How Much Does It Cost to Build a WordPress Website?

Author: Michael Scorcia Category: B2B, B2C, E-commerce & Retail, Nonprofit, Web Design Date: August 23, 2019

Whether you’re starting a new business, or you already own one and you’re looking to expand, upgrade, or refresh your brand, you’ve probably already begun thinking about your number one marketing tool: your website. You have most likely been searching for website design examples that suit your aesthetic. But once you have found website design ideas the next question is: What will it cost to build a website, particularly in WordPress?

Budgeting for WordPress website design and development costs can be overwhelming, especially when considering how vital your website is to your overall marketing strategy. Your website should reflect your goals as a company, and that can be a complicated undertaking. Fortunately, there are a number of factors to consider that will help you determine how much to spend on your website, and who you should hire to build or redesign it.

A Look at the Cost to Build a Website

Although there are many web design platforms available to the public that allow business owners to build their own websites at a relatively low cost, your website should be viewed as your most important strategic marketing tool – and therefore not an area suitable for cutting corners. Instead, you would be wise to put together a budget that covers the full scope of professional web design and development services. Coming up with that number, however, is not exactly a straightforward process. The total cost to build a WordPress website is going to depend on several factors, including who you hire for the job.

As you start collecting quotes, you’ll realize pretty quickly that there is no simple answer to the question, “How much does it cost to build a WordPress website?” Rather, you’re likely to receive a wide range of prices. For example, an individual website designer might charge you $35 per hour, while another person or agency may charge upwards of $150 per hour or more. How can the cost to build a website be so little or so much? Let’s take a look at some of the reasons why.

Building a Website: How Much Does It Cost to Have a Website Built?

Comparing web developers based on their hourly rates alone is not going to give you an accurate idea of how much it will actually cost to build a website. Instead, you’ll want to make sure you do your research – beginning by examining the skill levels of the various developers you’re considering for the job.

For instance, an individual who just started building websites and does not have much experience or who lacks strategic marketing skills may only charge $35 to $50 per hour, but it may take that person or agency much longer to build your website, thus resulting in a higher overall cost to build a website than if you had hired an experienced agency at a higher hourly rate. You may also find that the individual or agency doesn’t have the knowledge to help you leverage your website as part of your overall marketing strategy, which can be detrimental to hitting your business goals.

Ultimately, the cost and time associated with building your website are equally as important to consider as the skills and overall strategy that are being devoted to it.

Web Design and Web Development Services: Who Are You Hiring?

Hourly rate aside, another factor to take into consideration when hiring someone to build your website is: Who or what, exactly, are you hiring? A professional quality website has many different components that need to be meshed together to create a complete, finished product and make your web design ideas come true. So, not only are you hiring someone to design the front end of the website (what your visitors will see) and develop the back end of the website (all of the technical coding that goes on behind the scenes), you should also be looking to hire someone who can advise you on getting the most out of your investment. The best web developers are also marketing strategists who know how to help you utilize your site to advance the goals you have set out for your business.

At the very least, a successful website is a three-part build – design, development and strategy – and the cost to build a website typically reflects that. If you hire the right website builder, you are not hiring just a web developer or just a designer. You’re hiring the whole package – a project manager, a designer, a developer, a tester, and a strategic planner. So, now when you are offered an hourly rate, what do you think you are getting for your money?

The Importance of Your Website Builder

A good website builder – whether an individual or an agency – is not just a developer or a designer, but rather wears a number of different hats. As a result, it’s important to consider exactly who you are hiring to build your website, so you understand what you’ll be getting for your money. As you gather quotes from various individuals and agencies, ask yourself questions such as:
• Do they have the skills to build the ideal website that I want?
• Can they design an appealing website in addition to a functional one?
• Will they test the functionality of every aspect of the website before it goes live?
• Will they provide guidance in the design of the website so that the most visitors stay on the site?
• Do they have the knowledge to help me leverage the site as part of an overall strategic marketing plan?

Asking yourself these questions is a great start and will help you narrow down your options, but, as always, there’s still more to consider – namely, the pros and cons of hiring a skilled individual versus an experienced agency. Ultimately, if you choose to hire an individual, even if they check all of the above boxes, it may take them twice as long to complete the project than if you had hired an agency that employs a dedicated expert in each of these fields and can simultaneously manage the various aspects of the project.

The Choices Are Yours

When determining how much it will cost to build a website or trying to choose the best website developer for the job, you’ll want to take all of these factors into consideration. If you have any additional questions about hiring a website developer or how much it may cost to build a website, don’t hesitate to reach out to us with your questions. We can help bring your web design ideas come to life. Contact us now.