When you run a small business, there are probably a million items on your to-do list. But is building and maintaining a business website one of them? If not, you’re not alone.
Building a website is an investment of time, and it also costs money. You can expect to spend anywhere from $500 to $5,000 building a website, depending on how much outside help you use. This leaves many small business owners wondering: Is it worth it?
In an increasingly digital world, having an online presence is no longer optional, it’s crucial to the continued success of your business. A recent Deloitte study found that digitally connected small businesses saw revenue growth four times higher than the previous year. The term “digitally connected” is not simply about the use of technology in the day-to-day operations of your business, but also about the use of digital communications such as websites, social media, and email marketing to reach your target audience.
So, let’s dive into why you need a website in the first place, and then we’ll take a look at all the costs involved in creating one.
Why Your Small Business Needs a Website
Still Not Convinced? We’re here to show you how a small business website has the potential to grow your business and open up a world of opportunity with your current and new customers.
1. You can make sales in any situation
Let’s talk about the elephant in the room. Local businesses around the world have struggled to stay open during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the environment for in-person sales has changed dramatically as a result.
Small business owners who have weathered the storm the best have turned to online channels to improve their results and expand their audience beyond their town or city, taking advantage of the endless possibilities offered by their own site. Web. In a world where customers are reluctant to venture beyond their homes, e-commerce has exploded.
In the US alone, online shopping grew more than 44% in 2020, triple the growth of the industry in 2018 and 2019. While the pandemic is likely to be the cause of With this monumental acceleration, the year-over-year increases in online customer spending cannot be ignored. With e-commerce sales now exceeding $850 billion per year, what’s stopping you from joining the hundreds of thousands of businesses that are succeeding online?
2. You have space to showcase your products and services
Global pandemics aside, a business website is a great place to showcase all of your product or service offerings in a way that a physical store would. can not. consider. After all, there’s only so much real estate you have to work with in the offline world. That’s simply not the case when you’re using a custom website.
A website will also give you the opportunity to meet potential customers at any point in your sales journey. If they are not ready to make a buying decision, the informative content on your website gives them the opportunity to take a look as if they were walking through your store. They can find all the details they are looking for and refer to any related posts that might draw their attention to other products or services.
Instead of hoping that one day these customers will visit us again, there are many online marketing strategies. line that you can use to remind them about your business and encourage them to make a purchase. For example, you could offer a discount to customers who give you their email, and then follow up with them via email (which you can automate with a CRM or marketing software solution, by the way). Your website’s landing page can be one of the most effective marketing tools you have in this new digital age, so use it where you can.
3. You get the opportunity to be found by new customers
In most cases, customers know what they are looking to buy, but it is very likely that they have never heard of your business before and do not You will know how to search for it by name. That’s where a digital marketing tactic known as search engine optimization, or SEO, can benefit you.
SEO is about having a website optimized so that search engines understand exactly what your business is about and get your site in front of web users who are looking specifically for what you offer. For example, if you run a candle shop, a potential customer might perform a Google search for “homemade soy candles.” If you’ve been actively working on your SEO and have a good website (with a clearly visible contact form or phone number), there’s a chance that Google will direct that user to your company’s website, since it matches what you are looking for.
SEO can seem daunting if you don’t consider yourself tech-savvy and it’s a more long-term strategy compared to running digital ads or posting on social media.But it certainly can be worth the time and money to invest in freelancers or digital marketing consultants to help get you up and running.
You can start your search by asking your network if they know of any reliable SEO freelancers or consultants. , or by using LinkedIn’s search function to find people with that keyword. The amount one of these professionals will charge will vary, but you can expect anywhere from $50 to $100 per hour.
4. You have a home for your best testimonials and reviews
Word of mouth remains one of the biggest drivers of new business, no matter what industry you work in. That’s why having online reviews and testimonials from past and current customers is so important – you can let them do the selling for you.
There are plenty of review sites out there, like Yelp and Facebook pages, but there’s nothing stopping you from including some of these on your own site. Select the best reviews that your customers have left you and create a featured reel on the different pages of your site. They are the social proof that tells potential customers that you are the best business for what they are looking for.
Save time and money that you can reinvest in marketing your business using Hourly. Every hour syncs your payroll directly with workers’ compensation. That means you can say goodbye to educated guesswork, because bonuses are based on actual wages. You’ll avoid overpaying for workers’ compensation, and you won’t be surprised by a nasty bill when it comes time for the audit. Hey, that’s more money you can invest in a new website.
How much does it cost to build a website
So you’ve decided that a custom site is exactly what you need to help your business grow, but what about how much is all this going to cost? Well, that will depend on the type of website that your business needs.
If you are a service-based business, a basic website will typically have five to eight pages total. Depending on whether you plan to build it yourself or hire outside help, you’re likely looking at costs of $500 to $5,000. For an eCommerce website, the average cost can range from $2,000 to $100,000-150,000. Yes, that’s a wide range to play with, but it all comes down to the amount of support you need to launch your website, along with the functionality your business needs to operate online.
Before To get started, take some time to evaluate potential areas where you can save money at a DIY site or by using an in-house team. But be aware of the impact this could have on your business before immediately going the DIY route.
Website development, especially new websites, can be an incredibly time-consuming process and is often best left to professionals if you want a quality user experience that accurately reflects your business. You or your team also have other responsibilities to focus on, so a DIY website will likely take longer to get up and running compared to handing it over to an agency or web developer who will focus solely on your project.
To better understand your budget and expected costs, let’s take a look at some of the most common expenses associated with starting a small business website.
Domains and Web Hosting
The first item on your website’s list should be purchasing a domain name. Your domain name is the website address that users will need to find your online store or website. Domain names are fairly inexpensive, around $5 to $15, but will need to be renewed annually. Shop around before making your final decision, as many will offer new customer discounts that will lower your initial costs.
When it comes to website hosting, this can be factored into your total site cost if you use a content manager. system like Squarespace or Wix. But if you choose to use a self-hosted WordPress website, you’ll need to choose between web hosting companies like Hostgator, GoDaddy, WP Engine, or Bluehost. Hosting costs will vary depending on the web host, but you can expect to spend around $20-30 per month on your hosting plan.
Most hosting providers now include an SSL certificate or a free SSL in the price of your hosting service. but if they don’t, be sure to include this update. An SSL certificate keeps your website secure and also lets search engines know that your site is safe for users to access. This affects your SEO (safe sites have priority in search results), so don’t skip it.
Content Management Systems (CMS)
Also known as a website builder, a CMS is the platform that serves as the architectural framework for your website. While you can build a website from scratch using HTML, a website builder significantly reduces the time it takes you to start and stay on top of website maintenance.
Most of the backend is already built (although it will need a little more hands-on work for a WordPress site) and updates are much easier to do in the long run. You and your team won’t need to know any HTML, which can be helpful when you’re looking to save money on maintenance costs, and most come with extensive step-by-step tutorials to make it easy to use.</p
The Most CMS platforms like Squarepace, Wix, and Shopify cost around $15-20 per month if your website hosting is included in the price, even if you use them as an eCommerce site. WordPress is free to use upfront, but you will pay for your hosting and any WordPress plugins you choose to add.
With many website builders, there are also free themes, templates, and plugins as well as premium plugins available for the personalization that help make your website unique. These can add to your CMS costs, so be sure to factor this in when budgeting.
Web design and development costs
The majority of your website costs are probably in web development and building a custom design for your site. Even if you have some web design experience or find yourself using a theme that comes with your CMS, hiring a website designer to ensure all your online and offline brand matches will always be a good use of your budget. of marketing. Most small businesses will spend between $1,000 and $10,000 designing outsourced websites.
If you choose to work with a web designer, you may also need web development support. This is especially important if you are using WordPress themes (either a free or premium theme) or plugins, as these can sometimes require custom coding or technical interventions to make sure everything runs smoothly. Especially if you have an eCommerce site and need to accept credit cards, you will probably need some integration support with WordPress to make sure it works properly and complies with local and national laws regarding card processing. Budget between $4,000 and $10,000 to work with an experienced web developer.
Be sure to ask your developer if there are any ongoing maintenance costs you should budget for when it comes to this type of work. , or if you only need their services during setup.
Small Business Websites Are A Must Have
In today’s online world, having a digital presence is a vital part of running a successful business. Creating a standout website for your clients to work with you quickly and easily is one of the most important ways to stay relevant and ahead of your competition.
Whether you have a site with all the bells and whistles or stick with something a little more minimalist and internally manageable is up to you. But if there’s one thing to remember from this post, it’s this: Getting started is often the hardest part, but it’s always worth it in the end.
.