When developing a website, you should also consider the hidden costs that every web development process faces.
They consist of:
Maintenance
Marketing
For example, the website cost would be estimated at $15,000. Website maintenance will cost x2 to the initial price, i.e. $30,000 annually. When website marketing will cost x2-x3 to initial price, i.e. $30,000-$40,000 annually.
Let’s take them up one by one.
The Maintenance costs
The cost of resources required to ensure the website’s speed, uptime, and protection as an ongoing maintenance cost. The complexity of a website can also influence the maintenance cost.
The maintenance costs of the website include:
Website hosting
Domain
SSL
3rd party integrations
Infrastructure costs
Cloud maintenance
Storage costs
Servers
Let’s take a look at detailed descriptions of each point.
FactorDescriptionHostingWeb hosting is imperative. Without a hosting plan, you cannot run the site on the web.
The hosting costs under website creation depend on the kind of plan you choose. The shared hosting service is pocket-friendly, while we recommend dedicated server hosting for complex and corporate websites.
It ensures that your website does not lag or face any downtime, seriously affecting the customer experience.
However, if you want both performance and cost-effectiveness, go for cloud hosting.
Domain NameThe website domain is also a recurrent part of the website creation cost.
Different domain names include .com, .org, .net, .io, .store, .global, and many more.
The costs to acquire these domains are different.
There are free domains.
On average, you can spend around $10 to $30 per year on a domain.
SSL CertificateseCommerce websites and marketplaces require top-notch security.
To help prevent any attacks and unwanted threats disturbing your website customers, you need to install the SSL certificates.
Websites with these certifications had an added ‘s’ after HTTP to ensure authenticity.
There is free SSL.
But on average, the cost to get SSL certificates ranges between $10 to $300.
3rd Party Integrations3rd party integrations help enhance the website’s functionality.
With the number of integrations, the cost of making a website also increases.
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The Marketing Costs
The marketing for your business begins even before the website launches.
Some founders create landing pages, Facebook pages, Instagram accounts to begin getting attention.
Website creation and marketing go hand in hand.
Within marketing, there are various aspects, including SEO, content, and link building.
Search engine optimization means preparing the website according to the norms and regulations set by the search engines.
The motive of implementing SEO strategies is to get a better rank on Google.
Getting top ranks on Google matters because the users do not visit the second page of the SERPs. They will most probably find what they are looking for on the first page.
All these activities add up to the website development costs.
To get a better answer to how much does it cost to make a business website, from the SEO perspective, we must include:
Content
Link building
Technical SEO optimization
Marketing ActivityPurpose and CostContent and CopywritingThe website content needs to be actionable and straightforward to understand.
Customers will very easily substitute a website with another that provides information in an easy-to-understand language.
Professional copywriters are available to work at $30 to $50 per hour.
So, the answer to building a website with good content ranges from $2000 to $4000.
Once you have the web content ready, you need to hire someone for the blogs, guest posting, social media, emails, and forums.
After the initial cost, the per month expenses will be around $1,000.
Link BuildingLink building is another primary activity included in the marketing of a business.
Within the cost to build a website, link building involves working on getting authentic references to your website.
Google gives more weightage to the platforms that have links from authority and high-ranking websites.
The typical link-building cost for a website can be between $2500 to $3500 per month.
Tech OptimizationTechnical SEO pertains to those activities that help make the website:
Faster
Smoother
Easier to crawl
Readable for search engines
It also helps enhance the value of your website.
Most importantly, tech optimization is also helpful in creating a satisfying user experience.
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Not only do the marketing activities invite a cost, but the tools you use to execute the strategies are also an expense.
There are multiple tools and SaaS software that provide a free version, but the accessible version of these tools is not very efficient or productive.
Here are the tools that add to the website development costs.
Marketing Toolkit
There are three major activities that you need to take care of.
SEO tools
Email marketing software
CRM
Activity or FunctionMotive and Ideal ToolsSEO or Search Engine OptimizationSearch Engine Optimization is an umbrella term for various functions essential to increase your website’s rank, performance, and authority.
You can use Ahrefs, SemRush, or MOZ.
Email MarketingEmail is one of the most cost-effective marketing strategies.
It helps address a vast number of customers with requisite personalizations.
Plus, automation has further created a much better scope to attract and delight existing customers.
You can use MailChimp, Drip, or Snovio.
Customer Relationship Management or CRMIt is always advantageous to have a platform that satisfies customers.
Not only does it help organize the customer information, but it also helps with better customization.
You can use HubSpot, Pipedrive, or Zoho.
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After considering all these facts and getting an idea about how much it costs to make a website, you are ready to choose a reliable web development partner.
