By Henry Brown
Your website is always going to be the heart of your business online. Just like the heart, your website pumps blood (content) around the body of your brand and content is the life force of your marketing. Without content, you’ll struggle to get any attention, grow business leads or build up your company profits. While this is true, it is crucial to ensure that you are aware of the cost of an effective website including the setup, design and security.
Of course, it’s not enough to set up a basic site. You need to go deeper than that to ensure that you grab the attention of customers and clients. This means that you can’t rely on a basic WordPress site that anyone with five minutes could set up for free. So, how much will a fantastic website cost your small business?
With the right domain, you’ll dominate
It’s easy to assume that your domain isn’t important, but it is. Perhaps not for the initial search but when customers come back for more you need to make sure that they can find your company easily online. Also, a great domain can be an excellent part of your brand. The only problem is that a fantastic domain that could be quite expensive. Why is this? Well, essentially, people see domain names as an investment. They buy them up and then sell them when people come knocking. As such, you might find your dream domain is on sale for a few thousand. There are of course cheaper options but to stand out, it might be worth paying the cost.
A few thousand is a heavy financial commitment, particularly if you are just starting out. But you can build your own business loan and sort this cost out quickly. Once your site is up and running, you’ll find it easy to pay off. Just make sure that you know exactly how much you’ll need to pay back and when payments will be due.
What about security?
The most basic form of security is an SSL certificate, which will ensure that your company is running on an Https. If you do this, you won’t have to worry about a ‘not secure’ label popping up on your site, and it’s super cheap. You can get this for no more than five dollars. Basic security packages can be purchased at just fifteen dollars a month. Be aware though, that levels of traffic often dictate what you’ll be expected to pay.
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It is possible to design a site for free with a basic template. For more unique templates you’re looking at spending a hundred or so. If you want something completely unique, built from scratch, you could pay up to a couple thousand. It does depend on how much work your website will need to build. From web design businesses to freelancers, there are lots of options to consider here and if you’re on a particularly tight budget, use a website builder software and create it yourself.
This gives you an idea of the expenses building a website, but how much in total could you be paying overall for the heart of your business? Experts suggest that you could be looking at anything from $3000 up to $10,000. That might seem like a heavy cost, but the right website could catapult your small business to success and make sure that your brand stands out in the crowded marketplace.
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Henry Brown is an online marketing executive. When he isn’t talking shop he’s roaming the streets of London, uncovering the extra-ordinary in the ordinary.
