FAQ
What are costs involved in getting a website?
Having a website is an excellent tool for creating a presence for your business on the Internet. But how much will it cost? This question is dependent on a multitude of factors, and there really is no set answer. The following will give you a quide as to what sorts of things go in to creating a website:
- Website design: You will need someone to come up with a design concept for the website. This is something that you could do yourself, but it is generally better to leave it to the someone who knows specifically about graphic design, and the strengths and limitations of what can be done in the web environment.
- Website development: Once you have a design, the site needs to be created. This should be done by a web developer.
The cost for design and development will depend greatly on the size and nature of your site. If it is simply a static, informational destination, then the cost could be quite low. But if you are using it for e-commerce purposes, or you are a large organisation with a complex website, this cost could be greatly increased. - Domain name: You need to purchase a domain name for the website. This is what people type into the address bar in their browser. For example, www.cabbagetree.co.nz. The cost of a domain name is usually around $45 per annum.
- Website hosting: Once the website is finished, you need someone to host it. This means they keep it on their server for users to access. The cost for this varies greatly depending on the provider, but can be anywhere from $100 a year for a small very basic site with no maintenance, up to $400 per month which would likely include upgrades, continuous support, and maintenance.
- Website maintenance: Once the site is up and running, someone needs to take care of it. It is likely that you will want to update it regularly, and this needs to be done by someone. Sometimes you can take control of the site on completion and do all the maintenance yourself, and other times the company that developed it can keep control of it and do the maintenance for you for a fee.
- CMS: If you decide to do the maintenance yourself, you may consider using a Content Management System (CMS). This is a user friendly system that makes maintaining and updating a website easy for people who know nothing about writing or developing a website. There will be a yearly or monthly licencing fee involved in using a CMS. An example of a CMS is Thrive, which is what Cabbage Tree Creative use.
- Internet marketing: Just having a website itself won't bring people to it, and without traffic your website won't be effective. You need to let people know it is there. So some form of marketing will probably be neccessary, and the cost of this should be considered. It can be as simple as registering with search engines and using statistical tools, which you can usually get for free, right through to paying for advertising.
Further information