How much will a website for a small business cost in 2024?

How much will a professional website cost in 2024?

It all boils down to how much work is involved. Specifically, the two factors that determine how much work is required are the size and complexity of your website. This means that a good-looking, professional ten-page informational website with standard customization will cost less than a highly customized 50-page website with all the bells and whistles.

In terms of actual costs, the cost of creating a website for a small business could be less than EUR 1,500 or more than EUR 15,000.

That's a big price range. So let's break things down so you can get a realistic estimate of the cost of designing and developing your website.

NOTEThe following information applies to small and medium-sized businesses. It is not intended for large companies with deep pockets where full-time employees who design, develop and manage their websites in-house are paid 80,000 to 120,000 EUR per year.

What does a website from a web designer cost?

The design of a professional website can vary greatly and depends on various factors. The costs for the Web design may vary depending on the complexity of the desired website and the chosen service provider.

A freelancer might be able to design the website more cheaply, although the cost of a website from an agency tends to be higher. Prices for creating a website also vary, depending on the specific requirements and features you need.

As a rule, you can expect the cost of having a website created by a freelancer or revising your existing website to be lower than the cost of an agency. When deciding whether to have a website created or design it yourself, you should also consider the time required.

Remember that a well-designed, professional website is a valuable investment in your business, and often the price reflects the quality of the work.

The exact cost of a website or homepage can only be determined by an individual offer based on your specific needs and requirements.

Here are the two options (with prices) for designing and developing a website for small businesses:

First option: Work with an agency or freelancer to create a website

If you're very busy running your business and/or just not a techie, you need to hire someone to build your website for you. It's as simple as that.

However, if you've searched online and visited websites of website designers/developers, you've probably come across the following:

• No prices given at all.
• Prices all over the menu, from ridiculously cheap to crazy expensive.

The good news is that I've rolled up my sleeves and researched for you what it will cost to build (or redesign) a small business website in 2023.

How much does a professional website cost?

For web designers who have quoted their prices, I have found that the price of creating a modern, professional website for small businesses in 2023 is usually between 3,000 and 6,000 EUR. However, depending on the number of pages on the website, it can be up to 20,000 EUR (or more) and the amount of customization required.

Website design vs. website development. Website design and website development (also known as UI and UX design) are often used interchangeably, but they are two very different things. Website design is like working with an architect to create the blueprint for your house. Website development is like working with a contractor to actually build your house. The 2023 price estimates listed above are for both website design *and *website development (i.e. the full total cost).

Now that you have an idea of what things cost, let's take a closer look at the specific factors that affect the price of creating a small business website:

• Page volumeSuppose a web development company offers a ten-page website package for EUR 3,500, but your website needs 25 pages - how much extra will that cost? The rule of thumb is to add about 100 EUR per page beyond what is included in the standard website package. In this example, adding 15 pages (to the ten pages included in the standard website package) would cost EUR 1,500. Add this amount to the original base price of EUR 3,500 and the revised total is EUR 6,000. Of course, every situation will be different, but at least you get a reasonable cost estimate based on industry-standard prices in 2023.

• Custom site layoutEvery website starts with a theme or template. Nobody codes a website from scratch anymore. It's far too time consuming and expensive. With a template or theme, you often reach 50-60 % of the finish line. However, a lot of customization and coding is still required to make your website look and function the way you want it to. The more customization and coding required, the higher the cost. Templates and themes are a major reason why they can often create a professional small business website in the 3,000 to 6,000 EUR range instead of 15,000 to 20,000 EUR or more.

• Custom images and graphicsFancy images and graphics can give your website a unique look, but they come at a price. Sophisticated visual effects often require specialized editing software and the talent of a custom graphic design specialist.

• Customized logoAlthough not required, a custom logo is a nice addition to any website. If you want to get a decent looking, professionally designed logo in 2023, expect to pay between 500 and 1,000 EUR.

• User-defined programmingSometimes you can find a WordPress plugin that immediately offers the desired functions (e.g. Picture carousel, Member portal, Payment calculator etc.). In other cases, it takes considerable trial and error to get your website to do what you want it to do. In a perfect world, everything would be plug-and-play and work perfectly the first time - but that's rarely the case. It usually takes some tinkering and testing to get everything working as intended.

• Number of design revisionsMost website projects start with an initial concept design (similar to a rough draft). Then it's common to do 1 or 2 rounds of design revisions to get everything right. Some website designers offer up to 3-5 rounds of design revisions. Technically, a website designer can offer as many rounds of design revisions as they want. However, keep in mind that each design iteration increases the overall cost of the project. In my experience, 1-2 rounds of design revisions are more than sufficient in 99 % of cases.

• Development of website content (i.e. copywriting)Solid, thoughtful and compelling content is the foundation of any great website. If you are launching a new website but don't yet have content, it needs to be developed. If you have an existing website but the content is weak, outdated or stale, it needs to be refined, improved or possibly even reworked. Over the years, I've found that the biggest obstacle to launching a website is content development.

PRO TIP 1: If you want to hire a freelance web designer to help you with your website but don't feel like you can afford a lump sum payment upfront, check to see if they offer financing. That way, you'll get "a really nice website now" that you can use to grow your business without draining your bank account.

 PRO TIP 2: Be careful with your budget. Unusually low prices often lead to poor workmanship, an unpleasant experience or you paying extra for every little thing.

Second option: Create your own website

If you have a basic understanding of web technology and can do the work well yourself, you can fully create your own website.

The raw materials you need are not particularly expensive:

• Domain name: 10 - 12 EUR per year to register a new domain. There are many providers to choose from. I prefer IONOS.com

• Website hosting: The cost of web hosting varies greatly and depends on a number of factors, including the location of your server and the number of visitors you expect. An understandable example of a web hosting provider is IONOS. IONOS, a German-based company, offers web hosting services that are suitable for both small and larger websites. The cost of hosting with IONOS ranges from €5 to €25 per month (including domain and SSL). This price range offers a variety of options tailored to the needs of different customers.

• SSL certificate: Even if you don't plan on selling things directly from your website, you still want to secure your website with the HTTPS protocol. Here's an article I wrote to explain HTTPS in plain English. You can get an SSL certificate for as little as 10 EUR a year or 200-300 EUR a year. Browse around, but don't buy more than you actually need. UPDATE: Some web hosting companies now offer a free SSL certificate as an incentive to host your website with them.

• Premium Website Themes: 40 - 200 EUR. There are hundreds, if not thousands of themes to choose from. Some free, some paid. I challenge you to spend a few euros and get a quality theme. I have written a post about this and the best page builders compared.

• Premium Plugins: 50 - 1000 EUR. As with website themes, you usually get what you pay for. Do yourself a favor and invest a few dollars to get premium plugins. Two premium plugins we use on almost every site we build are Fluentforms, Perfmatters, SEOPress, for example. Yes, there are many free plugins and many of them are excellent. But there are also many bad plugins that don't work as advertised and waste a lot of time. So be careful!

• Stock photos: If you're a good photographer or already have high-quality images for your website, you're all set. However, there's a chance you'll need to buy some images to spruce up your website a bit. Places I recommend are:
• Unsplash.com (Free pictures without copyright)
• Pexels.com (Free pictures without copyright)
• Shutterstock.com (with costs)

How much does a website cost per year? All in all, you can realistically expect to spend between EUR 300 and EUR 600 for the start-up.

Obviously, the main cost of the DIY option is your time.

Even for a "simple" website, don't be surprised if it takes you 20 to 40 hours to produce something of decent quality that you can be proud of. That's assuming you're already familiar with creating a website. If you're completely new to this, multiply that time estimate by 2x or 3x. I'm not exaggerating.

Creating a modern, sophisticated website is much more time-consuming than most people think. However, if you have more time than money right now and aren't overwhelmed by web technology, the DIY approach is a viable option.

The cost of website updates, upgrades, maintenance and licenses. Once your website is launched, your work is not done. Just like buying a house, you'll need to invest time, effort and money to maintain it. For example, there are annual hosting and maintenance fees and possibly annual license fees for premium plugins and services. It's likely that you'll purchase new images as you update and expand your website.

You can add employees or hire freelancers to create new custom web content or videos and boost your marketing efforts. Your site also requires ongoing technical maintenance to install updates and security patches for WordPress core files and WordPress plugins to protect your site from hacking. Yes, even small business websites are targets for hackers.

If you like to do these updates yourself, that's great. But sometimes routine updates break your site, so you need to know what to do when this happens. Are you ready to deal with the following error messages?

You also need an external backup system so that your site can be restored quickly in the event of a catastrophic hardware or software failure (or user error!) that crashes your site. Sorry to alarm you, but these things really do happen!

If you prefer not to worry about the messy behind-the-scenes technical maintenance of your website, you can purchase a website maintenance plan for between 40 and 300 EUR per month, depending on the services you require.

PRO TIP: You can avoid annual license fees by working with a freelance web designer who manages a developer license for the premium WordPress plugins used on your website. In other words, the developer's license covers your annual license fees. In particular, a premium form plugin like Fluent Forms has an annual license fee of 79 EUR per year. My customers avoid these annual fees, however, as they fall under my developer license.

As your business grows and evolves, your website may need more complex features. If you can implement these technical upgrades yourself, that's great. Otherwise, the price of hiring a competent, experienced web developer in 2023 is 75 to 150 EUR per hour.

Costly mistakes in website design and development that should be avoided:

• Faulty technology: The theme and plugins you use to create your website matter. Poor, untested coding can lead to security risks, software incompatibilities and site instability. Stick with proven brands that continually test and support your products. Use high-quality digital components, otherwise you may find yourself constantly fixing your site, or worse - rebuilding your entire website from scratch.

• Incompetent web agencies or freelance web designers: Beware of providers who do not have sufficient expertise. In my case, this often happens when a client contacts me for a website relaunch. Apart from the design, there are outdated Envato themes, at least 10 to 20 unnecessary plugins that are also outdated or could have been a line of code.

• Bad advice and information: It cost me more time and money than anything else. Tens of thousands of euros and years of my life I will never get back. It wasn't always directly related to website design and development. Sometimes it was additional things like SEO, Google advertising, Facebook marketing, content marketing, business development, etc. Most of it was hype and fluff that didn't lead to the advertised results. Bottom line: if it sounds too good to be true, it's not likely. There are no miracle cures. Success takes time, effort and perseverance.

Pros and cons: messing around yourself and saving costs for creating the website or working with a freelance web designer / web agency?

An agency or freelancer for the creation of your website

ADVANTAGES:

• You don't have to spend hours, days or weeks learning the technology required to create and run a website.
• You get a modern, professional website that you are proud of, one that accurately reflects your company and your brand.
• Visitors will have a good experience on all devices - desktop, tablet & mobile.
• They can help you manage your website after launch.
• Professional web designers / web agencies can recommend ideas and help you avoid pitfalls you probably wouldn't have thought of.

DISADVANTAGES:

• Requires an investment of several thousand euros (most likely in the range of 3,000 to 10,000 EUR) to create a new website from scratch or redesign an existing site.
• If you don't understand web technology, you will rely to some extent on your website designer/developer to manage your website after launch.

Create your own website

ADVANTAGES:

• If you currently have more time than money, creating your website yourself is cheaper than hiring a professional website designer/developer.
• You can use a website builder like Wix or Squarespace to launch a simple, decent-looking website within a day or two. Wix plans currently range from 8 to 24 EUR per month. SquareSpace plans range from 9 to 36 EUR per month.
• No delay time. Any changes or updates to your website after launch can be made immediately.

DISADVANTAGES:

• If you are not up to date with the latest trends in website design, your website may look amateurish and have a negative impact on the perception of your company.
• Creating a website can feel like a monumental task. That's why it's common to procrastinate for weeks or months. If the reluctance to create your website is great enough, your website may not get created at all.
• It's incredibly time consuming. You may have to spend 2 to 4 hours or more researching how something works on your website when an experienced website designer/developer can do that particular task in 5 to 10 minutes.

MY CONCLUSION

Hire someone. Whether a Freelancer with experience or one agency for the creation of your website? It depends on how much you want to invest in the project.

Yes, I'm biased, but I'm also honest. Creating a modern, professional website that generates leads and sales for your business is far more difficult and time consuming than most people think.

If funds are currently tight and the DIY approach to building your business website is your only option, just do the best you can. However, if you can afford it, hiring an experienced web designer/developer to build (or redesign) your website will save you a huge amount of time, money and headaches. And the finished product will be better than you could have done yourself.

For the same reason I like to pay accountants, car mechanics and roofers for their expertise. They can usually do the job faster, better and cheaper than I could do it myself.