HostedSiteDemoWhat goes into the cost of a website
- Build: a one-off cost for design, development and content. A template site built yourself can cost almost nothing; a custom site from an agency runs into thousands.
- Domain: renewed every year. Watch for cheap first-year offers that renew at several times the price.
- Hosting: monthly or yearly. Shared hosting is cheapest; managed hosting costs more but handles updates, backups and security for you. The bandwidth calculator helps you pick a plan size.
- Email: priced per user per month. Some hosts include basic email.
- Licences: premium themes, plugins, booking or shop apps, usually renewed yearly.
- Maintenance: software updates, backup checks, security monitoring and small content changes. Leaving this out is how sites get hacked.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a small business website cost per year?
Once it is built, a typical small business site costs a few hundred to a couple of thousand a year to run: around 15 for the domain, 100 to 300 for hosting, 150 or so for business email, plus plugins and any paid maintenance. Maintenance time is usually the biggest ongoing cost.
Is a website builder like Wix or Squarespace cheaper?
Often in the first year, because the build cost is your own time and hosting is bundled. Builder plans for businesses usually cost 15 to 50 a month. Over several years, and as the site grows, a self-hosted site can work out cheaper and more flexible, but you take on more of the maintenance.
Do I need to pay for an SSL certificate?
Usually not. Most hosts and CDNs, including Cloudflare, issue free certificates automatically. Paid certificates add organisation validation and warranties that very few small sites need.