The costs of having a website
A handy list of things to consider when commissioning a new website.
1) Domain name
(£12 - £30 per year)
Firstly you will need a domain name.
We have used Heart Internet since 2006 (123 or GoDaddy are good alternatives). Prices are fairly standard across most providers.
We recommend buying both .co.uk (about £12 per annum) and .com (about £25 per annum). If you are a community organisation .org may be more appropriate. There are plenty of other options such as .uk, .biz, .hotel, .solutions etc, but we suggest only buying these if it is relevant for your business ( or you are concerned that a competitor may buy them).
If you would like help, we are happy to guide your purchase and register your domain name.
2) Website hosting
(£80 - £400+ per year)
Website hosting is an annual rental fee for the server space where your website files are stored and accessed by your visitors.
It is important that hosting is secure, reliable and fast.
Costs vary depending on the complexity and popularity of your website.
It is also important to ensure an SSL Certificate is included.
3) Business email address
(£25 - £50 per year for each mailbox)
A professional email address is definitely worth setting up. You don’t want to give your clients and customers the wrong first impression by using a Gmail or BT address.
4) Your time
You will need to set aside some of your time to think about what your website visitors want to know, your website objectives and structure.
You will need to think about the content, graphics and images. We can help with some or all of this, but we will need guidance from you - you know your business far better than we ever will.
Content
Well written content is essential to communicate your brand story and to optimise your search engine rankings. For some, it is one of the things that take the most time.
Images, videos and graphics
If you have the budget, then it is worth hiring a professional photographer to take photos of your business, your products and your team. This will help you stand out from your competition.
However, if your budget is limited, there are both free and paid for stock photo libraries which offer many high quality image options.
One word of warning, always check the copyright of any images you use. For example, please do not trawl through Google Images or other websites and use their photos. Most will be subject to copyright and there can be heavy penalties for infringements.
E-commerce
If you are setting up an online store, you will need to think about selecting the range, product descriptions and specifications, pricing, delivery costs and how you will fulfil orders. In addition, the product range will need updating regularly.
5) Website design and development
This is what we do. Design you a website that appeals to your customers and encourages them to do something.
Our costs vary from a starter package to an all singing, all dancing website with bespoke functionality.
Our costs will always be good value. We work from home which means we have lower overheads. Our experience helps us work productively. We have the intuition and know-how to solve things quickly: or we know where we can look for a solution.
Our care and attention to detail means that the return on your investment will be worth it.
6) Transaction fees?
If you are selling products or tickets for an event, there will be transaction fees. This varies depending on the payment gateway you choose. Stripe charge 1.4% but the more ubiquitous PayPal charge 3.4% commission plus 20p per transaction on every sale.
7) Training
Initial training is included in any project we undertake. This is via phone or in person depending on your preference. The systems we use, be they our own content management system or Squarespace, are easy to use and training won't take long.
8) Support and updates
If you want to make the most of your website and ensure it supports the growth of your business, you will want to keep it regularly updated.
You will be able to do most of the day to day updates yourself, but there may be times when you need our specialist help and support. We are always ready and willing! We can charge an hourly rate or a periodical maintenance rate depending on your preference.
