The cost of making a website

The cost of making a website

We live in the digital age, that's clear. Therefore, owning a website is like real estate in the virtual world - if you don't have one, you won't exist either, because it's where your brand lives, interacts with visitors and conducts business.

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As with real estate, the cost of creating a digital home can vary significantly depending on your needs. So let's talk a little about money and see what you can get for your money at different ends of the price spectrum.

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Making a website yourself vs ordering from an agency

When you start a business, you need to immediately decide - whether to go to break the peaks in the digital world yourself or use the service of professionals. Platforms like Wix, Squarespace, or WordPress offer user-friendly interfaces and the ability to save costs, but taking the “do-it-yourself 💪” route means more than just assembling a web page.

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This requires getting to know different areas at a basic level — design, development, SEO, and content and marketing strategy — which in turn requires reading articles, watching instructional videos, and testing a bulk line — not just once, but over several months.

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The time for such a learning process and creating an online home yourself is significant. First of all- For a beginner, it can take 50-200 hours to master the necessary skills and create the first simple website, depending on the speed of learning and the complexity of the project.

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What would be the effect of this - let's say, for example, that you value your time at 40 euros per hour. Then the total cost of a do-it-yourself project can range from €2,000 to €8,000 (not to mention the time it takes to maintain and update the website after its completion). This calculation highlights that while a home-made approach may seem more advantageous at first and can prevent changes in the account balance, the cost of time and the financial value of your time can make it more expensive in the long run than it seems at first.

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In addition, Take into account the alternative cost- This means that as long as you spend tens or hundreds of hours on your website, you will not be developing your business further, and the cost may still be as high as lost income.

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Using professional services certainly requires immediate fall relief, but it saves you time and ensures that your website is well-optimized, secure and scalable from the start and you can make sales at the same time. 💰

In the end, you will have to make this choice depending on your needs and capabilities, your budget and how much you value your time. A self-built website can be a rewarding learning experience, but for more complex projects, engaging professionals may be a more efficient, economically sensible choice, or downright unavoidable due to complexity.

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Minimum 699-euro website

Our first offer is to create a simple website - this does not mean compromising on quality, it means focusing on what is important. Many agencies also offer websites for as little as €200-300, but these are mostly one-page websites.

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First - what costs will remain with the customer in the case of cheaper solutions:

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• Domain- €10 to €20/year. Your digital address. Prices vary based on domain extension (.ee; .com, etc.) and place of purchase. Whereas - it is also possible to buy domains for jabura money - such highly intuitive domain names organically bring in thousands of visits per month - The most expensive domain sold was $49.7 million.🤦
• Server rental (hosting)- 40€ to 120€/year. Think of it as renting a room on the internet. If your online home needs are large, then this amount can go up.
• Ready-made design templates (sjabloon)- 0€—€100. Many platforms offer free templates, but spending a little money on a quality template can simply make your homepage stand out and leave you with less design work. Please note that the platform templates you choose also have content management capabilities (CMS).
• Basic SEO- 50€—500€. It is very important that people find your website organically on search engines. This can include basic keyword research, setting up Google Business, or indexing a web page.
• Content creation- 100€—500€. Whether you have text streaming on your own or you order content creation from someone as a service, quality content is crucial. Content includes text, images and videos.

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But - what can you get for €699 and what are your minimum costs to get and keep your online home working?

• Web architecture assembly, design and ready construction of a website
• Optimization for different platforms - PC, tablet, mobile
• Testing
• Confirmation of the finished solution with the client
• Making a new page public 🚀

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What is not the price of a simple website, but what more can you order from us?

• Branding — creating a new visual persona for your business or adding elements to an existing one. Read more here.The simplest elements are a few hundred euros.
• Keyword analysis - we evaluate keywords and their volume and competition (in your field) i, see what intentions people are doing searches and put together a list of the best options for you - from 150€.
• Content creation - as mentioned, it can be text but also visual creations - photos, videos, promotional materials. Again, smaller packages start at 200-300€.
• Search Engine Optimization (Comprehensive SEO) - If you want to compete at the top with keywords in your field, you should do SEO for several months, but we can also help you. What we would do in the framework of in-depth SEO - see here.If we go with you to strive for the top 3 results of the search engine, count at least 500-1000€ euros/month for these efforts over several months.

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Special website

If the word “simple website” does not match your company in any way, then it would be wise to start with specialists from scratch. We will review your customers, your goals and needs and come up with the package that your website needs to be capable of. Let's go through the main parts that a website with a special solution could have:

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• Personal structure of the page- when the goals are in place, we can work together to write a new page structure.
• Design with special solutions- This is where your web gets a face. All tabs and how they work with the user journey will be designed at this point in line with your brand style. Depending on whether you are a boutique or a conglomerate - the costs can vary from 1000€ to 10,000€ and beyond.
• Development- now your website will become a heart and organs - we will put to work what the designer finished drawing. Depending on the size, it is also worth considering here 1000-10 000€ and above.

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But the package of the special solution is not everything - you can also order services there on a need-based basis.

• Maintenance and upgrades- 100€ — 2,000 €/year. Special websites need regular updates and maintenance to stay secure and functional.
• Chatbot- 300€ - 3000€/year. Contact forms are good but a smart chatbot can shorten the time of customer conversations and pick up customer contacts much better.
• Integrations- there may be one-time and recurring expenses, ranging from 300€ to 5000€ and above. But the website is the digital storehouse of your business, and the more basic software you work together, the better your employees can use their time.
• Translations- 500€ - 5000€ and above. When you rock in different language spaces, you also need to make all the content in the digital home accessible in a language that your customers can understand. The more exciting markets you seek, and the more content needs to be translated, the more you consider the cost of that work.
• And many other options- very specific web or mobile applications for your business; marketing campaigns and making special landing pages for them.

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What people often misunderstand about the cost of creating a website

• More expensive means better- yes, you get what you pay for, but it certainly does not mean that a €20,000 website is four times better than a €5,000 website. It has to be a smart investment in the features and functionalities that are most important to your audience and business, and it's fairly easy to find 1000€ websites that are much better than a $10,000 website.
• The website is up, now work is done- The constant costs of the website, such as hosting, maintenance and marketing, are often forgotten. An online home is not a “do and forget” project — it requires constant effort and investment to remain effective and secure as well as relevant.
• Underestimating the importance of content- Texts, images and videos are the face and voice of your website. If a website has a lot of tabs that contain only 100 words and 2 images, then it will be difficult for you to compete in your niche. Investing in quality and engaging content is crucial to attracting and retaining visitors. Saving on content can undermine even the most beautifully designed website.

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Finally, 3 things to think about

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The effect of website speed and performance on the price

In the wind of the digital age, the flags of speed and efficiency are blowing high. The choice of hosting service, which is the cornerstone of our website building service, may not seem the most pleasant for the wallet at first glance, but this investment will turn into a valuable asset over time.

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Fast-loading pages keep visitors' attention, increasing both the page's position in the eyes of Google and user satisfaction. As an added bonus, top-notch hosts offer security assurance and expert support, providing your digital pantry with protection in any situation.

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In the long run, frugality in the choice of accommodation can turn out to be an expense that eats up potential profits and can lead to security risks. A wisely chosen hosting service is like a solid foundation for your online universe.

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Impact of legal requirements on costs

Navigating the whirlwind of legal requirements is not just a formality, but a critical step that protects both you and your clients. Compliance with GDPR, accessibility standards and other regulations requires a conscious investment, but the price of ignoring it can range from fines to reputational damage.

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Investing early in legal compliance not only protects your business, but underscores your commitment to privacy and accessibility, highlighting the credibility of your brand.

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The GDPR, or General Data Protection Regulation, is a regulation of the European Union that imposes strict requirements on the collection, processing and storage of personal data, giving individuals greater control over their data. This regulation represents a new era of privacy rights in the digital age, where every data point collected by companies requires transparent management and clear consent.

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GDPR compliance isn't just about complying with the law — it's a message to your customers that your business values and protects their digital footprint. Therefore, understanding and implementing this regulation is essential for any digital platform that wants to operate not only in legal compliance but also as an ethical and customer-centric brand.

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If you have a simple business, then it is possible to get your company's website to comply with the regulations quite favorably - you can use the plug-ins that most website builders get, or let us fix it.

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NB! As of April 2024, it is mandatory to display a “cookie consent form” on your website when your website collects data about visitors. If you want help with this, contact us!

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The role of analytics and user interface in website development

Understanding how visitors interact with your website is crucial to its ongoing success and development. Investing in analytics tools and user interface mechanisms (either your own time or as a service to the agency) provides invaluable insights into user behavior, preferences, and pain points.

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This data-driven approach allows for continuous improvements, ensuring that your website stays in line with users' needs and expectations. While setting up and interpreting analytics can seem daunting, digital agencies can play an important role here.

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They bring the skills to use these tools to gather action-oriented knowledge, guiding strategic innovations that improve user experience and site performance.

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Summary

You will find options in many places to order the creation of a new website from 200€ to 300€ but we dare to offer quality from 699 euros. Creating a website is an investment in your brand's presence and future in the digital world — if you save from there, you may be in a situation where you run out of money and no benefit from a new website.

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Remember that the goal is not just to have a website, but to have a website that serves the needs of your business and grows with you. Hopefully this article gave you an idea of how big or small the different costs of a digital home can be and what your investment could focus on.