How much does a website cost?

Let's get this out of the way first: A web site doesn't cost, it pays! But since it takes money to make money, here are some cost items involved in setting up a web site.

Domain Name

A domain name is also called a URL. URL stands for Universal Resource Locator, in case you're curious. Every web site needs a domain name in order to make its location easily to remember for users.

The Internet itself does not use domain names. It uses a numerical representation of the website's location called an IP Address. IP stands for Internet Protocol.

The domain name is actually a human-friendly name that Internet servers use to translate into an IP Address.

Technically, you can run your web site without a domain name, but then your customer would have to remember to type something like 104.128.9.109 into their browser instead of www.MySite.com.

Domain Names are cheap these days. You can get one starting out at around £2 for a co.uk, or £8 for a .com TLD, annually, depending upon the type of domain name you get and where you get it from.

Web Server

Your domain name represents the website's "address". The address refers to the location of your web server.

A web server is a collection of hardware and software that houses your web pages and enables you to send email, communicate with visitors, etc.

Web server fees are generally paid monthly, but you will find companies that offer quarterly and annual discounted fees as well. You can pay anywhere from no cost to hundreds of dollars per month to host your website on a web server. What's the difference is prices?

Web servers are provided by companies known as Web Hosts. Anybody with a few dollars can start up a web host company. Your next-door neighbor's 13-year-old son could start a web hosting company in his bedroom and you'd never be able to tell.

So here's the thing: You get what you pay for. And you don't get what you don't pay for.

So stay away from free web hosting. And unless you are starting a huge mega-company, you won't need the multi-hundred dollar monthly fee options either.

A good price range is £10 to £20 per month. But be sure to Google the web host company's name and check their reputation for timely, quality support before you make a commitment. When your site is down, you don't want to have to wait for your neighbor's son to come home to get it back up!

So, the long answer to the short question of "How much does a website cost?" turns out to be somewhere roughly between £300 and £600 per year. And that's a bargain!