How much does a website cost?

“How much does a website cost?” is naturally one of the first questions most customers have when they call me. Like the cost of a car or a house, the price can vary quite a bit.

Most web design companies do not discuss pricing publicly. Many agencies guess at how much they can get from a client, and then press to close that sale.

I’d rather be open and upfront so I don’t waste your time.

$75 per hour

I charge $75 per hour for all web design work. I run a timer, and I bill by the minute. If I spend 24 minutes updating your website, you’ll be charged $30.

You are not charged for the time I spend pacing the room or walking the neighborhood thinking about your website. You’re charged for hands-on time, or meetings, or phone conferencing.

2.5 hours = $187.50 per page

I generally allocate 2.5 hours for an average web page consisting of multiple blocks of text and a handful of images. This would be pre-existing text that only needs slight editing and layout, plus pre-existing digital images that I optimize and upload.

Naturally, additional features on a web page — such as a contact form — take more time. So do functions like ecommerce.

40 hours = $3,000 for a typical website

Extending $187.50 out to a 15-page website would bring the cost to $2,812.50. Add another 2.5 hours to cover time spent installing and configuring WordPress and your theme, and the total is $3,000 for 40 hours of work.

A project like this usually takes about three weeks to complete.

$500 for a minimal, one-page website

The most minimal website — one with everything on a single page — might cost $500 to build and be finished in four days.

50% non-refundable down payment

Once I have a clear idea of the website you’re looking for, I’ll give you an estimate of my fee to build it. If you agree to the price, you’ll pay half up front as a non-refundable down payment, and I’ll begin work. If, while work is in progress, you request changes that increase the cost, you will be advised accordingly.

The remainder will be due when your website is complete. Usually, the final cost is very close to the estimate.

$200-$250 for web hosting

Your website will also need to be hosted somewhere.

I’ll have you purchase your own hosting account using your own credit card. This way, you ultimately hold the keys to your website, which is very important. I’ve had business owners come to me after their web designer soured or died, and they were locked out of their own websites.

The cost of hosting varies depending on what plan you buy from which host, but a rough guess would be $200 to $250 for a three-year plan.

I can guide you through this selection.

Additional costs

If your website requires plugins for special functionality or stock photos and images, you will purchase those licenses or subscriptions separately.

Why is this a good bargain?

First of all, you save untold amounts of time and money. You don’t have to buy and learn software to edit raster and vector graphics. You don’t have to learn HTML, CSS, or PHP. You don’t have to understand hexadecimal color codes, font pairing, or the difference between relative and absolute positioning.

Also, it’s a smart investment. How much print advertising will $3,000 buy, and where will it be two weeks after it runs? How many TV ads can you produce and run for $3,000?

Depending on the business you’re in, one good lead might pay for your website entirely. There are websites I built for clients months and years ago that continue to generate leads and sales today.

Let’s begin

If you’re ready to get started — or if you have other questions for me — let’s talk.