How much does it cost to develop a website? The answer depends on so many factors; it does not have a simple, straight answer.

Based on our experience as a website development company since 2015, we can give you the estimated cost to develop a website based on different website categories.

Website Type	Estimated Cost (USD)
Simple Personal Website	$500 – $4,000
Small Business Website	$2,000 – $10,000
Corporate Website	$5,000 – $20,000
E-commerce Website	$10,000 – $50,000
Custom Web Application	$20,000 – $150,000
Blog or Content Website	$2,000 – $10,000
Portfolio Website	$1,500 – $5,000
Non-Profit Website	$2,000 – $10,000
Educational Website	$5,000 – $25,000
Healthcare Website	$10,000 – $50,000
Real Estate Website	$5,000 – $30,000
Entertainment Website	$5,000 – $20,000
Community or Forum Website	$3,000 – $15,000
Membership Website	$5,000 – $40,000
Social Media Website	$20,000 – $100,000

These estimated website development costs are based on our experience developing more than 300 websites over the years.

Book A Free Website Development Consultation Now

Importance of Having A Website for Businesses and Individuals

• According to Stanford University, 75% of consumers judge a company’s credibility based on their website.
• According to SmallBusinessWeb, 8 out of 10 consumers are more likely to engage with businesses that have a website.
• According to TargetInternet, websites increase leads and reduce customer service costs.

So, in this digital landscape, having a website is a must for every business, according to all the facts above.

Factors Affecting Website Development Costs

Getting the right estimated website development cost is easy when you know how different factors affect your website development budget, estimating the right cost is easy. Here are the major factors that affect website development costs.

• Design and Complexity: A simpler website lowers the cost, but if you need an advanced and complex design, this will increase the overall cost.
• Design Charges: Custom UI/UX design also accounts for the majority of the cost. It can also be low or high, depending on the custom design, pages, and graphics.
• Technology Stack: Your choice of tools and technologies for development impacts the price.
• Development Level Customization: Highly customized features and functionality increase development costs.
• Maintenance and Support: Maintenance and support also increase the cost of website development projects.
• Market Rate: The cost of developing a website also varies depending on the geographical location and market rate.

This is an overview of the major factors that affect website costs. Later in this article, we will discuss them in depth. Now is the time to discover how different business category websites cost you differently.

We are going to discuss four types of websites:

• Personal Websites
• Business Websites
• Ecommerce Websites
• Custom Websites

Website Development Cost for Different Types of Websites

Let’s understand the calculation behind how different categories of websites cost you differently.

#1 Personal Website Development Cost

You may have encountered such websites while browsing the internet looking for freelancers, personal coaches, workshops, and events. These websites do not exceed more than 10 pages and only require simple functionality work. For example, portfolio websites are personal websites to show work to visitors and provide them with a point of contact so they can hire you.

Cost range and basic features –

Personal websites cost you between $1000 and $4000 based on the specific feature requirements, for example, a contact form, newsletter signup, multimedia integration, testimonials, etc.

#2 Business Website Development Cost

Small business websites and medium to large business websites are subcategories of business websites. Let’s understand both one by one.

2.1 Small business website development cost

Small business website development costs vary between $2,000 and $10,000. These are websites with 5–25 pages including service, contact, about, testimonial, blog or news, portfolio, privacy policy, terms and conditions, gallery, career, and FAQ pages. Required some basic custom development.

2.2 Medium- to large business website development cost

Medium- to large-business website development costs start at $5,000 and go up to $100,000 depending on the requirements. These categories include e-commerce, customer service software, productivity software, website building platforms, and technology. These websites need complex features, resource pages, third-party software integration, template libraries, an extensive product catalog, user accounts, a backend panel, and customer support. As a result, the cost of these websites varies greatly.

Here is an overview of the estimated cost based on the complexity and size of a website.

1. Basic Websites

• Features: static pages, simple navigation, basic contact forms, minimal customization.
• Design: pre-made templates or minimal custom design.
• Functionality: No advanced features or integrations.
• Estimated Cost:
  • Medium Business: $5,000-$15,000
  • Large Business: $15,000-$30,000

2. Intermediate Websites

• Features: dynamic content, blog, basic e-commerce, custom forms, moderate interactivity.
• Design: Create a custom design with some interactive elements.
• Functionalities: Integration with CRM or email marketing tools, basic SEO, and user accounts.
• Estimated Cost:
  • Medium Business: $15,000-$30,000
  • Large Business: $30,000-$60,000

3. Advanced Websites

• Features: complex e-commerce, custom applications, advanced integrations, extensive content management, user personalization.
• Design: A fully custom design with advanced interactivity and animations.
• Functionality: advanced integrations with third-party services (CRM, ERP), multi-language support, advanced SEO, extensive security features.
• Estimated Cost:
  • Medium Business: $30,000-$60,000
  • Large Business: $60,000 – $150,000+

4. Enterprise-Level Websites

• Features: high traffic handling, custom enterprise solutions, advanced data analytics, multiple integrations, extensive user management.
• Design: Custom design with sophisticated UX/UI, interactive elements, and high-level visual effects.
• Functionality: complex backend systems, extensive API integrations, multi-region and multi-language support, high-level security features.
• Estimated Cost:
  • Medium Business: $60,000 – $100,000+
  • Large Business: $100,000-$500,000+

#3 E-commerce Website Development Cost

If we specifically talk about e-commerce websites, then it can cost between $10,000 and $150,000. The cost can vary depending on the platform you select, the features you require, the quantity of products, the number of categories, and the integration of payment gateways.

E-commerce websites cost the most and need multiple payment gateway integration, a custom admin panel, multiple vendor dashboards, and shipping handling functionalities.

#4 Custom Website Development Cost

Custom website development costs can vary between $1,000 and $100,000 depending on your custom requirements. Custom websites, in contrast to template-based or pre-built websites, require custom programming, third-party integration, and API integration.

Get Your Free Website Quote

Other Essential Components Effect Website Development Cost

To make a website functional online and ready to use, various additional components or services are required. In this section of the article, we explain what these components are and how much they cost. The following components, in addition to web development, are required for a website launch.

Component	Estimated Cost
Domain Name Registration	$1 – $50/year
Website Hosting	Shared Hosting: $2 – $15/month VPS Hosting: $20 – $80/month Dedicated Hosting: $100 – $500+/month Cloud Hosting: $10 – $300/month
SSL Certificates	$0 – $500/year
Content Creation	Basic Content: $50 – $200/page SEO Content: $100 – $500/page Photography/Video: $500 – $3,000+
SEO (Search Engine Optimization)	Basic SEO: $100 – $500 (one-time) Ongoing SEO: $500 – $5,000+/month
CMS Licensing Fees	Open-source: Free Proprietary CMS: $10 – $300+/month
Third-Party Integrations & Plugins	Basic Plugins: $0 – $200 Advanced Plugins: $200 – $1,000+
Website Maintenance	$50 – $500/month
Marketing & Advertising	$100 – $10,000+/month

Let’s learn about each component briefly.

Domain Name Registration –

The domain name is the name of your website, or part of the URL. Generally, a domain name is the business name that your customers used to find you on the internet. You must register a domain name so that your website will appear whenever your customers search for one.

You can buy a domain name from websites such as GoDaddy, Namecheap, Bluehost, Hover, and more. A domain costs $1 per year, but it can go up to $50 per year.

Website Hosting –

Website hosting, also known as servers, is an online space that stores website data and files. So whenever a user searches about your business online, the related pages appear on search engines with data and information you store on the server in the form of a website.

All the domain-selling companies also offer website hosting services, and there are also hosting providers that offer hosting, especially. Here are some of the hosting providers and their pricing plans.

Shared Hosting

• GoDaddy: $5.99/month
• Bluehost: $2.95/month
• HostGator: $3.75/month
• SiteGround: $2.99/month
• DreamHost: $2.95/month
• A2 Hosting: $1.95/month
• InMotion Hosting: $2.99/month

Managed WordPress Hosting

• WP Engine: $20/month
• Liquid Web: $21/month

Green Hosting

• GreenGeeks: $11.95/month

Note: All hosting plan prices are taken from the official sites as of September 9, 2024. They may change when you check on a different day.

SSL Certificate –

An SSL certificate is an online layer of security that encrypts data exchanged between a website and its users. SSL certificates can be free or $500 per year. Some hosting providers or domain providers offer free SSL certificates with their service.

Content Creation –

Content is the information about businesses on your website that users read. It can be text, images, graphs, videos or any other form of content. Companies charge you to create highly engaging content for your website. The estimated cost of content creation ranges from $20 to $500 per page.

SEO –

SEO is the process of optimizing website pages so that they can rank highly on search engine results pages. SEO companies perform different SEO techniques to optimize website pages; for this, they charge an amount. SEO costs range from $100 to $500 (one-time) or $500 to $5,000+ per month.

CMS Licensing Fees –

Content management systems (CMS) serve as software tools for designing, developing, and managing the content of websites. Through this software, you can easily manage website content without needing technical knowledge.

CMS	Licensing Fees
WordPress	Open-source: Free Managed WordPress hosting: Varies (typically starts around $20-$30/month)
Joomla Open-source	Free Commercial extensions: Can vary widely
Drupal Open-source	Free Commercial modules and support: Can vary widely
Magento	Open-source: Free Enterprise Edition: Starts at $22,500/year
Shopify	SaaS platform: Monthly subscription plans (start at $29/month)
Wix	SaaS platform: Monthly subscription plans (start at $16/month)
Squarespace	SaaS platform: Monthly subscription plans (start at $12/month)

Table: CMS Licensing Fees

Third Party Apps and Plugins –

Sometimes a website needs custom features that need specific third party apps or plugins. So adding third party software to the website costs you. The price of apps and plugins totally depends on the company providing them. It may charge you on a monthly or lifetime basis.

The value of apps and plugins can range from free to over $1000.

Website Maintenance –

Companies offer website maintenance services ranging from $50 to $500 per month.

Marketing and Advertising –

If you want to market and advertise your business, it can cost you anywhere from $100 per month to more than $10,000 per month, depending on your requirements and type of company.

In-house vs. Hiring Freelancers vs. Web Development Agencies

In-house Web Development Team

In-house web development teams are best for large and growing organizations that need custom functionalities, high level collaborations with other departments, require data security and confidentiality, and also have the high budget to afford in-house development teams.

Pros

• Direct control over the development process.
• Easy to communicate and collaborate.
• Faster response time.
• The team ensures consistent quality and standard work throughout the development process.
• It is simple to change or adjust projects according to company needs.

Cons

• The most expensive items include team salaries, perks, equipment costs, and rent or space costs.
• Hiring the best professionals takes time.
• Scaling up quickly is difficult.

Expert tip – So if you are a small business or organization, we suggest you don’t spend such a large amount of money and time building your in-house team.

Hire Web Development Company

Hiring a web development company is the best solution for any business or organization. They have a multidisciplinary and expert team. You just need to share your requirements with them, along with the rest of the work done by website development companies.

Pros

• Cost effective solution compared to an in-house team.
• Web development companies have expertise and experience in creating and launching a website.
• They offer comprehensive services under a roof.
• Web development companies use the latest technology and tools to build websites.
• Companies follow structured processes and project management practices.
• They are open to adapting to any ongoing changes or requirements.
• Companies assured 100 percent customer satisfaction.
• Web development companies deliver projects in a timely manner.

Cons

• Compared to freelancers, the cost is higher.
• Less direct control on projects.
• There could potentially be a communication gap if you and the company don’t communicate effectively.
• It takes a longer time to complete a project.

Expert tip – We suggest you hire a web development company, whether you are a small organization or a large company.

Hire A Freelancer

You can also hire a freelancer for your project. You can hire freelancers from platforms like Upwork, Fiverrr, Freelancer, Guru, Toptal, PeoplePerHour, and many more. 

Pros

• Cheaper compared to the above two.
• You can hire freelancers who specialize in specific technology and tasks.
• This is the best option for short-term, small and simple website development.
• Direct and straightforward communication.
• You can choose from thousands of freelance professionals.

Cons

• Inconsistent quality and work standards.
• There is a dependency on a single person and a risk of project discontinuity.
• Freelancers are in short supply.
• Project management has no control.

Expert tip – If you have a budget, we suggest you choose a web development company, but if you need simple websites like portfolios, single page websites with no complex functionalities, then a freelancer is best for you.

Conclusion

A website is the representation of your business online and the ultimate point of contact for your customers, so it should be highly user-friendly, responsive, intuitive and simple to navigate.

The cost of developing a website is highly variable depending on a variety of factors such as design complexity, custom development requirements, technology stack, market rate, and country. With experience as a website development company since 2015, we try to provide you with all the factors and estimate costs so you can find the ideal estimated price for your website development requirements.

At Start Designs, we provide web design and development solutions for all types of businesses to help them achieve their vision. Contact us today if you need expert digital transformation solutions for your business.