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How much does a website “REALLY” cost in 2020?

Are you thinking about starting your own WordPress Blog, Company Website, or eCommerce Site and you are not sure how much it is going to cost? Knowing what it costs to start a website ahead of time will end up saving you time, money, and headaches along the way.

In this article I will share some of the knowledge I have come across in my 20+ years of developing websites.

What do you need to build a Website?

If you are looking to take the DIY route and opt out of hiring a professional to build and design your website (which will save you lots of money), it’s helpful to know just what you are going to need to get going.

Before you can calculate how much it costs to make a website, you’re going to need a few things:

Domain Name

Your domain name is the URL (or website address) on the internet that appears in the browser of people’s computers. It’s also what people click on in search results when they want to access your website. Some examples of domain names include Google.com or JeffDodge.com.

If you want to use a specific domain name for your website, you’ll need to register it. This registration will last for one year. If you want to keep using the same domain name, you’ll need to keep registering it each year in the form of a domain name renewal.

If you decide you don’t want to use that domain name for your website at any time, all you have to do is let it expire. This then frees up that domain name for someone else to register and use.

There are many domain name extensions to choose from including .com, .org, .net, .co, and .org. There are also extensions reserved for websites in specific countries. For instance, citizens or entities in the United States can use the extension .us to signal to site visitors they’re based in the United States. They have also come up with several specific domain names such as .club, .social, .live, .vet, and .link.

Website Platform

Whether you’re new to website building or have a ton of experience, you’ll want to use a website platform to create a website. And the great thing is, website platforms make building websites easy for people of all skill levels. They also allow you to add features for design and functionality so your website stands out and works properly.

We always recommend using self-hosted WordPress as your website platform. The WordPress platform powers over 30% of all websites in the world. It also gives you the flexibility to customize your website in any way you want and maintain complete control too.

WordPress is a free and open source software. That said, to use self-hosted WordPress, you’ll need to buy a domain name and get web hosting. This way you can install WordPress and build your website on top of it.

Web Hosting

Web hosting companies store the files of your website and deliver content to site visitors when they click on your site.

In other words, when a site visitor clicks on your website’s URL or types your domain name into the browser, they’ll be directed to the files your web host is storing for you on their server.

Web hosts also help maintain internet connectivity and access to your website so people can always view your site no matter when they visit or where they access your site from.

There are many different types of web hosting available. Here’s a quick rundown of the most popular:

Shared Hosting: when your site’s files are stored on a server, along with a bunch of other website files. Everyone shares resources so the cost of shared hosting is usually low. If someone’s website goes down or uses too many resources and causes a strain, your site may be affected.
Virtual Private Server (VPS) Hosting: similar to shared hosting. All sites are hosted on one physical server, but the server is then split into multiple virtual servers so resources don’t have to be shared by site owners. This reduces downtime because your site isn’t affected by other website’s overuse of resources. It also makes scaling your business a cinch, though there are some limits because of the physical server.
Dedicated Hosting: for large businesses that need their own physical server to store all their site’s files on. They comes with a set amount of resources, albeit a large amount, and cannot scale like cloud-based VPS hosting. You do have lots of control over the data, software, and hardware though.
Cloud Hosting: much like VPS hosting, cloud hosting is easy to scale. The difference is, there’s no need for a physical server since all resources are based in the cloud. This means there is an endless number of resources available.
WordPress Hosting: shared hosting for WordPress users. WordPress comes pre-installed on your hosting account and may come with additional services such as automatic updates, built-in security measures, and regular site backups.

Now that you know the essential things you need to build a website, let’s take a look at what it really costs to get started. To make things easier on you, we’ll break the cost of building a website into a few categories based on budget:

But first, let’s look at some things to think about before you build a website.

Things to Consider Before Building a Website

Before you jump into building a website, it’s important you have a plan in place so you don’t overspend.

Here are some things to consider before building your site, choosing a web host, and deciding which WordPress plugins to install on your site.

1. What’s your budget?

Knowing how much money you realistically have to spend on a website will help guide you through the site-building process.

Before making any final decisions when it comes to spending money, double-check your finances and make sure you can afford it. Oftentimes there are other ways to spend less and get the same functionality and design.

2. What features will you need?

After determining your budget, it’s time to figure out what type of website you plan to build and what features you’ll need to achieve your goals.

Create a list of must-have features and put aside the features that can wait until you start to turn a profit or something changes with your budget. This will make site building easier, faster, and less stressful. You can always add more to your site as it grows.

3. Do you need to hire a professional?

Sometimes you might think you can build a website all on your own, only to realize later that you actually need a custom build. If you’re in need of a custom theme, and a website that performs in a very specific way, you might need to hire professional designers and developers to help you.

Rates for a WordPress developer vary widely, ranging anywhere from $20 to $100 an hour. Make sure before you hire someone that you cannot achieve your goals on your own. That way you don’t overspend on a site build when you don’t need to.

The Cost of building a Small Website

Building a small website doesn’t cost a lot of money when compared to building a large advanced website or an online store. That said, for those just starting out, even the cost of registering a domain name and paying for web hosting can be a little pricey.

A domain name will usually cost you around $14.99/year. A decent web hosting plan will cost about $7.99/month. That means that to start a small website, you should expect to pay about $110.87 a year to keep it running.

The Cost of building an Advanced Website

If you need to build a site with more advanced design and functionality than most free WordPress themes and plugins offer, you’ll need to make some changes and allot more of your budget to site building.

To start, you might consider investing a more powerful hosting provider such as us or WPEngine.

You might also want to purchase a premium WordPress theme, such as wpAstra, that has extra built-in features, a more professional appearance, and priority support. Here are some of the most essential premium plugins that we recommend for an advanced website designed to scale:

Must Haves

Visual Apperance

For more ways to grow your business, check out our roundup of the best WordPress lead generation plugins in the market.

Site Security

This is a just a list to get you started with site creation. You can add many WordPress plugins to your site depending on your needs. Just remember, for every premium plugin you add, the cost of building your site increases.

In the end, building an advanced website can cost you anywhere between $500 and $1000 a year.

The Cost of building an Online Store

If you’re looking to build an eCommerce site, now is as good a time as ever. You can reach a broader audience by going global and get started without spending near as much as someone trying to open a brick-and-mortar shop.

When you use a free eCommerce platform like WooCommerce, and utilize web hosting from Bluehost, you can expect to shell out approximately $190/year to get started.

If you want to install premium WordPress plugins for WooCommerce and themes or extend the functionality of your site using premium WooCommerce addons, the price of your site will increase.

Don't Overpay to Build Your Website

When it comes to building your first website, no matter what you overall goals are, it’s best to start small and spend more later.

It’s also helpful to keep an eye out for deals and discounts on premium WordPress themes and plugins to save some money when a premium solution is necessary.

And don’t forget, as your site grows and you begin to scale your business and generate more revenue, make sure to optimize it so it renders seamlessly for site visitors. There’s no sense putting all your hard work, effort, and money into building a website that customers don’t enjoy.

And there you have it! You now know how much a website really costs, regardless of the type you want to create.

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