Costs Associated with a New Business Website

A question I am asked often by entrepreneurs considering their first web site is: "What are the costs that I will need to consider? Are there any hidden fees I haven't thought of?"

The following is a breakdown of the costs that you should keep in mind:

Logo

For this, I recommend finding a professional graphic artist. Why? Because your logo will be used on your website, business cards, marketing materials, social media, etc. It sets the tone for everything else that follows so this is not the place to make do.

Who might I recommend?

• • 99 Designs because you can get ideas from 10 or more designers at the same time, which means you get a nice wide variety of ideas to choose from. I used them for my logo many years ago and was very happy with the selection, turnaround time, and quality of work produced.
• • Fiverr.com - a similar idea to 99 Designs. I haven’t used them personally, but they could be a good option at a lower price point. If nothing else, it gives you a lot of designers to choose from, and a look at the type of work they do before you select one.

What else is important to know?

• • Make sure that your purchase includes the source file (this is usually a .psd or .ai file, or could be called the vector file.) If you have this file, your web/graphic/marketing designer can modify colors and sizes in any way needed for all future projects. Need a version of your logo with a dark background and light text instead of the reverse? No problem with the source/vector file; BIG problem without it. Need a small but clear version of the logo for your business cards? No problem with the source/vector file; BIG problem without it.  Color looks good on a screen, but prints very pale? No problem with the source/vector file; BIG problem without it.  So yes, if they give you .jpgs and .gifs, that’s fine, but what you must get out of the deal is the vector/source files.

Domain Registration

Think of a domain name like a phone number - it is how potential visitors find your website. All domain names must be unique, and you need to register them with a domain name registrar. Examples of domain names are microsoft.com, google.com, digitalrose.ca. Ideally your domain name is related to your business, product or service, and is not so long or confusing that someone has trouble typing it into their web browser or remembering it later if they see it written somewhere. For SEO purposes, it might also be a good idea to include a keyword or two in your domain name. For example, if you are a photographer, it would be beneficial to have the word photography or photographer in your domain name.

Domains are usually registered in 1, 2, 3, 5 or 10 year terms, at a cost of around $14/year.

Website Design and Development

This includes the design and creation of your web site. Prices will vary based on your requirements, the size of your site and the web designer/developer that you chooose. For an idea of my pricing, please vist my web design packages page.

Web and Email Hosting

Your host is the server that is used to display your web site to the world, and make your custom email address work as well (yourname@yourdomain.com). Hosting fees vary depending on which company you use, as does their service and support, but the average cost is about $100/year for a traditional informational website with email.

Many of my clients choose to host through me, as it helps simplify administration for them in the long run. If they have an issue with anything, they don't have to worry about if the issue is web site or host related, they just call me and I take care of the issue for them.

Examples of other 3rd party hosts would be Hostgator.com, GoDaddy.com or even Telus or Shaw, depending on who you use as your Internet Service Provider. Hosting is usually billed monthly, though discounts are often given if you pay for the full year in advance.

Ongoing Updates to the Website

For clients who choose to host through me, and who have minimal changes (2-3 times a year, edits to existing text only), I generally would include those changes in their hosting plan. If more extensive changes are needed - menu changes, new pages added, new functionality, extra forms added, etc., then I bill at $40 an hour. But if your changes only take 30 minutes to apply, I don't bill you for an entire hour of work, just for the time it actually took me to make your changes.