Web Design & Development Costs
First Time Startup Costs & Some Typical Project RangesWeb Design & Development Costs
First Time Startup Costs & Some Typical Project Ranges
What is the typical first time cost for a for a small U.S. business wanting a website?
Small Business Website Costs Overview
- On average, small businesses will spend $1,500 to $10,000 to build a site.
- The cost to create a website for small businesses will depend on factors like your site’s size, functionality requirements, and preferred launch date.
Getting Into the Nitty-Gritty…
The cost of creating a website for a small U.S. business can vary widely based on factors such as the complexity of the website, the features and functionality required, the design elements, and the developer or agency you choose to work with. However, I can provide you with a general overview of the typical cost ranges:
• Domain Name: This is the web address of your site (e.g., www.yourbusiness.com). Domain names usually cost around $10 to $20 per year and this is an ongoing cost based on the term of your registration agreement. While many if not most of the big name hosting companies like SiteGround (my personal choice and recommendation), GoDaddy, HostGator etc. offer domain name registar service but personally I like to keep that service seperaate from my hosting account just incase I ever decide to change my hosting arrangement. The registrar I prefer and use is Hover.com. (read a review of Hover: Hover Domain Registrar Review 2023: Features, Pros & Cons – Forbes Advisor)
• Hosting: This is where your website’s files and data will be stored and served to visitors. Hosting costs can range from $3 to $30+ per month to start, depending on the hosting provider and the level of service you need. Many of the hosting companies offer some very low rates to get you started but you should expect those costs to increase after the introduction period. Again my preferred hosting company and recommendation: SiteGround.com.
• Website Design and Development: This is where costs can vary significantly. If you’re using a DIY website builder, you might only pay for a subscription, which can range from $5 to $50+ per month. However, if you’re hiring a professional web developer or agency, costs can range from a few hundred dollars for a basic site to several thousand dollars for a more complex site. Custom designs, e-commerce functionality, and interactive features will increase the cost.
I develop WordPress websites using the Elegant Themes Divi website builder and find I can quickly develop and launch and I provide my clients access to the theme along with updates to the theme and WordPress plugins I migh have deployed with their project under a Webmaster Services arrangement appropiate for my clients requirements and needs.
• Content Creation: If you need help creating content like text, images, or videos for your website, you might need to budget for copywriting, photography, or graphic design services. I would go over that with you presenting your options.
• Maintenance and Updates: Websites require ongoing maintenance, including updates to software, security patches, and content changes. You might handle this yourself, use a content management system (CMS), or hire someone for ongoing maintenance, which can range from $25 to $300+ per month. (see my WebMaster Services page)
• Search Engine Optimization (SEO): If you want your website to be found on search engines like Google, you might consider investing in SEO services, which can cost a few hundred to a few thousand dollars per month, depending on the extent of the optimization. (See Local Search Engine Optimization)
• Additional Features: If you need features like e-commerce functionality, booking systems, customer portals, etc., these can add to the cost. E-commerce sites, for example, might require payment gateway integration, product databases, and inventory management.
Remember that these are general estimates, and actual costs can vary based on your specific needs, location, and the pricing structure of the service providers you choose. It’s also important to consider the long-term costs of maintaining and updating your website after the initial development!
What Do Custom Web Design Projects Typically Cost?
In the beginning of the web you had to hire a computer programmer to develop Web pages for your business. Then along came Microsoft Front Page, Adobe PageMill, Claris Home Page and other easy-to-use low cost Web page editors. Then another generation of WYIWYG web design tools came along like Net Objects Fusion, GoLive, and then Adobe Dreamweaver ,and a great many small businesses began to produce their own web sites.
Nowadays the web is a lot more sophisticated and it seems the loop is closing back in on itself. The tools for the professional production of a company web site are more diverse and can now command a significant investment in dollars as well as the time to learn to use them.
Are you brand new to the website idea and wondering what’s involved visit my page for Basic And Typical First Time Startup-Costs. I’ve also set-up and broken out some other options detailed below:
A Bare Bones Startup Website — $750 to $1200
A Bare Bones Website is a web page that gets you name and/or your companys on the web so that someone looking you up on thier phone can find out how to contact you. It’s a modern cotemporary version what a “Yellow Pages” listing used to be.
I could just use a text editor like NotePad or Text Edit and put up on a web server some simple HTML code like:
<!DOCTYPE html> <html> <head> <title>This shows in the title bar</title> </head> <body> <h1>Some Heading</h1> <p>Some text here</p> <a href="https://www.reddit.com/">Click here to go to Reddit</a> </body> </html>
… and be done with it but since it take me just about the same amount of time to intall WordPress and one of my Basic Themes I like do that so there is a foundation in place that can be built on in the future. It a sofisticated “Coming Soon Page”.
My Bare Bone Start-up Package Includes:
DOMAIN + HOSTING — Leave the details to me. If you’re just getting your new business off the ground, I will register your domain and set up web hosting that ensures you your site has the resources it needs to function effectively. If you prefer, I can also work with an existing domain or your own hosting servers. I build virtually all of my websites now on the WordPress platform with the Elegant Themes Divi Framework the most popular WordPress theme and page builder in the world, which I install on your server as part of the included set-up.
CONTACT FORM SETUP Each website includes at least one contact form, allowing you to easily capture leads and stay in touch with current and prospective customers.
SECURITY Your website will be set-up with the best website security tools pre-installed, to keep your site safe and secure from hackers, malware, and other vulnerabilities.
A Basic Well Designed Website — $1,300 - $7,500
It’s possible to build a decent website (I’ve seen one) using a tool like The GoDaddy Website Builder but most of the time those sites are just what they are….basic one size-fits all templates with some text pluged in and little though and effort is given to the marketing message or messages. (GoDaddy Review: AVOID this Website Builder – YouTube). A do-it-yourself neophyte would be far better off using SquareSpace or Wix and I am not at all a fan of those tools either,
I build my websites using WordPress and the Divi Theme Builder by Elegant Thmes and there is a good reasons those are the most widely used CMS and theme out there. They are that flexible and good. I worked with other tools like Drupal and Expression Engine in the past but I still prefer the WordPress/Divi one two punch.
The most common type of websites I work on are small 10-20 page websites that act as an online brochure with some additional functionality such as calendars, custom forms, sliders and blogs. It will serve to help brand and market your company, showcase your products and services and inspire sales as a lead generating tool. All of my sites use the latest standards to allow your site to look the same on nearly every computer/device.
Package Includes:
DOMAIN + HOSTING — Leave the details to me. If you’re just getting your new business off the ground, I will register your domain and set up web hosting that ensures you your site has the resources it needs to function effectively. If you prefer, I can also work with an existing domain or your own hosting servers. I build virtually all of my websites now on the WordPress platform with the Elegant Themes Divi Framework the most popular WordPress theme and page builder in the world, which I install on your server as part of the included set-up.
MANAGEMENT AND SUPPORT— I’ll stay with you and be around to ensure all your questions and needs are addressed.
CONTACT FORM SETUP Each website includes at least one contact form, allowing you to easily capture leads and stay in touch with current and prospective customers.
SECURITY Your website will be set-up with the best website security tools pre-installed, to keep your site safe and secure from hackers, malware, and other vulnerabilities. One free year of security updates is also included in this package.
A ROBUST WEB PAGE ARCHITECTURE that follows a map of you visitors “Buyer’s Journey” with some engaging content that communicates your message(s).
Website Remodeling — $850 - $7,500
All projects are custom quoted, since there are just so many factors that have to be considered but before you talk to us and we get a chance to evaluate what you have and where you want to go with your web presence you can probably SWAG figure (Sophisticated Wild Assed Guess) your development costs to be in the $850 – $7,500 range.
Ecommerce Website Development — $5,000 - $100,000+
Depending upon your project we may or may not bring in other specialty web developers so we have the correct skilled talent as part of our team and to make sure your project gets up and running quickly. With ecomerce websites there are a lot of added functions and services from other providers that need to be integrated for the online store or shop to work seamlessly.
We help out clients with:
- Merchant Account (or Accounts) Setup
- Shipping Setup – Including coordination/setup of accounts
- Transactional Email
- Secure Socket Layer certificate selection
- Integration with other programs (i.e. a FileMaker based desktop and mobile database applications such as inventory or appointment scheduling etc.)
Small Budget Solutions — $285 - $2,775
for the small or young start-up business that does not have the budget for a custom web design that allow the website owner to tackle and bit off chunks of web development à la carte at a pace they can afford and not choke on.
Some Sample Web Design Projects
Schedule a Zoom Meeting with Jerrald Hayes of The Small Business System Company
More Info…
I am in kidney dialysis treatment MWF until around noon but otherwise I am generally at my desk between the hours of 8am to 5:30pm EST (unless I am outside playing with my dog) and sometimes when I feel like I’m on a role into the evening too so if you would like to give me a phone call and talk to me about your project ideas please do and feel free to leave a message.
Address: 138 Waterville Road, Avon, CT 06001
General Business Hours: 8:00am – 5:30pm M-F, 9:00am – 4:00pm S-S on occasion.
Phone
At My Desk Hours
11:30 AM — 5PM Mon-Friday
9:00 AM — 5PM Saturday
Jerrald Hayes
The Small Business Systems Co.
(Google Map Directions)
138 Waterville Road
Avon, Ct 06001
860-470-7642
Where and How Do I Work?
While I work out of my home office in Avon CT and can easily meet with clients in the surrounding Farmington Valley and Hartford county communities such as Simsbury, Canton, Bloomfield, West Hartford, Farmington, Burlington and Bristol I also travel back to Fairfield county CT and Westchester county in New York where I spent my whole life up until 2015. I also work with small businesses from around the United States and Canada and I even have a few clients scattered on other continents too. I use tools like GoToMeeting, Fuze, and Skype for virtual meeting and training sessions and make recordings of those sessions so that the clients I work with can reference them again later too.
While you are looking at my own “personal-resume-type-website” I am the chief cook and bottle washer for ParadigmProjects.com where I work on business process improvement projects for architects, builders remodelers contractors and other members of the home & garden industry based on my lifetime experience there and TheSmallBusinessSystems.co where along with my team of associates provide those same kinds of services to other businesses too.