How Much Will A Web Site Cost?

Ah, how often am I asked that question... how long is that piece of string?

Well, it is hard to say, because it does of course depend on what you require. My approach has always been to charge an hourly rate. This is a fair system, as long as I am fair with you. I will be.

I've written a page detailing the decisions I think you'll need to make regarding your site here. Unfortunately there's quite a bit to think about, and of course you need to get these things right to avoid unnecessary cost, or an ineffectual site.

First off, why not check if your desired domain name is available, and look at hosting prices with 1&1 Hosting, who I recommend, click here.

 

Let's look at some examples:

Simple 'Brochure' or 'Web Presence' Site

There will be hosting and domain name charges in all cases, and in the case of a very simple site with a single domain name, the cost for a year will be around £75 if you sign up with someone like Fasthosts or 1&1. Or even cheaper if you'd like to use your own or some of my web space, though this will look slightly less professional. I don't provide web hosting, but I can help you acquire it, or set it up on your behalf.

Then it depends on how many pages you want... let's run with a site that consists of a Home Page, an About Us page, a Contact Us page, and maybe a Product or Information page. Let's assume you can provide me with a good description of what you'd like it to look like, some graphics, maybe your company logo and the odd image, and the words you'd like to say.

I can produce you a web site from that for around £125, maybe less. So your total outlay for a year would be around £200. This would probably include a visit to you (if you're close to Anglesey), and support of the web site for a year. I would charge you at an hourly rate for updates and new content.

Database Driven Web Site

Static web sites are fine as adverts for your business, but if you want step up the pace and make your web site really work for you, you'll need an underlying database and some 'scripting'. Scripting is a way to make your site react to the viewer's inputs, rather than them just reading your advert. If you wanted to collect their details and send them emails or newsletters, you're going to need a database to hold their details and scripting to send the emails. If you want to change the information on the site dynamically, for example the stock level of a given item, then you'll need the information in a database and some way to update it.

I have created several sites like this, where the site owner gets to use a secure administration system to update their sites without the intervention of a techie. I usually author these sites using Microsoft databases and ASP scripting. I have a library of code to do this sort of thing which may reduce your costs.

There's little point me guessing how much such a site would cost, as there are too many variables, but I would charge you a fair hourly rate to produce such a thing. If we discuss the specific requirement, I can hopefully then give you a good idea of how much you will pay.

eCommerce Web Site

If you need to sell products from your site, well I can help you with that. However, as you may be aware dealing with credit card payments and so on on-line is a bit of a minefield, and it is probably as well to let others deal with that side of things.

It may be that your requirement is simple enough that PayPal may do the job for you, in which case I can help you set all that up quite cheaply.

Then there is the possibility to use a system like that provided by, for example BigCommerce. They provide a complete framework for a proper eCommerce shop, including stock levels, customer records, invoicing and payments - all for a monthly fee, which varies depending on the number of lines of products you want to sell. I would help you set up and customise the site to your own requirements, and then it should just run on its own, managed by you.

Finally I can help set up a completely bespoke site using scripting, databasing, and 'proper' on-line payments systems like those provided by Worldpay, for example.

I'm sure you'll understand that in all these cases I would need to quote the cost individually, no point guessing here.