Websites - A Business Essential
Website numbers have grown exponentially in recent years. A business is not truly a business without one and many people also set up personal websites. Websites are an ideal way to spread business and ideas on a global platform. However, many are unsure about how to build a website and how much the whole process costs. In this article we will discuss the various stages of website design and their associated costs.
Domain Names
Every website needs a domain name which is the address that needs to be typed into the address bar to gain access to the site. Domain names need to be unique as two companies cannot share one name. .co.uk or .biz are the cheapest options costing around £3 a year whilst the most popular .com domain costs over 3 times as much at £10 a year.
Building and Maintaining a Website
This is by far the most expensive part of setting up a website. The cheapest choice is the DIY option. Indeed, free templates for websites are available but these tend to be very basic and lack any individuality. For around £25 it is possible to purchase a simple website which incorporates an online shop. However, for a complex and unique website many use a web designing company to build and maintain their site. A standard website will cost around £3,000 in set up costs and over £1,000 a year in maintenance costs. However, such is the variety in website design, prices range from a couple of hundred pounds to in excess of £20,000.
Hosting
Every website needs to be hosted on a web server. Again there are free options available, via Google for example, but these are limited and not always reliable. Hosting on a web server containing other sites usually costs around £10 a month. To have your own server is much more expensive with costs averaging around £60 a month.
The question 'how much does a website cost?' does not have one simple answer. Websites vary so greatly in complexity that it is impossible to attribute one figure to their costs. Each website will have to have purchased a domain name and hosting space. However, it is the design and maintenance which is the most expensive. Professional companies offer the best and most reliable work but costs often run into the thousands. That being said professional website design remains the preferred choice for many as cheaper alternatives tend to basic and unreliable.
