Rahul Patel 
As we all live in the digitalization era, having a strong online business presence has become necessary, and having a website is no exception. Websites are among the most common ways businesses promote their services or products. As per the recent study, 5.52 billion people use the internet, which makes up 67.5% of the world’s population. Another study by Statitsta says that as of 2021, around 1.88 billion websites are on the World Wide Web. Globally, 71% of businesses have a website. So, here, the debate is not about whether or not your business requires a website, but it is about the website development cost.
Most entrepreneurs ask this question – “How much does it cost for website development?” The simple answer is that it depends on the project’s requirements. Numerous factors affect the cost of web development.
This guide helps you dive deep into the various factors that influence website development cost and a crystal clear picture of the cost of web development.
Let’s start with the factors that influence the cost of website development.
What are the Factors Influencing Website Development Costs?
Here are some factors that affect the cost of website development.
1) Website Type and Purpose
The world of website development seems mysterious, especially the price associated with the development. However, don’t worry! Here, we will break down the approximate cost of the website development based on website type and purpose.
| Website Type | Purpose | Estimated Total Project Completion Cost |
| Informational website with CMS | Blog posts with images/content that need constant updates | $2000 to $11,000 |
| E-commerce website | Online store to sell products online and receive money in exchange for products/services | $10000 to $55000 |
| SaaS website | To offer on-demand access to cloud-based apps over the internet. | $40000 to $110,000 |
| Enterprise website with custom functionality | To handle large-scale business functions like manage high traffic volumes, extensive content, and integration with other business systems. | $50,000+ |
| Portfolio website | Perfect for displaying a portfolio, a personal landing page, or a small business website, or the personal landing page | $500 to $2000 |
| Corporate website | To connect with clients and engage people. Transmit business value’s to clients virtually. | $15,000 to $21,000 |
2) Features and Complexity
The website development cost is also associated with the complexity of the website. The website can be simple with basic functionalities or advanced with complex features like multiple databases, a cloud system, complex UI/UX interactions, and a large maintenance team. Websites that need advanced features like e-commerce, membership portals, or third-party integrations cost more than the basic website with minimal functionalities.
| Website Complexity Level | Estimated Website Development Cost |
| Basic | $15,000 to $30,000 |
| Medium | $35,000 to $110,000 |
| Complex | $75,000 to $210,000 |
3) Design Complexity
Websites with complex design requirements like graphics, animations, and interactive elements need more time and expertise, which leads to higher costs. Simple websites with few elements are quicker to develop and usually pocket-friendly.
| Design Type | Estimated Cost |
| Ready-to-use Theme | $2,000 to $15,000 |
| Responsive Design | $3,000 to $30,000 |
| Interactive Multimedia | $250 to $11,000 |
4) Technical Requirements
Various technical requirements for website development affect the cost of website development.
| Technical Requirements | Estimated Cost |
| Coding Languages (HTML, CSS, Javascript) | $1,000 to $3,000 |
| Hosting | $50 to $300/year |
| SSL Certificate | Up to $300/year |
| Domain Name | Up to $50 /year |
| Content Management System | Up to $9500/year |
| Plugins and Apps | Up to $100 /year |
| Mobile Responsive Design | Extra 20% to 30% of total cost |
| Database Integration | $1,000 to $25,000 |
5) Team Size
You can go for a DIY approach when it comes to website development. However, it costs you time that you can spend on running the other important business tasks. So, you can either hire an in-house team or freelancers or outsource your requirements to a professional web design and development company.
| Team Type | Approximate Development Cost |
| In-house development | $100,000+ |
| Freelancers | $5,000 to $30,000+ |
| DIY Platforms | $1,000+ |
| Agency outsourcing | $35,000+ |
Breakdown of Website Development Costs
Building a website involves various phases. Each phase contributes to the overall cost. Let’s check out the breakdown of the main factors.
| Phase | Purpose | Estimated Cost |
| UI/UX Design | To provide a user-friendly and visually appealing website. It includes designing wireframes, prototypes, and mockups. | $650 to $4,500 |
| Front-end Development | Create user-friendly website components such as menus, forms, buttons, and other interactive features | $1050 to $13,000 |
| Back-end Development | Developing server-side features of your website like database, logic processing, and interactions with outside services. | $4500 to $13,000 |
| CMS, along with Admin Panel Development | Provides you the freedom to make changes to your website. | $3,500 to $9,500 |
| Quality Assurance and Security Testing | Ensure your website works perfectly on all platforms and browsers | $500 to $6,000 |
Website Development Cost: Based on the Team Location
Web development cost differs in each country. The reason behind it is the cost of living in various regions.
Let’s say living in the US costs 3X more than living in Ukraine. This means that developing a website in Ukraine is cheaper than developing it in the US.
The table below shows how the cost varies from one country to the other.
| Country | Estimated Cost Per Hour |
| Australia | $90 to $130 |
| USA | $110 to $160 |
| UK | $100 to $130 |
| Ukraine | $50 to $90 |
| Western Europe | $80 to $110 |
| India | $20 to $50 |
Cost Estimation for Different Business Sizes
The table below comprises the cost of website development based on the business size.
| Business Type | Website Level | Approx Design Cost | Approx Maintenance Cost | Customization Level |
| Small business | Basic | $6,500 to $15,500 | $3,500 to $13,000/year | Low |
| Mid-sized business | Intermediate | $14,500 to $51,000 | $11,500 to $33,500/year | Moderate |
| Enterprise | Advanced | $45,000 to $115,000 | $32,500 to $51,000/year | High |
Other Hidden Website Development Cost
When you develop a website, you should consider a few hidden costs that each web development process faces. It consists of two main phases – website maintenance and website marketing.
For example,
If you get the initial website development cost estimation of $20,000, the maintenance cost will be 2X the initial price, and the marketing cost will be 2X to 3X the initial price. This means that website maintenance costs around $40,000 yearly, and marketing costs around $40,000 to $60,000 yearly.
Let’s understand each one in brief.
Website Maintenance Cost
The website maintenance cost includes resources needed to ensure the website’s speed, security, uptime, etc. The website’s complexity also affects maintenance costs. The maintenance cost of the website includes domain, website hosting, SSL, third-party integrations, cloud maintenance, storage costs, servers, and infrastructure costs.
Website Marketing Cost
The marketing of your business starts even before the launch of your website. It includes creating landing pages, Facebook pages, and Instagram accounts to get the potential customers’ attention. In short, website development and marketing go hand in hand.
Various aspects of marketing include SEO, content creation, and link building.
Let’s check out the tabular representation of website marketing costs.
| Marketing Activity | Purpose | Estimated Cost |
| Content and Copywriting | Writing + Editing + Publishing Website Content. It might include writing blog posts, articles, social media posts, landing pages, whitepapers, product descriptions, etc. | Professional Writers – $20 to $90 per hour |
| Link Building | Get backlinks from other websites to you. | $3,000 to $4000 per month |
| Tech Optimization | Helps search engine crawler to index your website more effectively. It includes SSL adoption, XML sitemaps, adding structured data markups, enabling ANPs, improving site responsiveness, etc. It creates a satisfying user experience. | $500 to $800 per month |
| Social Media Marketing | Promotes your business on social media | $500 to $20,000/month |
| Email Marketing | Generating quality leads | $10 to $1,000 per month |
| PPC | Convert visitors into loyal customers | $40 to $60 per click (depending on how competitive keywords are) |
How to Manage and Optimize Website Development Costs
If you want to manage and optimize website and software development costs, you must keep a few things in mind. You should opt for the minimalist design. Use the open-source platforms such as WordPress. You should limit features to the essential functionalities. To find the best fit, you should compare multiple quotes from various agencies and freelancers and select the one that aligns with your budget and requirements.
Concluding Remarks
Hopefully, the above guide has helped you understand the factors affecting website development costs. The guide includes a detailed breakdown of each stage of web development and its relevant cost. Whether you’re a small business owner or an enterprise looking for custom web app development services or website development, this guide contains details regarding each company type and its budget.
We, Pranshtech Solution, are a reliable web development company with a proven track record of creating effective websites. We understand each client’s unique requirements, goals, and preferences, and based on that, we give them quotes for their customized website. If you’re looking for the same, connect with us for the website creation cost within your budget.