How much does a website cost? Before answering this question, I would like to tell you how much does a website you are at right now cost. This way you may estimate how much would a website cost for your needs: from promo site to a full-scale online store.
All four points listed below will help you get an insight, and overcome difficulties and issues related to creating a website by people that don’t have programming expertise. If even a 10-year-old child may create a website, then you will surely and easily understand how to do this by reading our article.
How much does website cost
So, one by one.
(1) Website address, or, as they also call it, DOMAIN. We, for instance, pay $12 a year for Proficient-Business.com.
(2) Hosting, or server space renting — $24-34 for every month. We pay as much, because we have many websites on VPS server.
For a start, the cheapest hosting would be enough; over time you can change it by another one, which is more powerful. This should be done when your website grows in popularity, and when sometimes your server gives way and metaphorically goes down due to traffic leaps. That’s why you ought to use something more powerful. If you expect high traffic, take something more powerful and expensive from the very beginning.
***It is preferable to purchase Address and Hosting in the same place, but it’s not necessarily; all hosting providers – those that provide hosting or server renting services – also provide website address (domain) registration services.
(3) CMS WordPress is a free platform that is installed via admin panel on hosting (all good hosting companies enable users to install WordPress in one click). In 2016 all providers will ensure this, since WordPress is the most used CMS for a website.
(4) A WordPress template / theme (two synonyms having the same meaning) costs $30-60 for all the time. It’s an approximate price for a premium template; surely, there is a plenty of free templates that you may also use.
***What are WordPress templates / themes? This is how your website of any type would look and work, whether it is a simple blog or a huge online shop. There is a template portfolio for any website on our website. Have a look, for instance, at WordPress themes for an online store or for a blog, for a construction company, for a portfolio… It would be useful for you to look through these templates to understand that a free WordPress platform offers unlimited capabilities for launching of business / hobby in the Internet.
For example for proficient-business.com we use this premium WordPress theme: http://themeforest.net/item/koala-responsive-wordpress-blog-theme/12643667.
In total, if you are planning to make a website, then it would approximately cost as follows.
- CMS — free.
- Website domain / address — $12.
- Hosting — $5/month; $60/year.
- Premium or free template/theme — $50
Total: $12+ $60+$50 (not necessarily) = $72/year! Surely, this is less than you will pay if you hire programmers, who will design a website for you for several thousand Euros. For this purpose, they will take a common premium template, which you can buy by yourself, and recast it for your needs.
How to make a website? You should not be worried about this question, since after reading this article you will have an approximate view, and when you start doing everything that is needed, it will become even more rigorous! Checked by myself many years ago. THERE IS NOTHING TO BE AFRAID OF! IF YOU WANT TO HAVE A WEBSITE, just go and do it! It’s very easy.
How to make a website
Now I will tell you how to make a website using three simple steps.
Platform selection (CMS) → Selection of a domain and hosting → Selection of a theme / template
First of all, I would like to say that the principles of website development and price for a website (I have already described an example of our website price in the beginning of an article) are the same for any CMS platform. You need to carry out the same three actions in order to fix up the desired website, which is to buy a hosting and a domain, install CMS on hosting, and, finally, install a website template. Website is ready to use! This is very easy to do.
1. Platform selection
In this article, I emphasized WordPress, since it’s the most popular CMS in the world – we use it too! It is absolutely free.
If, due to some reasons, WordPress doesn’t suit you, then you may easily choose Joomla or Drupal – they are also free.
The diagram shows the statistics of using CMS for blogs in the whole world where WordPress prevails. The same as other platforms in this diagram, it has WooCommerce extension and allows making an online store. You may find WordPress templates for online shops here.
Here is the statistics of using CMS strictly for the online stores in the world.
If you are willing to have an e-shop, then settle on the following platforms and templates:
Woocommerce themes for an Online store
Opencart themes for an Online store
Prestashop themes for an Online store
2. Selection of a domain and hosting
About domain
Website address or domain should be chosen with a glance to opportunities. You should always take into account possible website expansions. For example, our website is called Proficient-Business.com. In a short time we would be tired of publishing articles about CMS and templates for it; after that, we might create new categories and write on other subjects, for instance, about the Internet marketing.
It is desired to avoid narrow-specific website domain / address, since your plans in relation to a website may abruptly change. However, if you are sure that you will have a narrow-focused website, a personal blog or a website company, then you may register your website under the names like www.marketingforeverything.com, www.yoursurname.com, www.companyname.com without blinking. The only thing that matters is that domain should be easy to remember.
About hosting
In the beginning you may choose the cheapest and optimal alternative (about $3-6 a month) when looking for hosting or server space, but it’s better to consult technical support before purchasing hosting. I am not going to advertise hosting services; as soon as I find a good provider, I will update the article and put a link to a web hosting provider right here.
Also I can give a good life hack. Certainly you have a dozen of websites where you spend you free time. Look which web hosting company they purchase services from and follow their example when choosing a provider. This is how to do it. I use http://www.whoishostingthis.com/: I just enter a name of my favorite website and look for their hosting provider. As an example, I entered our website in the search box.
After purchasing hosting / server space, you will need to install CMS on hosting. During CMS installation (WordPress or any other) you will be asked to fill in a couple of forms with personal data. I am not going to describe this process in details (it’s different for each provider, but approach is the same). I am sure you will cope with this! After having installed the CMS platform in ONE CLIK, you need to choose a template. It can be paid and free for all the CMS platforms. Next point will tell you the details.
3. Selection of a theme/ template
What is a template / theme? I will repeat it once again that this is primarily how your website looks like and its functionality.
*For example, we use a premium WordPress template for our website (sometimes I call it “a ready website”): http://themeforest.net/item/koala-responsive-wordpress-blog-theme
Now you understand what a website template is and how to choose it. You got it, how much does website cost, didn’t you?
You may leave it to us: write in the comments which platform and what kind of website you need a template/theme for, and within 24 hours I will give you the most up-to-date templates that use the latest development and design technologies for any platform and any website, whether it is a simple blog, online store, company website or something else.
I am not a fan of free templates – I was always unsatisfied with them for many reasons. But you may find them too by following this link: Free wordpress templates or directly in WordPress dashboard.
Leave comments – let’s start a lively discussion!
Viktor - co-author of the Proficient-Business.com
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