Websites for Small Businesses: How Much Does It Cost and What Are the Benefits

10 min read

Having a website for your small business is a great step towards generating and keeping up a loyal clientele. Getting started may seem overwhelming, but with the right website design and a thorough knowledge of the costs, you’re just a few clicks away from a successful online store.

The cost of a business website can vary according to a bunch of factors, including professional website designers, web hosting companies, custom domains, and website maintenance. However, the start-up costs for a unique business website will usually total a minimum of $2000. Understanding what factors influence the cost of a small business website will help you plan accordingly.

What Are Some of the Costs of Websites for Small Businesses?

If you are looking to start a small business website, you will want to look at the initial costs of website development. This can be broken down into a few simple factors, including:

Development
Domain name
Website design
SSL certification
CMS (or Content Management System)

These essential services will assist in the initial process of website development and allow for continued maintenance of your small business’ website. Each of these factors has a varying cost depending on how you want your own website to function.

Building a Website

First, you might consider researching your competitor’s websites to formulate a plan of action better. This will give you a good idea of what features will work best for your specific small business.

The cost of building your own website will vary by which features work best for your business’s intended purpose. For instance, if you are looking for a website that deals mainly with blog articles and generating word of mouth, you will need an advanced WordPress site like the ones offered through Ecwid.

Ecwid works to provide a sustainable online shop platform for small businesses, and our website builder can easily help you navigate this process. Moreover, even if you decide to build a website from the ground up, there is never a fee to build your own website with Ecwid. This means that starting up here is risk-free.

Best website builders

Many of the best website builders will come with regular fees for keeping your website active. There are many options to choose from like Squarespace, or Wix that are great for building your first small business store and website. However, each of these comes with subscription costs or hidden purchases.

Many website builders allow you to create a base small business website for a flat rate before charging a recurring subscription fee to keep your online store active. With us, no matter what subscription you choose after developing your website, including our free option, your website is yours.

When looking for the best website builder, you must factor in what it has to offer. You will want to find a builder that helps you:

find a domain name that fits your online store
connect to essential software like WordPress
generate traffic on your website
remain engaged with eCommerce trends
connect with multiple social media platforms

Typically, if you choose a self-designed website builder like us, you may spend anywhere from $0 to $300 for the initial setup. We never charge for website creation, but some of the other best website builders tag on charges for upgraded software and design. So be careful when choosing the best website builder to meet your financial needs.

Professional web designer

If you have the funds for a more substantial initial start-up investment, you can take a hands-off approach to building your small business site. A professional web designer typically costs about $2000 to $10,000 for full-service website design.

This is a great option if you need a flashy website with hands-off maintenance and professional guidance to help set your business in motion. However, this comes with greater cost and reliance on whichever web hosting company you choose to work with.

Finding a Domain

Most often, a website domain is included in the start-up cost of any website builder. However, if you decide to create your own website without one of these services, you will need to purchase a unique domain for your business.

If you plan to use a traditional domain (.com, .net, .edu, etc.), the starting cost should be anywhere between $10 and $20. However, creating a custom domain for your business (.business, .shop, etc.) can cost anywhere between $200 and $300 annually. Most domains are essentially rented, meaning you will typically pay any associated fees yearly in one lump sum.

Free domains

Our domains are automatically included with your free website, so you do not have to pay the annual fees usually associated with owning a URL. There are many other options to choose from when finding a domain. Depending on your needs, you may even find some as low as $1.

However, consider what platform you are using when choosing a domain. For instance, Shopify allows a free trial of keeping your domain active for shoppers to traffic. However, you have to pay a monthly fee in order to keep that domain accessible.

If you are unsure of your platform’s policy on domain ownership, be prepared to pay up to $20 for a standard WordPress Site or easily accessible website builder.

Business licensing

You will need an SSL certification and license to keep customer information safe and secure on your domain. This certification is free with your Ecwid website, so it’s one less thing you need to worry about. Otherwise, you may have to purchase your SSL certification through services partnered with your website builder.

Some builders, like WordPress, include the price of an SSL certification in the monthly fee. However, many certification sites charge between $70 and $300 per year. An expensive SSL certification can help attract more clientele. However, this may not be something needed in the beginning stages of your small business.

Website Design

Themes and design are a big part of the start-up cost of an online shop. For instance, WordPress charges a monthly fee of $33 for a business WordPress site, but adding a premium theme will tag on an additional $60 monthly fee.

Designing your business website will also include graphic design elements and added pages. These added pages could be product listings, customer support, blog posts, etc., and each page will add extra fees when going through professional website builders.

Overall, you can expect to pay between $1,100 and $3,800 for a web designer’s initial fee, plus around $600 to $2800 per year in maintenance costs. The best way to negate these costs is to find a free website builder that allows you to choose your small business website details with no hidden fees.

Website Maintenance

A large portion of the initial maintenance of your website will be dependent on your Content Management System. CMS programs are a type of software that allows your online store to properly function. This may include small software programs like Microsoft Word or larger systems that encompass a WordPress site.

Most small business websites will need an online word processing system like WordPress in order to directly edit your online store’s content without a thorough understanding of writing code. The cost of a WordPress site can vary by web hosting companies. However, if you plan to build your site from the ground up, you can expect to pay around $400 per year in one flat fee or $33 per month.

Get Started Today!

Starting your own small business website can be an expensive process. However, there are certain steps you can take in order to ensure you are getting the best value.

After assessing the needs of your online store, try Ecwid to see how easy it is to get started and how well they meet your needs. With Ecwid, your brand new free website or online shop is just a few clicks away.

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Jul 2, 2021

About the author

Max has been working in the ecommerce industry for the last six years helping brands to establish and level-up content marketing and SEO. Despite that, he has experience with entrepreneurship. He is a fiction writer in his free time.