Short answer: it varies widely! Ok, that’s not really much help to you is it, so let’s try get at least a rough picture of how much you can expect to pay for a website. Firstly, we will need to look at the type of website you are after.
1. Types of Websites
The first step in estimating the cost of a website is determining the type of website you need. Here are some common types:
- Small Business Websites: Typically feature a few pages, such as a home page, services, and contact information. May also have a News or Blog section.
- Personal Blogs: Generally the most affordable, with basic designs and limited functionality.
- E-commerce Sites: More complex, allowing for product listings, shopping carts, and payment processing.
- Custom Websites: Tailored solutions that require extensive design and development, suitable for businesses with specific needs.
2. Design Costs
DIY vs. Professional Design
- DIY Website Builders: Platforms like Wix, Squarespace, Shopify and WordPress.com allow users to create websites using templates. Costs typically range from NZD 10 to NZD 50 per month, depending on the features and capabilities you need. Your bigger cost here will be your own time. It will take time to do the research and learn about the different platform options so that you can choose the most suitable one for your needs. Then it will take time to learn how to use the platform to build your website and to do the actual work of putting it all together. May be worth trying if you enjoy working on computers and have the time.
- Freelancers or Agencies: A simple website can start at around NZD 1,500 to NZD 3,000, while more complex or custom websites can exceed NZD 10,000. Expect to pay more with larger agencies compared to freelancers and smaller outfits. Get a few quotes and compare not just the bottom line price but what they are actually offering at that price.
Design Complexity and Amount of Content
The complexity of your design also affects costs. A more intricate layout with custom graphics and animations will increase expenses, whereas a straightforward design will be less expensive. It takes time to lay out the content on each page so the amount of content that you have to present will be a major factor in determining costs. Professional copy writing will typically incur additional costs (see below under item 6. – Other Optional Costs)
3. Development Costs
Website development involves coding and technical implementation. Costs can vary based on:
- Features: Basic websites with standard features are cheaper, while custom functionalities (like online payments, membership websites, speciality websites) can drive costs up.
- Platform: Developing on popular platforms like WordPress is often more cost-effective than building a site from scratch.
Typical Development Costs
- Basic Websites: NZD 1,000 to NZD 3,000
- E-commerce Sites: NZD 3,000 to NZD 15,000
- Custom Development: NZD 10,000 and up, depending on requirements.
4. Ongoing Costs
Your website is built and launched online and you’ve paid the web professionals for their work. You may think that your done with your website expenditures but your not!
Domain Registration
A domain name usually costs between NZD 20 and NZD 50 per year, depending on the registrar and the type of domain (.co.nz, .nz, etc.).
Hosting Services
Hosting costs can range from NZD 10 to NZD 100 per month. Factors influencing hosting prices include:
- Type of Hosting: Shared hosting is cheaper, while VPS or dedicated servers are more expensive.
- Traffic Levels: Higher traffic websites may require more robust hosting solutions.
Maintenance Costs
Ongoing maintenance is vital to keep your website secure and up-to-date. Expect to budget:
- Do It Yourself: Cost your time! But you would you would need to spend time anyway directing your web person on what content updates you want. So do doing it directly yourself could be a good idea if you are comfortable doing it. Some training form your web agency/developer after they complete your project would be helpful in this regard.
- Basic Maintenance: Many web developers/agencies offer maintenance packages typically ranging from NZD 50 to NZD 200 per month (or sometimes per quarter) for updates and minor changes.
- Comprehensive Support: We are getting into ‘how long is a piece of string?’ territory here but expect NZD 300 and up (sky’s the limit) for more extensive services, including SEO, backups, and security monitoring.
6. Other Optional Costs
Content Creation
Do It Yourself: You know your business best, so you may actually be the best placed person to write the copy for your website.
Hire a Content/Copy Writer: Hiring a content writer can cost anywhere from NZD 50 to NZD 300 per page, depending on the complexity and research involved.
SEO Services
Search engine optimization is all about getting your website to perform well in searches on Google and other search engines and getting people to see and interact with your website. SEO services can range from NZD 500 to NZD 2,000 per month, depending on the level of service and competition in your industry. Some small businesses do not put any investment into this and that may be fine if they are already running at full capacity, but if getting found by people searching for your products or services is important to your business then it’s worth investing some time, effort and/or money into SEO.
Marketing and Advertising
If you plan to promote your website, budget for online advertising, which can vary widely based on your strategy. No point in even putting a ballpark figure on this here, it really does depend.
Conclusion
The cost of a website in New Zealand can vary significantly based on your specific needs, the type of website, and the level of professional help you require. For a basic online presence for the typical small or medium sized New Zealand business, you might expect to spend around NZD 1,500 to NZD 5,000. For more complex sites, particularly e-commerce or custom solutions, costs can escalate to NZD 10,000 or more.
It will help big time to do a bit of planning before embarking on your web development journey. It’s a good idea to write at least a basic brief to quantify what type of website you want and what support you need in creating it. Then when you engage with web professionals to find someone or a team to build your website, it will be easier for them to provide you with an accurate quote to accomplish your goals. Get at least three quotes and compare