Posted by Businesses whether they are operated online, offline, or a combination of both, their websites serve as digital storefronts. It is very smart to invest in professional web design.
Why Your Small Business Needs a Website
Do you have any idea how much research goes in before people buy or visit a brand or company? More than 70% of people. This is why it is very important to build a website to attract new customers and grow your business. Let us list the reasons why small businesses should invest in a website.
1. It gives you more opportunities to be discovered by the customers
With the advancement of digitalization and ease of comfort at home, people use the Internet to search for products and services that they need. Just as mentioned above, before people can pay a visit to your store, they would like to research your company online. By building a website for your small business, you are going to increase your online visibility, which means more people can see and discover your company when they search for your products and services online.
2. A website allows you to build trust with your audience
A person would only buy from you when you have earned their trust. and the first step here starts with the website. People would always go for the brand or company that meets their needs and solutions they need, and if that is not met they would choose your competitors. Your website solves this issue. You can use your website well, displaying the customer reviews and pictures, by showing all the achievements that you have made and all such information about your brand and the services that you provide. This makes an impression of an authentic company.
3. A Website Helps You Drive More Sales and Revenue
With the ease of sitting at your homes and your product being delivered right to the doorstep, people tend to love buying products and services online. Now more than ever. So when you build a website for your small business, you reach a wide audience swiftly, and also it gets super easy for potential customers to purchase the products online and contact you for your services.
For instance, you are a plumber and you add an online contact form to your website, which would allow people to directly contact you and enquire about your services.
If you sell products like clothing, beauty products, groceries, etc. you can post product images at an HD quality that would allow the customers to read reviews and detailed descriptions of your product and purchase immediately.
How Much it Costs to Build a Website for a Small Business in 2023
Building a website for a small business can range from $2000 to $10,000. This amount covers things like buying the website’s name and hosting plan and the actual design and building of your site. The exact amount of building a website can only be estimated according to the size, features, and complexity that you need it to be.
A detailed breakdown of the expenses involved in creating a website for a small business is given. Seven factors make up the expenses:
1. Domain Name
Your domain name acts as your online street address. Take the example of Google, whose online headquarters is google.com- which is their domain name. You would want your domain’s name to match your company’s name just like that of Google.
Getting a domain name usually costs around 95 cents to $12 per domain. You can buy domain names from places like GoDaddy, HotGator, or DreamHost. The domain name that you were seeking might not be available. Then you would have to think of alternatives. In such a case, you can try to make a deal with the person who already owns the domain that you desire, which would cost you more.
2. Website Hosting
Web hosting is the process of renting or buying a space to house a website on the World Wide Web. Just like you need a utility company to light up your physical store, you need a hosting plan to make your online store work. Web hosting companies provide you with the technology that keeps your website running on the internet.
The cost of website hosting can vary from $24 to $24,000 per year, depending on your needs. For small businesses, the costs are usually low. Most small websites use shared hosting, which falls in the range of $24 to $120 per year. With shared hosting, your website “shares” server space with other websites, which is why it’s more affordable.
While shared hosting may have fewer resources available, it’s usually sufficient for small websites that don’t require a lot of power. If you ever find that your site is running slowly and needs more resources, you can always upgrade your hosting plan.
3. SSL Certificate
An SSL certificate acts like a shield for your website and the information of your visitors. It is not mandatory to have, but most businesses see it as one. You may wonder why. Because this encourages people to fill out forms or buy things from your site. SSL certificates also act as a barrier against hackers, keeping the customer’s data safe which safeguards your reputation and the business.
At times you may get an SSL certificate for free, especially if it is included in your web hosting package. However, according to your requirements, you may choose to buy one, and it may cost you up to $1500 per year to ensure the website’s security.
4. Design
Talking about the cost of designing a website for a small business, the design aspect can be quite flexible. Some companies would simply want a simple look, while others would want to select an intricate design, which would need more time to design.
You may want different designs or templates for various pages on your sites, like the home page, product or service page, and contact page. This is why the cost can vary between $2,000 to $15,000. Mostly, small businesses don’t look for designs that would reach $15,000.
When you discuss your website design with the top web design and development service agencies, be sure to inquire about their pricing. You could ask them to show you examples of both high-end and basic designs and accordingly, you can craft a plan that suits the best to your business needs.
5. Number of Pages
Just like any other thing, websites come in different sizes. An online store may have more than 100 pages, while a service-based company may have less than 10 pages. From the perspective of a web design and development company, it takes time to create these pages, even if they have similar layouts.
For example, an online store has 70 pages, all designed using the same template. But your small business web development still needs to add images, videos, and text, and test each page, it requires time and effort. Which is why websites with more pages cost more.
The cost can vary from $1,000 to $5,000 for websites with 1 to 50 pages, which usually comes in the range of small business websites. The web design agencies usually charge you in groups like 1 to 10 pages and so on. Whichever category you fall into, you pay them according to that rate.
6. Functionality
The functionality of the web covers various features, with a special focus on e-commerce capabilities. If you plan to accept orders online along with online payments, you should add this to your functionality when considering your web design budget. Whatever the services you tend to provide, it is quite good, if it has an online payment mode. Customers appreciate the online payment window as it is more convenient than paying in cash.
Having a business platform that has online payment grabs the attention of the customers. Adding functionality to your website can range between $2,000 to $5,000. For smaller businesses, the functionality costs less and is closer to the lower end of the range as they don’t need the extensive payment systems that giants like Amazon and Walmart use.
For an accurate estimate of web design costs related to functionality for your small business, you should consult a professional web designing company like MMF. Where we help you with figuring out the best e-commerce functionality for your website and business.
7. CMS
CMS is a type of software that allows you to create, manage, and update website content without the need to know coding. It is like using a word processing program, for example, WordPress, Joomla, Wix, etc.
With a CMS, your company can easily make changes and update your website without actually contacting a developer. For example, if you want to change the price of a product, or you want to take a product off the page since its production is now discontinued, you can simply log into your CMS and make the changes on your own. On average, CMS can cost you between $2,000 to $5,000.
Again, the actual cost of your CMS will depend on the specifics you choose and how much customization you need. If your design and development team spends more time customizing your CMS to fit your needs, it is bound to cost you more.
Additional Costs to Consider for Small Business Websites
Now that you have a brief knowledge of the costs that go into website development, you should see what other expenses you should keep a budget for.
Add-Ons and Plugins
Plugins are a software component that adds a specific feature to your website, it could be anything like contact forms, tables, testimonials, and more. You can always check the prices of these plugins if you are interested. There are some free plugins available too!
Hiring a Web Designer
The benefits of hiring a professional web development company in the case when you do not know how to design or do not have an in-house web designer help you provide a quote for creating your website. It is always a good idea to compare quotes and designers to find the best fit for your business. You should even request a free quote from MMF Infotech Technologies.
SEO (Search Engine Optimization)
If you want to see your website on the top search engines like Google or Bing, you should invest in an SEO strategy. It involves improving various aspects of your website like creating content, building links, loading speed, etc. If you are not in favor of taking care of the SEO on your own, you can always take the help of our SEO services, which are experienced and up-to-date with the ongoing trends. Contact or visit us today and get a quote.
Conclusion
Small business website costs depend on a range of factors, which include design preferences for all the features that you want to include. You can decide on an estimated budget for developing a website and then negotiate with the web designing and development company accordingly. They will guide you better and help you further with your website development.
