments, with larger and more descriptive names, and also larger and more descriptive type names, then this makes up for quite a bit of boilerplate code.
Derick Rethans 3:16
Because you're pretty much having the properties' names in there three times.
Nikita Popov 3:20
Four times even. One is the property name and the declaration, one in the parameter, and then you have to the assignment has to repeat it twice.
Derick Rethans 3:30
You're repeating the property names four times, and the types twice.
Nikita Popov 3:34
Right.
Truncated by Planet PHP, read more at the original (another 19135 bytes)
