You may be thinking of starting your own business and need a website to help promote it. Or maybe you just want a personal website to share your passions and thoughts with the world. Whatever the reason, it’s important to know how much does it cost to create a website before you get started.
There are many factors that go into how much it costs to build a website.
The most obvious one is the type of website you want. A simple brochure-style website is going to cost less than one that includes e-commerce features or multimedia content.
The design and functionality of the site will also play a role in how much it costs to build.
You’ll also need to consider how much maintenance costs could require for ongoing updates and troubleshooting.
With so many variables, one of the most common challenges people have when it comes to building a website is setting a budget.
It can be difficult to know how much to spend and what features to include. Many people end up either overspending on their website or compromising on the quality of the design and functionality in an attempt to save money.
Having said that, we can still figure out how much it should cost to build a website using the available data that’s out there.
And what’s more, we can find ways to save money on building a website without sacrificing quality or your creative vision.
In the guide below, we’ll show you how much it costs to build a website in 2023 and give you some pointers for setting a budget, avoiding common mistakes, and making sure you save money while getting the quality you deserve.
How much does it cost to build a website in 2023?
Depending on the features you want, how it’s designed, and who builds it, the cost of building a website can range from as little as $100 to build your own site to tens of thousands of dollars for a custom-built website.
You also have to remember that before you can even build a website you have to get a domain name and secure hosting for it. The cost of the domain is usually about $9.99/year or more, and hosting can start as low as $2.99/month and go up from there, depending on your needs.
If you’re making your own website on a website builder platform like Squarespace or Bluehost, they’ll let you handle all of this in one place — the design of your site, your domain name, and hosting.
However, if you’re hiring someone to custom design your website, you’ll need to secure the domain name and hosting yourself (we recommend Bluehost for hosting and domain name purchases).
There are also other ongoing website maintenance costs to consider, like content updates, troubleshooting, redesigns, and more.
What factors influence the price of building a website?
There are many factors that go into the price of building a website. The type of website, the design and functionality, how much maintenance and updating it will require, and who you hire to build it are just a few of the most important ones.
The cost of building a website can vary greatly depending on these factors.
A simple brochure-style website is going to cost much less than one that includes e-commerce features or multimedia content. The design and functionality of the site will also play a role in how much it costs to build.
You’ll also need to consider how much maintenance and updating the site will require.
How can you keep your costs down when building a website?
Building a website can be a daunting task, especially if you’re not sure how much it will cost. Many people end up spending more than they intended or compromising on the quality of the website in order to save money.
But you don’t have to compromise on quality in order to save money.
Here are a few good tips for saving money when building your site:
Don’t overspend on features you don’t need
Whether you’re hiring a professional designer or even creating your own website on a site like Squarespace or Bluehost, chances are they’ll try to upsell you on all sorts of bells and whistles.
In most cases, you don’t need a ton of features to get a solid website off the ground.
For instance, you don’t need the most expensive hosting plan that can handle millions of monthly visitors if you’re a brand new site that will only have a small audience for the time being.
Likewise, you probably don’t need some expensive, custom-designed content management system for your site. Something simple like WordPress or the content management system built into Squarespace will most likely be fine for managing your content and allowing you to go in and make edits and publish new pages.
There are all sorts of backend plugins and tools for optimizing every facet of your website that can get expensive too — especially the premium plugins. But you probably don’t need all of them right out of the gate, and in a lot of cases, there are free plugins and tools that will do a good enough job for the time being.
The point is this — focus on the most important features that will make your website unique and get the rest down to a bare minimum.
Consider a website builder platform like Squarespace or Bluehost
Don’t have the budget to hire a professional designer? Want to give building your own website a shot?
The good news is it’s gotten really easy to build a website.
If you’re not a designer and don’t know how to code, your best option is probably going to be hosting your website on a site like Squarespace or Bluehost.
Both of these companies offer intuitive, easy-to-use site builders that keep things simple.
You’ll have access to hundreds of templates and premium themes that you can customize how you see fit to create a unique site. Just drag and drop the things you want into place, write some content where needed, and you’re ready to go.
You also won’t have to worry about hosting or domain names. They provide that for you too, so the only thing you’ll have to do is focus on creating your website and not how it works under the hood.
You can save a ton of money on building your website this way.
Squarespace pricing starts as low as $12 per month. Compare that to the thousands of dollars you could spend working with a professional designer, and the choice starts to become pretty clear.
I’d say in probably 95% or more of cases, a platform like Squarespace will more than suffice for building a website (there are also many great Squarespace alternatives if you’re looking for another platform). You can create anything from a small business site to a blog to a portfolio site to an e-commerce shop.
The only situations where a website builder might not be enough are if you want something truly one of a kind or you have some very complex functionality you need to execute.
Find a good web developer on the cheap on a site like Upwork
If you do want to hire someone else to design your website, you can still save some money. The key is to use a site like Upwork or Fiverr to find a designer who has great reviews and a solid portfolio but is still pretty affordable.
If you do a little digging and use some common sense, you can find someone who has all the skills you need to create your website for just a few hundred dollars.
Keep in mind that even if they’re affordable now, it’s important not to skimp on quality. Anyone with good reviews is probably talented enough to give you what you need here.
Just make sure the person is qualified and will be able to complete most of what they promise in a timely manner. Do your homework in vetting them thoroughly before committing to a contract.
Another thing to keep in mind is that it’s often how the person interacts with you and how they communicate that is just as important as how talented they are. So if you can get a sense for how professional and how easy going the person you’re hiring on these remote freelance sites is, that will go a long way towards making your experience positive overall.
If they answer your questions fast and clearly, solve problems without complaining or acting rudely, and seem like someone who’s easy to work with — chances are good you’ve found yourself an A+ freelancer.
What are some common mistakes people make when budgeting for a website?
When it comes to budgeting for a website, there are a few common mistakes that people often make.
The first mistake is focusing only on getting the website built for as cheaply as possible.
While there are many ways you can save on your website, as we discussed above, price can’t be the sole factor driving your decision making. You have to make sure you’re being smart about how you’re cutting costs without sacrificing quality.
On the other hand, it’s also a big mistake to assume that spending a lot of money automatically means you’re getting a great website.
It’s important to remember that how much you pay doesn’t determine how well your website is built.
Sometimes, the cheaper option might actually be the best one for your business. It all depends on how much content you have, how complex your site needs to be, what features you need it to offer, and so on.
Another mistake people make is not taking into account all of the features they want their website to have.
You need to think about things like how many pages your website will have, how many photos and videos you’ll upload, how complex you want your design to be, and whether or not you want to add any special features or functionality.
Thirdly, people often forget to budget for the ongoing costs of maintaining a site like hosting fees, domains, or website updates that may be necessary.
If you’re not planning for those expenses from the very beginning, you could end up spending a lot more than you thought. It’s better to be safe and include those things from the start to avoid any surprises later on.
Should you hire a professional or do it yourself?
Your two options for building a website are to hire a professional to do it or to do it on your own, most likely using a website builder like Squarespace to guide you through the process.
How can you determine whether you should hire someone or go it alone?
The best way to determine how you should approach website creation is by asking yourself how much time and energy you’re willing to dedicate to the process.
If you have no time on your hands or if you simply don’t like doing it, and aren’t particularly tech-savvy, you’ll probably want to hire someone.
On the other hand, if creating a website isn’t something that intimidates or bores you; if it’s something that seems like fun for an afternoon project; or if you do some research and think it could be pretty easy with a website builder — then go ahead and try it yourself.
Determining how much building a website costs is only part of the equation.
You also need to think about how long all of this is going to take you, how difficult it might be, how much time you have to dedicate to the project in your busy schedule, and how much patience you have when things get frustrating or confusing.
You don’t want building a website to become an unexpected stressor when it could have been easily avoided by simply hiring someone instead.
In general, if doing it yourself seems like a viable option for you, go ahead!
However, if any part of the process sounds intimidating or overwhelming at all — then it’s best to hire a professional to do the job for you. And remember, you can still save money on hiring a pro by finding a quality freelancer on a platform like Upwork.
How Much Does It Cost to Build a Website? Final Thoughts
To wrap things up, how much a website costs to build can vary greatly depending on the type of website, features required, and who builds it.
While there are many ways to save money when building a website, it’s important not to sacrifice quality in the process.
And remember, be sure to budget for things like hosting fees, domain name renewals, website maintenance costs, and more.
With some careful planning, you can have a great website built — either by a pro or by yourself — at a price you can live with.
Have any thoughts or questions about how much it costs to build a website? Comment below and share your feedback.