How Much Does It Cost To Build A Website: 2024 Cost Revealed

A website is a compulsory requirement these days for online marketing if you want your business to stand out from the rest. It gives a distinct identity to your business. But do you know how much does it cost to build a website in current times? The cost of building a website can highly vary depending on whether you’re hiring an agency or a freelance developer or building it yourself using a CMS.

In addition, factors like domain hosting charges, copywriting charges, and SEO charges, etc. can further escalate the costs. This blog will unveil the answers to all your queries relating to the development costs involved in building a website.

What Does It Cost To Build A Website: Breakdown 

The cost of getting a website developed can highly vary, depending on: 

• Whether you build it yourself
• Or hire a freelance developer
• Or hire an agency

Furthermore, what experience the developer or agency have or which platform you’re opting for makes a huge alteration in this cost. What plan you pick is another influencing factor.

Website development cost can range from hundreds to thousands of rupees in India. So will you just dive into spending money just like that? A big NO! 

This guide serves as your baseline for understanding the different cost concepts involved in website development. Before we get into the details, let’s quickly take a look at the key 5 costs that impact how much does it cost to build a website: 

Factors Affecting Website Development Cost

1. Domain Costs 

Domain name is one of the most crucial aspects that can’t be overlooked when talking about how much does it cost to build a website. A domain specifies a distinct identity to a business website. It can be purchased  typically for a year or two and can be renewed after that time. 

There are plenty of domain registration service providers to choose from. Depending on the type of domain you need (“.in,” “.org,” “.net,” etc.) you can compare the plans from various sellers. Some of the trusted names for purchasing domain names are: GoDaddy, HostGator, Hostinger, and Namecheap. 

Hostinger offers domains starting from 89 INR per year, whereas, GoDaddy domain price range starts off at 1 INR for the first year with additional purchases; Namecheap sells domains starting approx 83 INR per year, Domain.com provides domain extensions starting with approx 168 INR and Bluehost provides it from 599 INR.

Factors Impacting Domain Costs

• Domain Registrar: Different registrars charge different rates for domain registration. It can highly vary for different plans. Once you start comparing different domain sellers, you’ll find that most of them provide low-cost starting for the 1st year. This cost can substantially increase for renewals, making it essential to thoroughly understand the procedures and costs. 
• Domain Extensions: What kind of domain extension you choose for your site also impacts how much does a website cost per month. Low-cost extensions like “.ly,” “.biz,” “.net,” etc. are likely available on selected domain service providers. Whereas, extensions like “.com” are highly in-demand and thus expensive as well. So be clear about what type of extension you’re booking. 

2. Web Hosting Costs

Web hosting is a server-based service that enables managing the database of your website including files, content, and everything. Hosting allows you to entertain visitors on your site and serve them with a quality user experience. Usually, many web hosts provide domain names inclusive in their plans and vice versa. However, in case you’re building your site with a CMS, you might need to purchase hosting separately. 

HostGator’s shared web hosting plan comes at 69 INR per month, Bluehost’s plans start from 169 INR per month, GoDaddy provides it for 79 INR, Namecheap provides shared hosting for around 167 INR a month, and Turnkey Web Hosting’s plans start from 1259 INR a month.

Factors Affecting Web Hosting Costs

• Type  Of Web Hosting: One of the most impact-oriented factors to begin with is what type of web hosting you choose. Shared or virtual web hosting, for example, allows multiple site owners to access the resources over a single server. Whereas dedicated servers help site owners manage and control resources completely against a higher price. You can also opt for VPS, colocation, cloud, or managed web hosting. 
• Hosting Service Provider: Different platforms charge differently for hosting services; for example Notable and Bigrock are two trusted platforms offering different plans. Some of the renowned sites catering to this need along with domain name registration are GoDaddy, BlueHost, Hostinger, etc.

3. SSL Certificate Costs

Socket Security Layer (SSL) is an added layer of security that protects the visitors on a site from malicious cyber attacks. Visitors today are conscious about opening any link on their devices and that’s why they eagerly look for HTTPS protocol on a site link. Absence of SSL certification can result in sending visitors away from your site even before they land there. While most domain and hosting service providers include SSL certification in their plans, there are several third-party platforms for getting the same for your site. 

Talking of SSL certificate prices, GoDaddy covers a single site with a DV certificate at 4900 INR per year, Hostinger provides the same at 169 INR a month, and ZeroSSL basic plan comes at 839 INR per month billed annually.

Factors Influencing Cost Of SSL Certificate

• Type Of SSL Certificate: Depending on the size and requirements of your business, you can choose an SSL certificate that fits your budget well. If you want a single domain, then a Single-domain SSL certificate will do, otherwise, you need to invest in a Multi-Domain Certificate that covers subdomains as well. Wildcard domain SSL Certificates can also be purchased to safeguard both domains and subdomains. 
• Variation Of SSL Certificates: Based on variations, SSL certificates are categorized as Domain Validation certificates- for collecting normal data (not any sensitive information); Organizational Validation certificates-  granted to public facing sites of organizations that don’t collect sensitive information; Extended Validation- good to go for all business organizations and highly recommended for ecommerce sites asking for personal and sensitive information. Clearly, EV would be the highest in price comparing the three but surely worth the investment for site owners collecting personal, financial, or any sensitive information. ComodoSSLStore, GoDaddy, and CheapSSLStore are a few places where businesses can apply for an SSL certificate.
•  Warranty Period: The time frame for which you buy the SSL certificate can alter the cost of website development. 

4. Theme Or  Template, Design Costs

A website is nothing without a proper layout and structure, and theme/templates and design, are the key decisive factors for these. Apart from enhancing the visual appeal of a website, these can improve and polish its overall functionality. 

Talking of how much does it cost to build a website theme and design, WordPress’ plans start from 160 INR per month, Nice Page provides premium paid templates starting from 575 INR per month, and Astra plans start from 4111 INR a month. 

Factors Responsible For Affecting Cost Of Template/Theme & Design

• Free vs Paid Templates: Platforms like Wix, Shopify, Magento, WordPress.org , Astra, etc. offer a lot of free theme/template options with exquisite designs. But note that presenting a unique website can attract extra costs with premium plans. Since readily available templates/themes or designs can limit the creativity of a site, customized templates/themes, and designs built from scratch are the best option but costly. 
• UX/UI Design: User Experience (UX) and User Interface (UI)  are critical to a website because they decide how it actually looks. The presentation of content on your website can make a person stay there for longer or avert someone in an instant. That’s why visual elements like UI and UX must align with your brand persona, user intuitiveness, and services/products you’re dealing in. The above-mentioned tools can help you design a website of your choice with free and paid templates with customization options.

5. Add-Ons/Plugins Integration Costs

For any website to be efficient, certain plugins and additional features are required. Whether you want to upgrade a site for e-commerce functionality or integrate features for newsletters or testimonials, it is possible with plugins/add-ons. For one thing, plugins must be added in a controlled manner because they can slow down your website.  

You can check the prices of premium plugins and addons on sites like WordPress and Elementor or create a custom plugin as per your requisites. 

Factors Influencing Add-Ons/Plugins Cost

• Website Bandwidth: Depending upon the bandwidth and functional complexity of your website, the cost of add-ons and plugins can vary. Advanced plugins, and add-ons are used to enhance the functioning of websites that require highly complex working mechanisms.  However, sites with not-so-sophisticated mechanisms can rely on basic plugins.
• Premium vs Free Add-ons: It must be noted that not all plugins and add-ons are necessary for your site, in fact, it is advised to keep the count of plugins to be restricted as it can take a toll on your website loading speed. So you must check what plugins/add-ons your site needs and based on the feature invest in premium ones. You can develop add-ons with the knowledge of documenting and tools that support API and SDK development. Or else, you can get no-cost add-ons to install from a developers’ community or shake hands with a web development company for specific requirements.

Essential Components Of a Website That Affect Its Development Costs

Although the above-listed elements are a prerequisite to getting a website, here we’ve discussed some essential components without which your site can get impeded. So let’s start: 

1. Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

SEO is the process of enhancing a site’s organic visibility by optimizing its content, architecture, layout, mobile responsiveness, backlinks quality, and much more. SEO is divided into three categories: On-Page SEO- which undertakes activities of improving one’s own site’s performance, content, and credibility. Off-Page SEO deals with building and optimizing your website’s presence on platforms other than your own site. Last but definitely not least is- technical SEO, accentuating the importance of page load speed, site architecture,  creating sitemap, etc.  

SEO costs can range between 10,000 INR to 50,000 INR a month in India and can go up to 40,000+ INR ($5000+) overseas depending on project requirements, but again, if you’re opting for a freelance SEO expert or doing it yourself, it’ll save you a large chunk of money.

2. Content Creation & Optimization

Imagine you’ve purchased a domain name, hosting, SSL certificate, and everything you need to build a website, but there is no content on your site. Will your website sustain in the online competition? Exactly! That’s how critical component content development is for website development. Content must be engaging, and unique and provide value to the audience be it for web pages, blogs, guest posts, email campaigns, or social media. Now, here also, you’ve three options: either create the content yourself, hire writers and SEO experts for content creation and optimization, or outsource this task to a qualified digital marketing agency. 

Hiring a freelance writer who charges on a per-hour basis (on an average of $15/hr) or per-word basis (an average $0.50/word) will cost much less than hiring an SEO agency. The writer’s and agency’s experience would also shape the website development cost. Furthermore, the type of content and writing niche are also key determinants of this cost. 

3. Graphics & Multimedia

Graphics and media can take the visual appeal of your website to a whole another level and are thus imperative. However, it’ll surely add up to the average cost of website design for small businesses and enterprises. Images, videos, logos, animations, and other interactive media files are subject to taste and likeability, customization level, and who you hire for the same. Freelance designers charge based on their experience and agencies can charge slightly higher considering their payouts and timeframe. 

On an average, logo design services can cost you between $1000 to $3000, whereas other design services can cost around $2000 to $5ooo. 

4. Mobile Responsive Design

Having a responsive website is the key to targeting your audience in the most flexible method. For different screen sizes of different devices, a designer makes the website functional and optimizes its visuals and CTAs. This too, adds to the cost of website development. As a matter of fact, over 50% of the global population uses mobile devices, and 90% access the internet via mobile phones, which makes responsive design inevitable for sites. 

When you hire a website development agency, they cover this aspect while developing which can save you bucks with a comprehensive package against desired features. 

Altogether with this, you can expect to incur the maintenance cost as well. Based on the complexity of the website, the maintenance charges can escalate. 

5. Maintenance Costs

When we talk about how much does it cost to build a website, maintenance costs often remain neglected. Although these costs come into the scene post-development, they have to be incurred on a regular basis and are critical for updates, security patches, bug fixes, backups, fixing links, and other things. All these things collectively enhance the website’s functionality, security, and overall performance. Outsourcing this is best if you don’t have the required expertise and time, but comes at a vast cost for detailed inspection of the existing problems in the site. 

When you outsource maintenance tasks, they typically range between 1000 INR to 20000 INR, and can go up depending on your website type. 

Website Price List By Business Types

Website development costs can highly vary for different business types: 

Since small businesses fund tightly towards several business activities, they prefer investing in a static website. This costs them less while targeting a local audience which makes them attain the best value for their investment. If you also want to know how to do digital marketing for small businesses, our top tips will help you. E-commerce websites, on the other hand, need to be dynamic and easy to navigate for users. In addition, ecommerce sites must be built following the purchase-based search algorithms.

Corporate websites cost more than basic websites as they are built for interested parties, not just for sales or customers. It is directed towards providing valuable information to its visitors, building meaningful relationships with the audience, and selling products/services. Application websites describe the features, functions, and benefits of an app to motivate visitors to download the app and ultimately retain them. 

Custom websites are the ones that are built from scratch tailored for specific requirements. The cost of such a website development is relatively high compared to other types of websites. 

If you’re having trouble deciding which plan to pick or which domain or theme platform will suit best your requirements, hire web developers from Mind Mingles – we are a full-stack digital marketing company that can not only get you a functional website but will also take care of its SEO, content marketing and optimization, maintenance, and whatnot. We have a decade of experience in handling web development projects, SEO optimizations and content creation and marketing, boosting business’ online presence. 

How Much Does It Cost To Build A Website Using Website Builder  OR CMS?

Although this highly depends on your business requirements, nature, industry, and the size of your website, you can estimate the starting range of website builders as follows: 

Conclusion

As of today, a basic website is the primary requirement for anyone looking to get online business. However, this task involves analyzing a lot of factors that can affect website development costs. Just to get started with a website, one requires a domain name, purchase hosting, and invest in an SSL certificate. However, it just doesn’t stop here, a lot of other factors like design requirements, the level of customization, content creation and marketing, SEO, plugins, maintenance, etc. add to this cost. This article serves to provide detailed insights into different facets and answers how much does it cost to build a website. 

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

(a) How Much Does It Cost To Hire A Developer?

It depends on the experience, expertise, and your website requirements. 

(b) How Much Does It Cost To Build A Website Based On Number Of Pages?

A 5-page website can cost you around 50000 INR ($600). This cost is highly variable because of the different business requirements and other factors. 

(c) What Is The Best CMS For Website Development?

WordPress is regarded as the best open-source CMS for building websites because it offers highly customizable themes, templates, and plugins. But what you must know is that there is WordPress.com and WordPress.org. WordPress.com sure does offer free plans but is good for experimentation, whereas .org provides copious customization level. So make sure you analyze the difference between their plans thoroughly.

Most site owners and developers these days regard WordPress as their go-to option for building a website. Its versatility, easy-to-use dashboard, and support system makes it a highly recommended dashboard.