How Much Does a Website Cost in 2023? The Definitive Guide

With US inflation spiking sharply in the past two years, you need clear web development pricing to help you stay on top of business costs. 

You’re here to look at the website costs in more detail, and you're in good hands because we have 15+ years of experience in websites for business. Whether you’re going solo or using a web design company, let us take you step-by-step through the costs of creating a website.

Hiring a web designer for an eight-page website will cost around $23,228 all in. There are many reasons you may end up paying a lot more (or much less) than this; it all depends on what you need. For example, you'll pay more for services like article writing or for secure online payment methods to be set up. We know how frustrating it can be to get a clear estimate for web design, which is why we've built a bespoke web designer quote-finding tool to take the guesswork out of pricing.

If you're willing to roll up your sleeves, DIY website builders like Wix offer a range of subscription plans (some are free), costing up to $59 per month. So if you've got some time to spare, you can save money building up your business online by yourself.

How Much Does a Website Cost at a Glance?

For a quick overview, we’ve broken down the rough costs of hiring a web developer to build a medium-sized website (around eight pages) compared with a one-page website (a landing page with contact details) versus the costs of a DIY website builder (without an online shop, as that costs a lot more).

When you work with a freelancer, each professional sets their own rates. Usually there's room for negotiation, too, hence the wide price brackets.

Costs of a New Website (Year One)

Prices correct as of February 2023.

• Average cost of a custom one-page website (landing page): $6,560
• Average cost of a custom website with 8 pages: $23,228
• Average cost of a one year website builder subscription: $270

You will also need an SSL certificate (web security) at a cost of around $60, though it is often included in a package deal.

From the above it is clear that paying for a website builder plan is the cheapest option all round. Naturally, this involves the concealed cost of time and effort on your part. So it depends how worthwhile you reckon your efforts will be. However, a simple DIY Wix website could cost you $192 for the year so it's possible to drastically cut costs if you put your mind to it.

1. Domain Costs: $9–$14

The domain is the name of your website. You can think of it as a street address — you have to pay for the rights to live there and only one person can own it. You can choose any website name you wish, but if someone already owns it you can either try to buy it from them or pick another name.

Many agencies, known as registrars, sell domain names. Typically a registrar will offer an attractive first year deal at a fraction of the usual cost. That's why we've researched prices for two years of domain ownership so you get a more realistic idea of costs.

We've chosen a generic website name, “www.american-fences.com” to get the price estimates below. If you want something more popular, you may have to pay a lot more.

Some providers offer extra security and privacy products when purchasing your domain, but we've left these off our price estimates as they're optional upgrades.

2. Hosting Costs: $33–$420/month

People often forget about hosting costs when deciding to create a website. But you shouldn't! Because hosting is really important – it's renting the physical space where your website exists – and it ain't optional.

Now, there are three main types of hosting — Shared, VPS, and Dedicated — each with their own costs and capabilities. But what are the differences between each type of hosting, and which types of website are they best for? 

Shared

Best for one-page or low-traffic sites

Your website will share server space (the physical machine where websites are stored) with a number of other websites, making shared hosting suitable for small websites without many visitors. A small café, local handyman or hair salon should choose this option.

Available for $2.95/month (BlueHost), a time-limited discount price.
Alternatively, for $2.99/month (A2 Hosting), also temporarily on offer.

VPS (Virtual Private Server)

Best for any SMB website

This means your website gets its own space on a server and won't share RAM or CPU (memory or processing power), so your website runs quickly. You can choose between managed or unmanaged (you should choose managed unless you are an IT systems administrator). It's best for a growing ecommerce store or a business with increasing web visitors. Larger product retailers such as online fashion boutiques or busy restaurant chains would also benefit from this option.

At rock bottom price-wise is $2.99/month (Hostinger) though this is far from typical.
An average price plan is $34.95/month (HostGator) including an introductory offer.
A mid-range fully managed option is $145.95/month (GoDaddy).

Dedicated

Best for heavy-duty websites

A whole server just for your website means massive processing power: think huge amounts of memory and lots of technical capability. This is only for large business websites such as ecommerce stores or sites with loads of pictures, videos or email messages. Mega retailers, media streaming sites or popular entertainment booking hubs need this option.

A value option is $96/month (HostGator) under their introductory 36-month offer.
A competitive offer is $105/month (AccuWeb).
Another decent option is $139.99/month (InMotion).

3. Design and Programming Costs: $1,000–$24,000

This is the hardest part to estimate, hence the wide price bracket. Depending on the level of experience your chosen professional or agency has, the costs here can vary widely.

Other factors affecting web development costs include the size of the website, the type of features you need, and the content management system or web platform you require (such as WordPress, Drupal or Magento).

Below, we’ve outlined the key price differences between hiring a web designer and using a website builder to do it yourself. 

Web Designer Costs: $1,000–$24,000 annually

While you may be able to find a hobbyist on Fiverr to build you a website for $800, we're going to advise against that. You want to work with a freelancer you can depend on, not a student whose project breaks down every other week.

We've researched industry pricing and come up with these pricing brackets based on US-based web developers in 2023. You'll end up at the higher end of the pricing scale, for example, if you want to integrate third-party software, chat functions, an online booking portal, and payment features. 

However, if you only need a one-page website, then your overall costs will come down – indeed, prices start from around $1,000.

It might seem like a lot of money, but it’s important to be realistic about the level of expertise you're asking for.

Who should hire a third-party web designer?

• Anyone running a high-end brand
• Designer skincare retail
• Medical services
• Financial or legal consultancy
• Any business where professionalism is paramount

If you take a minute to tell us about your website needs, we’ll provide tailored quotes from leading web designers. Nice and easy!

Website Builder Costs: $0–$300 monthly

Website builders are platforms that allow anyone to create a website without needing to write a single line of code.

With rising costs this year, Wix and GoDaddy have taken away their free plans. However, Jimdo still offers a free website builder. Feel free to read our Jimdo review to find out more about its features.

However, if you're looking for an online store, you'd better sign up for Square as it lets you sell online without monthly subscription fees.

Small business managers, micro entrepreneurs, and scale up leaders can all benefit from a website builder as they're generally easy enough for anyone to get the hang of. If you're prepared to read a couple of how-to guides, you shouldn't struggle to make a basic website by youself.

Below, we’ve compared the cheapest and priciest available paid plans from six of the best website builders on the market, including whether or not you can sell online through ecommerce functions. 

Still not sure whether you should hire a web designer or go it alone? Why not spend an hour with a Wix website template and see if your creativity is up to the challenge. You could get up and running far quicker than you thought. Click to get started:

4. Content Costs: $15–$3,000

Quality content is what converts your website’s visitors into customers. Sure, you can have some of the coolest web design tricks on each page, but if your content isn’t persuasive or engaging, your business probably won't get very far.

If your web design package doesn't include content then you have two options: either write everything yourself or hire a professional to do it for you. Here’s how much you can expect to pay:

All online stores need excellent photos to cinch the sales. If you're not lucky enough to have a nephew who takes photography classes, you'll need a freelancer. Rates vary hugely but you get what you pay for. We know it can be tough to track down local talent, but nowadays many studios will accept delivery of your products by mail, take photos, then send the items back to you. Some even offer to cast human models based on your preferences. How convenient!

Here are some photography and video price brackets we've gathered based on verified professional freelancers:

Say Jennifer runs a small online crafts store. She'll need an ‘About' page, maybe three blog articles and a set of six product photos. Her content costs will come in at around $145+$270+$600 = $1,015

Serena heads up the web content for a medium-sized homeware ecommerce retailer. Her manager wants 50 product photos, a full content audit and four pages optimized for sales conversion. She'll need $5,000+$2,250+$3,000 = $10,250 for the entire project.

5. Website Maintenance and Running Costs: $360–$12,600

Success! Your site is now live. There are no more costs to think about, right? 

Wrong! Just like a car, you now need to ensure everything keeps on ticking under the hood. In other words, you need to make sure your website keeps running smoothly, appears on search engine results pages and stays up to date more generally. You've got to update plug-ins, security and, of course, content. Below are two strategies to keep on top of this…

Hire a Web Developer 

With the majority of website build projects, maintenance should come as standard.  This job involves fixing bugs, performing security checks and installing updates. You can hire a freelance web developer for around $90-150/hour. Bear this rate in mind as you plan your budget across the year – websites always need maintenance and updates over time.

Supercharge Your SEO 

Search engine optimization is the process of improving your website’s ranking position on search engines like Google, using a variety of methods. The aim of SEO is to attract as many users from Google as possible to your site, so it’s important that you get it right. 

The services of an SEO agency costs an average of $100–$149/hour to perform audits, carry out technical updates, and ensure your website is better than your competitor's. 

Working out total maintenance costs:

If you've paid for a one-page website, it may need minimal updates throughout the year. You could get away with one hour of maintenance work per quarter. That's $90 x 4 = $360 for the year.

But there's more work needed for a small website. Let's assume you're hiring at the top of the average hourly rate:

• $1800 = $150 x 12 (one hour of maintenance per month)
• $900 per month = 6 hours of SEO time on your website ($10,800 per year)
• That's up to $12,600 a year on maintenance plus SEO if you hire a freelancer

Remember that your website is part of your overall business cybersecurity strategy. You need to consider who has access to your passwords and customer data through your website. That's a major reason to only work with a maintenance provider who is trustworthy and traceable.

Expert Verdict: How Much Does a Website Cost?

With the cost of living crunch, you need to make smart spending choices this year. If you're low on time and prepared to invest financially, you should hire an expert.

Hiring a professional web designer can cost anywhere upwards of $1,000 for a single landing page. It’s more expensive than using a website builder, sure, but you’re paying for top quality. That's essential for high-end retailers and professional services businesses.

We understand no two websites cost exactly the same. So, the best way to gauge website costs is through individual quotes. That's why we've built a web design service quote-finder for you to use for free. If you register your interest, we'll arrange for website experts to call you back and discuss business quotes.

The other option is to do it all yourself, using a website builder. These platforms are simple to use, providing help and guidance throughout. For any standard website, we’d recommend using Wix. It’s the best website builder on the market today, with intuitive design tools and beautifully designed templates.

And if you’re looking to build an online store, you should try Shopify — it’s our recommended ecommerce platform, and also offers a three-day free trial.