Websites are big moneymakers for many companies today, but they're also an expensive investment that require ongoing maintenance and upkeep.
If you've got the time and budget to make one yourself, however, building your own website is not only cheaper than hiring out or using DIY tools like Wix or Weebly - it's better too because websites built from scratch aren't limited by any templates you might find on those platforms (and there are loads of them).
You'll need some basic knowledge about HTML5 and CSS3 coding to get started, depending on what platform you want to use, but with a bit of effort this isn't difficult at all. You could even do it as part-time work if you wanted to earn extra cash while still getting valuable experience under your belt. If you'd rather take advantage of a ready-made template instead, we recommend checking our guide to learning web design basics first before choosing the right tool for the job.
However long you plan to keep up with your website, be sure to check out these tips on keeping costs down when hosting a website.
There are lots of factors which will influence the final price tag attached to a new website, including its size, complexity, features, content, target audience, and so forth. But generally speaking, expect to pay between £500 ($750) and £1,000 ($1,600) for something simple like a single blog post, or anything upwards of £2,000 ($3,200) for a full ecommerce shop.
Keep in mind that prices vary widely based on location, too. A basic WordPress setup may already come preloaded into most local UK ISPs' packages, but if yours doesn't, then you can find detailed guides online for configuring both Windows 7 and OS X machines. The same goes for setting up Linux servers and other operating systems, although you may end up paying more for support services along the way.
The best place to start looking for cheap web hosting plans is through specialist providers such as Hostinger who offer low-cost options across multiple locations worldwide. Alternatively, look for deals offered by well-known brands such as Bluehost, DreamHost, GoDaddy, InMotion Hosting, iPage, SiteGround, and WebFaction.
As mentioned above, the quality of service provided will differ greatly depending on whether you're buying a hosted package outright or opting for a monthly subscription. So you'll likely need to read reviews to determine exactly where each provider stands in terms of reliability, speed, uptime, customer service, security, etc. This means comparing their offerings against those of competitors, reading user feedback, and taking note of any previous complaints or issues. To help you narrow things down further, here are several popular free sites you could try for comparison purposes.
Running and maintaining a professionally designed website doesn't just mean hosting everything on your server. It also involves regular updates, monitoring, backups, security patches, and general upkeep. There are plenty of freelancers and agencies offering affordable solutions for this kind of work, including dedicated IT teams and developers who specialize in creating custom CMSs and backends for specific industries.
That said, we found that the cheapest option was actually outsourcing the whole process to experts who know their stuff. For example, we were able to buy a fully managed WordPress solution from WPEngine for less than £50 a year, and for nearly half that amount we could lease a dedicated server account from Amazon AWS.
Our recommendation would be to compare prices side-by-side with similar offers on Google AdWords and Bing Ads to see what works best for your particular needs. Then set aside time every week to manage your campaign properly so you don't lose customers to lower bids.
When you opt to hire out your website project, you'll typically be charged either hourly rates or fixed fees for the number of hours needed to complete it within a certain timeframe. Expect to pay anywhere between £30/hour to £150/day, plus additional expenses for domain registration, data backup and storage, SSL certificate installation, and more.
Hiring out a freelance designer or developer is another common approach. These days, you can often save hundreds of pounds by going direct via Fiverr or Upwork, though the latter tends to attract higher earners due to greater competition. Again, it pays to research your prospective contractor thoroughly beforehand to ensure he has the skills required for your project.
Alternatively, you could go old school and ask friends or family members for recommendations. Just bear in mind that people may feel reluctant to give candid opinions about others behind closed doors, so always follow up with a quick email confirming you're really serious about working together. And remember to factor in travel times and potential overtime payments whenever possible.
This is probably the least affordable method, since it requires little more than a few clicks after selecting your preferred theme. Depending on the software used to create the finished product, you could spend anywhere between £100 to £300 per webpage, plus extras such as photo editing, social media integration, mobile responsiveness, SEO optimization, and more.
Of course, no matter how good a deal looks initially, it rarely lasts forever. As soon as your traffic starts growing beyond the point where you can afford to continue running your current system, you'll need to upgrade to a bigger host or switch over to a self-managed solution.
In short, never underestimate the importance of investing in proper hardware and infrastructure before launching your official website. Even if you have the funds available to purchase a brand new piece of kit straight away, think carefully about what sort of return on your initial outlay you're expecting to recoup during future years.
And finally...
It depends entirely on how complex your website is going to be. While anyone can pick up enough HTML and CSS to build a pretty basic site very quickly, advanced programming languages such as PHP and Ruby are necessary for truly dynamic projects.
For instance, you won't be able to add any real functionality unless you invest in a robust backend framework like Laravel -- which can cost thousands of dollars. On the flipside, a beginner programmer armed with nothing more than a text editor and FTP client can put together a basic landing page in minutes, but a custom app or database driven website could easily take weeks or months to develop.
So again, consider how far you want to stretch your budget before committing to a costly education program. If you're planning on starting off with a simple Wordpress install, there's no reason why you couldn't skip college altogether and work your way up from there.
Even if you decide to pursue a career change later in life, you'll almost certainly gain invaluable practical experience by doing so. Plus, it's unlikely that any entry level jobs will ever demand anything close to expert proficiency in computer science anyway.
There's no shortage of websites out there that promise to help people create their very own online presence. But with so many options available on sites like Wix or Squarespace, what are some factors to consider when determining the right one for your needs? Is a free plan worth paying for? What about monthly fees? And if you're not sure where to start from, here are five things you need to know before building your first website.
The answer depends largely on who will be maintaining the content after launch -- whether it's only yourself (and maybe a friend), or an employee hired by your company. If you want to keep costs down, you'll probably need to use something simple like WordPress or even just Google Sites. On the other hand, if you have a team working diligently behind the scenes behind the scenes to make sure everything looks good and works well, then going through a full-blown CMS might actually save you money over time.
But regardless of which route you choose, we've got all the information you need below to get started today!
If you have absolutely nothing to put on your new website except a few lines of text describing your services, you may decide to skip this step altogether and go straight for a static HTML page instead. For example, let's say you work as a freelance photographer who specializes in weddings. You could set up a basic landing page where you display images of happy couples enjoying their special day. This would be fairly straightforward to do without any fancy tools at all, but if you'd rather take advantage of some of these handy features built into most modern web platforms, then you'll definitely want to give them a try.
You don't necessarily need anything beyond a standard "home" page to begin with. In fact, you can always add a blog later once traffic starts coming in. And if you prefer to stick with plain old HTML, then you can easily host your site directly on Google Drive or OneDrive for Business using either Microsoft 365 Business Premium or Office 365 Business Premium subscriptions respectively. These plans include unlimited storage space and bandwidth, meaning you won't ever run out of room or speed limits again.
As mentioned earlier, if you already have a domain name registered, then hosting a website shouldn't break the bank. There are plenty of affordable shared hosting providers out there like DreamHost, Bluehost, HostGator, A2 Hosting, and more. Each offer different levels of service depending on the level of control you wish to exercise over your account. All of them also come with easy to follow instructions on setting up a fresh installation of WordPress or Joomla! (or whichever platform you choose).
Another option is to buy a prebuilt website template from a marketplace such as ThemeForest or TemplateMonster. They usually range anywhere between $5-$50 each, although you can find ones that are cheaper than others too. The key thing to remember is that while they look nice, none of these templates have been designed with SEO in mind, nor do they typically contain any kind of tracking code or analytics software included. So unless you plan on spending hours tweaking every aspect of your website, including its meta tags and title tag, you'll likely end up wasting time doing something that doesn't really matter.
On top of that, if you're planning on selling products or services via affiliate links, you'll need to purchase a separate plugin to handle that. It's a lot easier to track conversions when you're dealing strictly with digital goods. Otherwise, you risk losing sales because visitors aren't able to complete a transaction or leave contact details.
Overall, though, it's still possible to create a functional website for less than $100, especially if you decide to opt for a hosted solution instead.
This question isn't quite as cut-and-dry as it sounds. After all, it takes two to tango, and you'll eventually need to pay someone else to design and manage the website itself. That person will obviously charge you for his/her efforts either upfront or on a monthly basis. Of course, they'll also ask for payment up front since they won't receive any income until you reach a certain threshold.
For starters, you'll probably want to factor in a reasonable markup based on industry standards. While the exact number varies wildly across industries, the average markup rate used by professional photographers ranges somewhere between 25% - 33%. Keep in mind that those rates apply to high-end photography packages that include photo retouching, product catalogs, social media posts, etc. However, if you're offering a limited selection of services, you can certainly expect to negotiate lower prices.
In terms of hourly rates, it's important to note that most freelancers base their pricing off of a flat fee structure. As such, you shouldn't feel pressured to accept whatever rate he/she offers during initial negotiations. Instead, you should politely explain that you'd like to see proposals broken down along specific categories, such as editing, writing, research, design, and delivery. Then you should request to see examples of previous projects that match similar descriptions. Once you both agree upon a fair amount, you can move forward with the project.
When it comes to annual retainers vs. hourly payments, it's generally best to stick with the former approach. Why? Because retaining clients ensures ongoing revenue streams that allow you to stay afloat financially. Furthermore, you'll avoid having to deal with potential misunderstandings regarding billing practices, deadlines, and scope creep. Plus, it's far easier to budget for your expenses in advance than to suddenly discover a bill halfway through the year.
It's also worth mentioning that you can sometimes score some pretty sweet deals by asking for a fixed lump sum instead of splitting up the overall total among several sessions. Just be careful not to fall victim to bait-and-switch tactics. Some contractors may claim that they'll deliver a better quality of service for less money upfront, only to raise your expectations once the job is finished. Be wary of anyone who tries to lure you into signing a contract with false promises.
Lastly, consider whether you want to provide additional value to your clientele beyond simply creating a beautiful looking website. Many companies nowadays offer extra perks to customers who sign up for recurring orders or become loyal members. Think about a customer loyalty program, membership rewards, discounts, or gift cards. Depending on your niche, it might be worthwhile to invest a little bit of cash into marketing campaigns to attract new leads.
Nowadays, there are plenty of ways you can create and publish a standalone webpage without needing to shell out thousands of dollars. With tools like Wix, SquareSpace, Weebly, and GoDaddy Page Creator, you can quickly whip up a great looking personal portfolio without breaking the bank.
Wix has tons of themes specifically made for entrepreneurs and solopreneurs, plus you can customize almost any feature within the app. Even if you don't think you'll ever sell anything, you can still upload custom photos and videos to accompany your pages. Another nifty feature is the ability to embed YouTube videos onto your site for maximum exposure. Finally, you can create multiple accounts under different user names so you never lose access to your original files.
SquareSpace is another popular choice thanks to its intuitive drag-n-drop interface. Like Wix, you can pick from hundreds of professionally designed layouts featuring unique designs and colors. Not only can you edit existing elements, but you can also create brand new ones with ease. To further simplify the process, you can download premade templates that cover nearly every type of website imaginable.
GoDaddy Page Creator is yet another solid alternative. Unlike Wix or SquareSpace, it lets you preview exactly what your final output will look like before publishing it live. Best of all, you can export your entire website to WordPress or another blogging platform whenever you change jobs.
Still, if you're looking for something simpler, perhaps you'd prefer a barebones self-hosted blog setup. Fortunately, there are dozens of solutions available that can host blogs for free. Here are four you should check out: Blogger, Tumblr, Medium, and Posterous. Again, each one boasts a handful of attractive templates to select from.
Finally, if you want to create a fully functioning ecommerce store on the side, you should explore Magento Commerce. Though the platform is slightly pricier compared to alternatives, it offers a ton of customization options. Plus, the admin dashboard makes it super easy to manage inventory, shipping methods, taxes, coupons, and promotions.
To summarize, you'll typically need to spend anywhere between $400 - $1,200 to develop a website for your local business. Prices tend to vary dramatically across industries and niches, but if you're operating as a sole proprietorship, you can count on spending approximately half of that figure right away.
You've probably heard the old saying "you get what you pay for," especially when it comes to websites. A basic WordPress theme will run between $5-$20 per month, while premium themes can be upwards of $100 each. If you're looking to host your own website from scratch with your domain name (or if you want to use one that's already been built), then expect to shell out at least another few hundred dollars every year.
But let's say you don't have any money lying around or are just starting out -- what should you aim to spend on building a website? In this article, we'll look into the pricing structure of an average website so that you know exactly where to start. And no matter which route you take, we promise there's something online that fits your budget.
If you think about it, you might not need a full-blown ecommerce store in order to sell products directly through your website. With services like UberEats, Shopify, Etsy, Fiverr, and Amazon, consumers have a variety of options available to them when they make purchases. So why bother putting up a storefront and trying to handle all of those transactions yourself? It sounds counterintuitive, but sometimes less is actually more.
In fact, many experts recommend using only a landing page as your primary sales channel. This way, you won't waste too much time worrying about shipping costs, returns policies, customer service, etc., since these tasks can easily be handled by third parties. Plus, having a simple landing page means that visitors who land on your site can see immediately whether or not you offer quality goods or services. If you're selling physical items or offering services, consider setting up shop on sites such as eBay, Etsy, Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace, and Instagram. You may even find some niche communities on forums or Q&As that cater specifically to your product or service.
All told, creating a decent online presence shouldn't set you back more than $1,000. But there are lots of ways to go about getting started. For example, you could choose to work with a freelance web designer or developer to design your site. Or maybe you'd rather try DIYing everything yourself. Either way, here are five tips to keep in mind before you begin designing your website.
The answer depends largely on your experience level. Just because you're able to write code doesn't mean you necessarily understand the ins and outs of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. On top of that, the amount of customizations you decide to include also affects the final bill. The most common method for finding out how much a new website would cost involves comparing quotes from several different developers. However, depending on the size of your project, it might be worth hiring a freelancer instead. They can usually provide faster turnaround times, better communication, and lower prices than their larger counterparts.
Another option is to contact local companies near you. Some places only require payment upfront, but others ask for a deposit and payment upon completion. Then again, you may simply prefer working with friends and family members over strangers. Whatever works best for you, it's important to remember that it's okay to negotiate.
There are plenty of resources online that help you compare rates across various developers. One great place to start is Upwork.com, where you can post job listings related to web development and receive proposals from skilled professionals. When you find a developer whose proposal meets your standards, check out his portfolio to ensure he has previous clients willing to vouch for him. Also, ask for references from past customers.
While we discussed the basics earlier, there isn't really a typical fee associated with building a website. Depending on the type of company you represent, certain factors affect the total price tag. These include things like the number of pages, features, content, and overall complexity of the site. Here are four examples of average website budgets broken down according to industry:
Businesses operating under $50,000 annually: $3,500 - $4,500
Businesses operating between $25,001 and $50,000 annually: $2,500 - $4,000
Small Businesses operating between $15,001 and $25,000 annually: $1,500 - $3,000
Medium-sized Companies operating above $250,000 annually: $6,000 - $8,000
It goes without saying that bigger projects generally carry higher fees. But even medium-sized projects can end up costing thousands of dollars. That said, you shouldn't put a cap on your expectations either. As long as you stay within reason, you'll likely come away satisfied with the results.
Depending on your needs, you can always negotiate. Even though the standard rate for a website seems steep, there are plenty of people willing to cut deals. There are two main reasons why this happens. First, many designers and programmers feel bad asking for high prices due to competition. Second, they often believe that customers aren't aware of their skills and therefore assume everyone else charges similar rates.
A good rule of thumb is to figure out roughly how much revenue you bring in each month. After doing research, you'll soon realize how much effort goes into keeping an existing website running smoothly. Next, divide that monthly income by 12 months to determine how much you need to invest during the first year. Of course, it's impossible to predict future expenses, so factor in additional money needed after that initial investment period ends.
For instance, if you plan on hosting your website with Google Cloud Platform, you'll need to upgrade its storage capacity at regular intervals. And you'll eventually need to replace your server hardware once it starts showing signs of wear. To cover these costs, you'll likely need to increase your subscription fee.
Finally, it helps to remember that you aren't obligated to purchase anything until you receive proof of concept. Many providers allow you to test their platform for free for 90 days before committing to purchasing a license. By taking advantage of trial versions, you give yourself ample opportunity to evaluate whether or not the provider is right for you.
Just follow our battle-tested guidelines and rake in the profits.