How Much Does a Website Cost?

Over the years, web design pricing has significantly come down, and the number one question business owners and executives ask is, “How much should a web site cost?”

With millions of web sites online, there exists no magic formula for calculating either the cost of a new web site or the cost of a redesign.

Like any other evolving industry, the cost of designing, developing and building a web site has changed over time.

Website costs vary from expertise, experience, and demand of the company you are considering hiring. Freelancers charge as little as $500 and web agencies can charge tens of thousands of dollars for a website.

Based upon our experience and client surveys and, there has been a significant decrease in the base cost of a web site over the last ten years. We believe that the reason for this drop in web site cost is driven by two factors.

First, there are more website companies and freelancers competing in the web design market today. Second, the tools at a website design company have made it easier for Web designers to create great looking web sites in much less time than in the recent past.

As a result, in the last five years web design pricing has dramatically come down, just as HDTV’s, as demand rose and saturation came about with the need for more companies to enter the online world.

In other words, as web sites become standard for all businesses, the competition grows to produce higher-quality, low-cost Web designs. By the same token, with more Internet competition, a company now needs to work harder to differentiate its web site from those of its competitors. Often this involves adding better content, blogs, search engine optimization (SEO), social media marketing, online videos, and interactive applications.

Web Site Components and Costs

With that, what goes into consideration when pricing a website? On average, the following figures can be applied to estimating the cost of a web site:

• Domain Name -$12/year

• Hosting -$75 to $200 a year (depending on traffic & website features)

• Web design and graphics development time -20 to 75 hours (based on our experience for a 15 page Website)

• Web site Maintenance - $500 to $1250 a year (depending on number of updates required)

To completely answer the question "How much should a web site cost" it is also useful to review specific Web design and web site development projects.

Informational or Small Business Web Site Cost: 

• 8 to 16 Web pages

• Custom graphics

• Stock photos

• Little or no flash

• Content management system

• Web forms sending to email accounts

Project duration: 30 to 75 days (not assuming a consistent 8 hour a day)

Web site cost range: $2,000 to $6,000

Corporate (100 or more employees) Web Site Cost:

• 25 to 75 Web pages

• Heavy use of flash

• High quality design work on all Web pages

• Content management system

• Extra components: Intranet, calendars, web site search

Project duration: 60 to 90 days

Web site cost range: $10,000 to $25,000

Ecommerce Web Site Cost:

• Content management system

• 100 to 1000 products

• Shopping cart

• Payment gateway integration

• Product descriptions and images

• Sales tax and shipping calculation

• Customer and administrative control panel

Project duration: 60 to 120 days

Web site cost range: $5,000 to $15,000

Database Driven Web Site or Web Application:

• Dynamic Web pages 20 to 2,000

• Administrative control panel for web site management

• Advanced programming skill sets required

• Interactivity with web site visitor

• Enterprise database (MS SQL Server or MySQL)

Project duration: 90 to 180 days

Web site cost range: $6,000 to $35,000

How Much Should a Web Site Cost? Our Findings

In conclusion, web design pricing can vary greatly depending upon the site's features, needed Internet marketing services, aesthetic qualities, and the design firm, advertising agency, or freelancer creating the Web design. While the cost of a basic web site has dropped, the need for more interactivity has helped hold steady the price of a high-end, competitive Web design.

If you are considering a new or upgraded web site, Texstar Web.com recommends that you view the portfolios of several Web design firms and inquire, "How much should my web site cost?". Starting first with our own free website cost project quote form.