For almost every business, websites serve as an invaluable marketing platform. For some, such as eCommerce sites, it is an essential part of operations. When creating a new venture, your website is one of the first things you create. It is a good idea to understand what a website costs fully.
Keep reading to learn about some of the top factors that impact the cost of your website.
The Domain Name
Your website will have an IP address. It is the official source of identification online. The IP address is a series of numbers, and the domain name can be something simple, such as “yourbusinessname.com.” Once you create your website, your hosting company will relate the IP address to the domain name you have to purchase.
Purchasing the domain name you have chosen requires you to pay an annual fee to the domain registrar. Usually, this costs between $10 and $15 per year based on how popular the name you choose is. The top web hosting companies will usually cover the first year of your domain registration.
SSL Encryption
If you plan to run your site without SSL encryption, a web browser will show that it is insecure. This may scare off your potential customers. SSL stands for Secure Sockets Layer. This is a technology that lets servers and browsers use encrypted connections, which are called HTTPS or Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure. Using SSL encryption requires the purchase of an SSL certificate, which is a server file that will digitally identify your site.
The SSL certificate usually costs between $20 and $100 a year. You can acquire the certificate through the hosting provider, which will handle the cost of the SSL certificate and then apply it to the site.
Professional Email Hosting
No one will automatically associate a business email service with web hosting; however, the two actually go hand-in-hand. Usually, a hosting company will provide various email services to incorporate your domain and your business email address.
A domain email address will help to improve the business’s credibility. If you choose an email address that ends in gmail.com, though, it may give potential customers doubts about the business. Professional emails offer increased portability, accessibility, and privacy, too, which provide improved security than generic email service.
Web Hosting
The web hosting provider will store the website’s contents and maintain the servers to ensure the website is available and visible online. Web hosting is something that does not have to be too expensive if you select the right provider and plan. The best move for many businesses is to choose a provider that offers a shared hosting model.
Understanding the Cost of Your New Website
When it comes to an understanding your website’s cost, there are a lot of factors that go into it. If you want a more specific cost estimate, talk to the professionals. They can let you know the final cost for your website and break down the costs line by line to help.