What Costs are Involved in Setting Up a Website?
These days, starting your own online business is becoming a lot more of an attractive option to entrepreneurs, because the internet allows anyone to begin selling products and services online, as long as they have their own checkout software and a website. However, although launching an online business is a lot cheaper than starting a traditional brick and mortar store, there are a lot of expenses that some companies fail to take into account when they’re planning their budget. To help you figure out exactly how much money you need, we put together this list of some of the common costs associated with building a website.
How Much Will Building your Site Cost?
The amount you spend on building your site will depend on you. Some people will be able to afford to build and host their websites from improving cashflow by just the money that they save from refinancing their student loans and adapting their budget. Others might need to take out a loan to help with launching their brand and delivering the right marketing message from day one.
Tools to Use
Website building tools come in a range of shapes and sizes. Some allow you to drag and drop your idea into creation using a simple software interface. These tools often come with monthly fees attached to them, which can add to the overall cost of your website. Other solutions allow you to design a website using code with the help of a developer, then host that site through a specialist company.
Hosting Services
A host is a company that keeps your company up and running on the internet. Whether you’re running a monetized blog or a standard eCommerce store, you’ll need hosting services. Some hosts allow you to access a bunch of crucial digital tools at once, including domain hosting, a domain name for your website, and even an SSL certificate. SSL certificates are the things that put a padlock at the front of your URL, showing your customers that your site is secure. If you can’t get these things bundled in with your hosting, you’ll need to buy them separately.
Marketing Tools
In today’s competitive landscape, the “if you build it, they will come” approach rarely works for most business owners. You need a way to promote your website and boost your chances of nurturing visitors into customers. This could mean investing in things like PPC, where you pay for your adverts to show in the search engine results for specific keywords and terms. On the other hand, you might want to pay for things like email marketing tools, which allow you to connect with potential customers and boost your chances of a sale over time.
Professional Support
Some business owners need a little help making their website look incredible and work well. This could mean hiring a professional designer to create a unique theme or appearance for your site. Alternatively, you might use a developer to make your site more user friendly or help you to design an app that makes it easier for customers to shop with you from their smartphones.