How much does it cost to build a website?
One of the most common questions our visitors ask us is: “How much does a website cost?”
In this guide, we answer that question, while describing why the price of a web page can differ so much.
Suggested Reading: Buying a website from us is both cheap and easy.
How much does a website cost?
A nicely designed website that works well usually costs between around EUR 2000 and 3000. The price you pay depends, among other things, on whether you hire a developer, if you need advanced functions for e-commerce and if you will write the text content yourself.
However, the prices vary a lot. As you can see in the table below, a website can cost anywhere from EUR 82 to around EUR 10,000, with all fees included.
Things that affect the price of your website
Function | Cost |
Domain (.com) | Between € 10 – 15 |
Hosting (operation) | Between € 70 – 400 |
SSL certificate | Between € 0 – 200 |
Web development | Between € 0 – 3000 |
Functions for e-commerce | Between € 0 – 2000 |
Text content | Between € 0 – 3000 |
Applications | Between € 0 – 1000 |
SEO and marketing | Between € 0 – 20 000 / year |
Total cost | Between EUR 82 – 29 600 |
Below we walk through the cost items that we mentioned in the table, in more detail.
Domain
A domain that ends in .se, .nu, or .com usually costs between EUR 10 and 15 per year. You can also buy a domain name that is already taken, if it is for sale: But we recommend that you choose a free domain instead, and spend the money on a web developer instead.
Hosting
All websites must be “hosted”, or “operated” in order for visitors to enjoy them. Hosting means that you borrow server space from a company that knows how to run web pages efficiently.
Web hosting for a small blog usually costs around EUR 70 / year, while you may have to pay up to around EUR 400 / year to run a website and / or e-commerce store with a lot of visitors.
SSL Certificate
Protecting your website with an SSL certificate is as important as having a mobile-friendly website. An SSL certificate ensures that your website is encrypted, so that no one can see what the visitors do on your site. An SSL certificate is especially important for e-commerce owners, as the transactions remain secure thanks to the certificate.
The most popular SSL certificate is called Let’s Encrypt. It’s free, and renews automatically. Paying for a SSL certificate, like Comodo SSL, is usually a bad idea, as you get more value for the money if you spend it on web development instead.
Web Development
WordPress is a popular and free publishing program for web pages. A premium theme for WordPress, with many useful features, usually costs around EUR 50.
You can also choose to sign up for a website builder like Wix offers, among others. They are relatively easy to use, and a simpler package costs around EUR 150 per year.
The best option is to let a web agency, like us at LoopLabz, build your website. With us, you can get a website for a fixed price from EUR 499, and we also help with the development of both online stores and plugins for WordPress, Magento and Shopify.
The e-commerce features that we can implement on your website include solutions for, among others, Shopify, WooCommerce and Magento.
Text content
All web pages need informative and professionally written texts. Writing the texts yourself is of course free, except for the time you put in, while a company that offers SEO-adapted texts usually charges a fee of about EUR 0.075 per word.
The amount you need to pay is mainly affected by how much experience the SEO writer has, as well as how complex the subject area is.
Applications
There are many good and free applications in the add-on store that WordPress offers, but if you want more advanced functionality such as automatic data collection or integration with different types of APIs, then it’s a good idea to outsource that work to a web agency.
The applications we offer usually cost between EUR 400 and EUR 8000, and the price you pay depends mainly on how many working hours the project takes. Note that it is always you who owns the plugin when it is fully developed and paid for.
SEO and marketing
Search engine optimization (SEO) means that you hire someone to make your website more visible in search engines, like Google and Bing. Marketing includes, among other things, that you advertise via Google or Facebook, or pay a social media celebrity (influencer) to draw attention to your website or app.
If you choose to spend money on SEO and marketing, it is a good idea to make sure that you really get value for the money. An automated SEO report is, for example, a waste of money if the SEO agency does nothing about the problems identified.
We believe that you should spend most of your budget on creating a website that you can be proud of, and then focus more on SEO and marketing.
Summary
Now that you know what the cost of a website is, you have all the information you need to make an informed decision about whether you want us to help or not. You are always welcome to contact us to start a dialogue.
Answers to frequently asked questions
What is the most expensive cost for a website?
It is usually the development costs that are most expensive. Running the website, buying a domain and obtaining an SSL certificate are usually small costs weighed against the total cost of a website. Features for e-commerce and applications often cost a little more.
What does it cost to make a website responsive?
It does not have to cost any money to make a website responsive, but if you want a website with responsive web design that works perfectly for your purposes, it is important that you hire professional developers for that job. We offer low and fixed prices for websites.
Is SEO and Marketing a Big Cost for Websites?
SEO and marketing are often a small cost in terms of the total price you pay for your website. We recommend that you first get a website that you are happy with, and then focus more on search engine optimization and marketing for your website.