Websites are all the rage right now as brands try to establish their mark on the online landscape. With slogans such as “Make Money While You Sleep,” people do really want to get into the online business. But the question in every aspiring online publisher’s mind is how much a website cost.

At Web Design of York, PA, for example, we’ve been in the web design business for over 7-years now. With our skilled and trusted expertise in the field, here are some insights into the costs you can expect for different types of websites.

Depending on personal motivations, the cost of building a website can go from a hundred to thousands of dollars. If you are familiar with web building, then a DIY approach could save you several thousands of dollars. But if you do not know the hacks around web building, DIY could be costly, especially when you end up paying for useless items. That’s why professional help is the way to go. If you are wondering if you should get a professional website designer for your business or do it yourself check out our article: “Should I get a custom Website Design for my Startup Business?”

The Hidden Costs of Website Building

What determines the website cost are the tools needed to set it up. It’s easy to build a website on a budget if you know the hacks around web building. But if you don’t know what to do, you may end up paying for useless items.

No matter the vision you have for your website, the necessary steps to set up the site will always be the same: Finding and purchasing a domain then finding hosting for your domain and finally setting up the website (with or without embellishing features)

• Finding and Purchasing a domain

A domain is a website’s online address. Domain names could be anything. For example, Microsoft.com and Cornell.edu are domain names. They are what visitors type in their browsers to locate Microsoft or Cornell university web pages. And that’s the function of domains – address for finding a website via browser.

After buying a domain name, you have to register it, which gives you the right to use it for a year when you can then choose to renew the domain or let it expire. Renewal costs depend on the registrar.

You can buy domains from Brokers, Auction Websites, or just the Registrar of domains. You can choose between new and aged domains. New domains cost less, while aged domains can go from a hundred to thousands of dollars. That is because aged domains are the expiring or expired domains that have an already established authority, referrals, and backlinks that are good for website visibility. People bid for such aged domains, SEO.COM, for example, sold for a whopping $5 million in 2007.

At Web Design of York, we recommend brand new domains from our trusted domain broker, Hover.com. They have domains costing as low as $4.99; check them out!

• Finding Hosting for Your Website

This is the server where your website will be located. It’s your website’s home where all user queries are directed. You can seek the services of a web hosting company or build your servers to establish the internet connectivity that puts your website online.

Hosting options include SEO hosts -suitable for visibility on search engines. If you are on a budget, you can pony up for Shared Hosts, where costs get amortized over several customers leading to low hosting expenses but with less administrative control. There’s also the Virtual Private Servers, which is like Shared Hosts but with more administrative control at an extra fee.

Others include Technical hosts such as Amazon and DigitalOcean. Best for highly trafficked sites that need extra security. They also provide packages where you choose the software to run and how many domains to host. The technical host is expensive in comparison to SEO and shared hosts.

At Web Design of York, we provide WordPress hosting services. Enjoy excellent customer support, enhanced security, regular updates, faster web speeds, and plugins from our WP Engines starting at $50 per month.

• Design and Development

After you’ve gotten your domain and decided on hosting services, the next step is to set up the website. The cost here depends on the scope of design and development work required. This is the point where you choose between simple design, a feature-rich design, an online store, or a custom-built website.

For Basic Information sites, no heavy maintenance is needed, and you could just do with pre-made themes too. If you’re looking to provide some pleasant cyberspace experience; however, custom themes and plugins are a must. The cost of design and development also depends on who is providing the graphics; if you don’t have your own, you’ve got to pay for them, eg. Stock images.

Bottom Line

In retrospect, the cost of setting up and hosting a website can go from a couple of hundreds of dollars to thousands depending on your budget, the experience you want to provide, and the site you want to build. While DIY is appealing, it’s only cool if you know what to do. Professional services, on the other hand, may come at a higher price but with pleasant results.

At Web Design of York in Pennsylvania, for example, our seven year’s experience in the business puts us in a remarkable position to deliver quality design masterpieces. Feel free to get a quotation from us now for custom-built websites.