How Much Will My Website Cost?

The Building Blocks

Your Domain Name

Inevitably, every website begins by choosing a domain name. A domain name is a friendly nickname for an internet site, like: "2020applications.com" or "google.com".

I already have a domain name and it is...

You can indicate the exact cost of your domain registration below.

I do not have a domain name but I will register the name myself. The name I will register is...

If you know the exact cost of the domain registration you can enter it below.

I do not have a domain name and would like help with this. The name I would like to register is...

We can help you register the domain name for a small service fee or you can contact a webmaster in your local area (recommended). If you choose to consult us with your project then we'll need to discuss this further with you.

Cost:

Your Template Design

The "look and feel" of your website is achieved by the graphic design and layout. This expense pays for the time to consult with you and design the "first" web page -- which includes your logo and branding, general "layout" and the "flow" of content, choosing a colour palette, creating navigation menu(s), and incorporating other graphic design elements. This is often the most expensive up-front cost but there are ways to reduce this cost by purchasing pre-fabricated templates (rather than creating a custom template).

My template is already designed and I am happy with its appearance.

You can indicate the exact cost of your template design below.

I do not have a template designed yet but I will design it myself.

Great!

I do not have a template designed yet and would like help with this. I am interested in consulting with a specialist to create a custom design for my website.

We can help you create a custom template for a fee or you can contact a webmaster in your local area (recommended). If you choose to consult us with your project then we'll need to discuss this further with you.

I do not have a template designed yet but I am interesting in purchasing a pre-fabricated design (like one found at TemplateMonster.com).

If you know the exact price of the pre-fabricted template that you will purchase, enter it below.

Cost:

Corporate Image and Branding

What is this? Well (to use some extreme examples just to make the point clear), if you are the Queen of England then every publication produced by your entourage must be profusely discussed and planned -- every "image" of the monarch is given careful consideration to respect policy and protocol. This is true also of large corporations: it is safe to assume that Coca-Cola, Playboy, Microsoft, Ford and GMC are very particular about the who/what/when/where/why of their logo and corporate image. To contrast...Joe "Junior" Webmaster working in his parent's basement doesn't have to concern himself with such things when he builds a website called myBurp.com -- Junior's logo, copyright, and privacy policy don't have to hold up in court!

In most cases, small businesses don't suffer extraneous costs relating to branding, corporate image, and other such things but -- at the very least -- some time will be expended.

This doesn't relate to me.

Excellent. Save save save!

I'd prefer not to calculate these expenses right now.

We understand. Just enter zero (0) in the text box above.

My business/company will need to consult with experts relating to the publication of material on our website including perhaps legal counsel, governmental or regulatory authorities, marketing agencies, and/or others.

Then we encourage you to include a rough estimate of those costs here.

Cost:

Consultation and Planning

If you are a webmaster, then you'll know what this means. If you are code-nerds like us, then it's likely that you didn't expect or antipicate the amount of time required to consult with clients -- so it's evermore important to consider this aspect of the project in your budget.

If you are not a webmaster, but a business owner (who may or may not be techically-inclined), then you should be prepared to consult with your webmaster throughout the production of your website. Think of your webmaster like your "voice" on the internet...your company will speak and communicate online through them. If they get paid they'll speak loud and clear and help ensure that your online business is healthy and active.

I am my own webmaster...I only need to consult and plan with myself!

Great!

I am a business owner (not a "tech") and I will require some assistance to prepare my business online.

Perfect! You're on the road to a successful online business. You can adjust the cost estimate in the text box below if already have a relationship with a webmaster. If you do not have already have a webmaster for your project then we can assist on a limited basis.

Cost:

20/20 DataShed (and/or related software applications)

As part of the planning and preparation (or to further develop an existing website) you may consider our product, 20/20 DataShed, or other 3^rd-party software to provide your website with special tools.

This page is really designed to help you understand how our product can fit into your plan...so we'll assume for the moment that you're reading this page because you like 20/20 DataShed and are considering purchasing it.

Yes. I intend to purchase 20/20 DataShed to manage an inventory on my website.

We appreciate your interest in our product! If you are interested also in some of the add-ons and plug-ins, you can adjust the price below accordingly.

Actually...I'm not interested in purchasing 20/20 DataShed.

Well...if there's anyway we can change your mind just let us know.

I like 20/20 DataShed, but I will build my own app instead.

Either you're very good at what you do and have nothing but time on your hands...or you're delusional...or your client has a bottomless bank account. 20/20 DataShed (like similar products) is a culmination of thousands of hours of planning/designing/authoring/testing/marketing/supporting/documenting/revising/testing/etc.etc. (We hope you've thought of that when making your final decision).

If you're very good at what you do then perhaps we're wrong and you can offer your client a suitable product for a reasonable cost. You'll be able to deliver in two years...(not next month)...and your client will have a robust application that they can resell to others.

If you're delusional then either your client will receive a "less-than" product and they will eventually buy our software directly -- or you, in effort to deliver on promises to that client, will work heavily for a few thousand hours and get paid $0.038 per hour for your valueable time.

If your client has a bottomless bank account...then...well...that's never the case -- you're probably delusional.

What's our point? Simple...in our not-so-humble opinion we believe that webmasters *should* re-invent the wheel as often as possible; but not on a client's time and budget!

Cost:

MLS Integration Setup

If you are interested in 20/20 DataShed and incorporating the optional MLS service, then a small setup fee is required.

Yes. I intend to incorporate the MLS service with 20/20 DataShed.

We appreciate your interest in our service! We are available to answer questions that you may have about the service and will assist when your website is ready for the MLS integration. The setup fee for the service is $395.

No. I will not integrate the MLS service with 20/20 DataShed.

We are available to answer questions you may have about the service.

Cost:

Website Development

This aspect of the cost includes the expenses which you will incur while the website is being developed. For example, after your "template" is complete, then it's usually necessary to create some additional pages, add content to each page, you may develop additional features for the website, and so on.

This cost is very difficult to estimate as it depends entirely on unique circumstances and requirements.

Perhaps you can enter a "guess" in the text box below -- try to estimate the amount of time required to create new pages, additional images, enter your data into the database, incorporate other features and tools, etc.

Cost:

Ongoing Development, Services, and Maintenance

Hosting

Your website must be hosted on a web server. Some of our customers operate their own web servers, but the majority of our customers "rent" web space from a suitable web hosting company. The costs can vary but it's safe to estimate that web hosting services will be approximately $10 - $50 per month.

My website is quite small and I only require a "basic" hosting service.

Great! You'll save in the short term and there's room to grow. You can adjust the estimate below if you already know the monthly cost of hosting your website.

My website will require a very robust hosting service -- the website will incorporate advanced tools like databases, web services, e-Commerce (perhaps), and will experience heavy traffic.

Ahhh...the wheels are already spinning then and you know what you're looking for. You can adjust the estimate below if you already know the monthly cost of hosting your website.

Monthly Cost:

MLS Integration Automated Updates

If you are interested in 20/20 DataShed and incorporating the optional MLS service, then a monthly fee is required to process the daily data transfers and updates provided by your MLS board. This fee is $65.

Yes. I intend to incorporate the MLS service with 20/20 DataShed.

We appreciate your interest in our service! We are available to answer questions that you may have about the service.

No. I will not integrate the MLS service with 20/20 DataShed.

We are available to answer questions you may have about the service.

Monthly Cost:

Periodic Updates

As your website develops and if you have a good relationship with your webmaster then you should prepare to keep your website up-to-date. This might mean a revision to the cosmetics and design of the site, or periodic changes to the features and content, or perhaps (if you use 3^rd-party products) software updates.

This cost is difficult to estimate however because: (a) it's really up to you how much you want to spend to keep your website up-to-date; and (b) if your website generates business, then this expense is worthwhile and you'll understand the return on your investment.

You can enter an approximate budget below.

Monthly Cost:

Advertising/Marketing Budget

Again, this cost is difficult to estimate.

The best part about the internet is still the amazing fact that your website can be promoted globally at no charge. There are plenty of free services (such as search engines) by which your website will gain an audience.

However it is advisable to plan for advertising expenses if you'd like to participate in online marketing campaigns such as Google's "Adwords", MSN's "adCenter", and related services.

If you intend to spend money on advertising, enter an approximate monthly budget below.

Monthly Cost:

Summary and Totals

Please note that these estimates are very rough. This is not a "quote".

Estimated Up-Front Costs

If you're a webmaster developing your own website, then you might see $85 in the white box above. Your greatest expense will be your own time and energy. But remember, this page only estimates the costs that are directly related to the creation of your website -- it doesn't take into account the electricity to fuel your computer or the Cheetos and Pepsi to fuel you!

Otherwise, the white box above probably has a number no less than $1500 -- that's a website with no bells or whistles -- but likely between $2200 and $6000. These are reasonable amounts to expend on a very-tight to moderately-tight budget.

Often, the "up-front" costs of creating a website can be daunting, particularly if this is your first. The reason we've written this page is to help you understand the costs involved and why a website can easily become very expensive. But note that some of the costs involved can be minimized (usually not eliminated entirely...but reduced) if you are able to perform the work yourself. Like building a house though, if you can afford the expense then it's best left to the professionals who know what they're doing. (If you are a professional...then you'll appreciate the previous sentence and you might encourage your clients to read it!)

Estimated Ongoing Annual Fees

Again, the white box above is merely a rough indication of the annual costs involved in maintaining your website.

This expense, of course, can be broken into "mandatory" and "discretionary" categories. For example, a web server "host" is mandatory (if you don't pay that service provider, then your website goes offline). Alternatively, "updates" to your website may cost $0.00 (if you decide not to update your site...ever).