How Much Does a Website Cost in Prince Edward County, Belleville & Kingston?
One of the first questions most businesses ask when considering a new website is: how much is it going to cost?
Unfortunately, there isn’t a single answer. A website for a small local service business has very different requirements from an online store, accommodation business or organization requiring dozens of pages and specialist functionality.
If you’re looking for a new website in Prince Edward County, Belleville or Kingston, understanding what affects the price can help you compare quotes properly and avoid paying for things you don’t actually need.
What affects the cost of a website?
Several factors determine how much a professionally designed website will cost.
Number of pages
A straightforward five-page business website will normally require considerably less work than a site containing dozens of service, product or information pages.
Design and functionality
Contact forms, booking systems, ecommerce, galleries, calendars and other functionality can all increase the amount of development required.
Content
Having your text, photographs and other information ready can make the process easier. If content needs to be written, sourced or reorganized, that needs to be considered too.
SEO
Building a good-looking website is only part of the job. Its structure, headings, page titles, content and technical setup should also help search engines understand what your business offers and where you operate.
Hosting and ongoing maintenance
A website also needs somewhere to live. Hosting, software updates, security, backups and ongoing maintenance should therefore be considered when comparing the long-term cost.
Cheap websites aren’t always the cheapest option
It’s tempting to choose the lowest quote, particularly for a new business.
However, a low initial price doesn’t necessarily represent good long-term value.
Before choosing a website provider, find out what’s actually included. Will the website be mobile friendly? Can you update it? Is SEO considered during development? Who helps if something stops working? Are hosting and maintenance separate?
A website that has to be rebuilt because it doesn’t meet your needs can ultimately cost considerably more.
What about building it yourself?
DIY website builders can work well for some businesses, particularly when budgets are extremely limited.
The trade-off is your time.
You’ll need to learn the platform, create the pages, optimize them for different devices, deal with SEO and potentially troubleshoot problems yourself.
For some business owners that’s perfectly acceptable. Others would rather spend that time running their business and have somebody else take care of the website.
Don’t forget the ongoing costs
When comparing web design prices, ask what happens after the website launches.
Typical ongoing requirements can include:
- Website hosting
- Domain renewal
- WordPress, theme and plugin updates
- Security and backups
- Content updates
- SEO
- Technical support
You may choose to handle some of these yourself, pay for assistance when required, or use a managed Care Plan.
How much should you budget?
The right budget depends on what your business actually needs.
A small business doesn’t necessarily need an expensive, complicated website. It needs a website that works properly, looks professional, clearly explains what the business offers and makes it easy for potential customers to get in touch.
That’s why getting a quote based on your actual requirements is usually more useful than choosing a package based purely on price.
Local web design without the agency runaround
At Prince Edward County Web Design, we work with businesses throughout Prince Edward County, Belleville, Kingston and surrounding Eastern Ontario communities.
We can help with everything from the initial website and SEO through to hosting, maintenance and ongoing support, giving you one point of contact when you need assistance.
Thinking about a new website? Contact us and tell us what you’re looking for. We can discuss your requirements and give you a straightforward idea of what’s involved.
