Thinking of starting your own website but afraid that the cost of building a site may be over and above your budget? Well, there are many different types of websites and the cost of building these sites are different. In other words, there is a range of pricing and you can easily choose a price that you are comfortable with and start from there. Here are some examples of the different types of sites you can build.
Basic static html sites. – These are the simplest sites to create. They are basically just static pages that contain some content such as texts and images. You will need to pay for a template though. The template design is basically what you are paying for if you hire a web designer to create a static website. You also need to hire someone to write the content if you are not going to do this on your own. This is the most basic type of site and may cost between $100 to $200, depending on the designer you hire.
Site with Content Management System. – If you intend to maintain the site on your own and do frequent updates, then you will need a content management system (or CMS). Most CMS are open source and you don’t need to pay for them. Here are some recommended CMS: WordPress, Joomla, and Drupal. However, do need to pay for a custom template, as well as any customizations or configurations done on the CMS. This option is slightly more expensive, and may cost you $500 or more. The price is still highly affordable for most business owners and till today, this remains the most popular option. The use of a CMS means that the webmaster don’t have to spend money on updates in the future.
Custom built site. – If you want to build everything from scratch, you will need to hire a web developer. Choose a programming language that is popular, such as ASP.NET or PHP. It’s easier to find servers that support these languages. It’s also easier to hire freelancers due to the popularity of these programming languages. A custom site is expensive because the script is only meant for you. You are paying for exclusivity, and the developer will build everything based on your personal requirements. The more features you want to have on the site, the more you must be prepared to pay. Most developers charge based on their time spent on the site. So if you want them to do more work, you have to pay them for their time. A custom built site can range from $800 to thousands of dollars. Pick this option only if you have very specific requirements (e.g. a custom application that you really need), and if you have a big budget. The advantage of having a custom site is that you have the freedom to create any feature you want on the website.
Vadim Kotin is the founder of Vancouver based Digital Marketing Agency VN Web Group
