Building Your Site: What Website Host to Use
If you’re here, you have begun considering the need for a website. Congratulations! That is a large step for your business, and it can be a doozy to worry about. We’d like to walk you through the decision of how you can decide if designing your own website or hiring it out is worth it!
What to Consider
There are a few topics to consider as you begin this journey. Price is likely the first thing on your mind, but you should not take for granted what it all could include: time, knowledge and level of difficulty.
Taking the time to research what you might need is the first right step, but if you’re here you may know you need help already! If you’d like to schedule a time to talk about your needs, feel free to click this link and we can chat.
Price
Build Your Own
If you create your own website, the price will be minimal (if you don’t consider your time valuable). It is important to spend time considering the website builder and/or host and it will play a role in how much it will cost.
We will use the 3 most popular website builders currently to compare prices, but further down we will consider what’s offered.
| Service Name | Cheapest | Most Popular | Short description |
| WordPress | $48 | $96 | While it is only the next option up, you do receive ample support and can earn ad revenue! |
| Wix | Free | $276 | The most expensive plan is best for large companies! You likely won’t need that option |
| Squarespace | $144 | $216 | The business plan ($18 paid annually) is most popular for small businesses |
| Weebly | Free | $312 | The $72 option allows for custom domain name |
Hiring a Professional
Before we tell you how much it will cost to hire a professional to design your website, there are a few things we need to remind you of:
- Paying on the lower end for a “professional” may leave you with less than desirable results
- Website creation and maintenance is a highly technical and specialized field. Are you willing to pay half price for a doctor if they didn’t actually pass their boards?
- Time is money. If you’re spending forty hours one week to build your own website to a professional standard, what would it cost you to not work with clients?
According to websitebuilderexpert.com, the average cost of working with a professional for your website building needs is $6,760. That isn’t to say that LRM costs this much, in fact, because we work specifically with smaller businesses, our sites are generally much less.
Cost is going to vary based on expertise, design complexity, and the number of pages necessary. When it comes to LRM Valley Marketing, we utilize WordPress!
WordPress has been at the forefront of many web designer’s repertoires for years! They allow for many edits that can be simple or complicated without too much digital coding and when you need to use it, the back office is quite simple.
We highly recommend WordPress to anyone, even if you decide to go it alone!
Going It Alone
Have you decided to create your own website? Excited, but scared?? Here is a quick breakdown so you may make the most informed decision.
We need to let you know that this will be crafted for small businesses, not large companies. The offerings mentioned may not include what you specifically need, but it may still be offered at a higher rate then mentioned.
To make it easiest, each builder will include the price of the plan we are comparing based off the most popular options.
WordPress
$96 annually
By far the easiest site to utilize for the new beginner, the back office will walk you through exactly what you need to do to create a beautiful website. With this plan you are going to be able to remove ads from WordPress and receive revenue on any you apply to the site.
You’re able to upload videos and use Google analytics to see how your website is ranking compared to others like it! You can’t go wrong.
Wix
$138 annually
This Pro plan is not meant for anyone accepting payment but will allow you to create a beautiful website for clients to interact with. It is ad free, a customized domain, professional logo designing abilities, and ample storage space. You are offered $300 in ad credits if you pay for $25 in advance.
Squarespace
$216 annually
By selecting the Business Plan you will have the ability to have an unlimited amount of contributors, complete customization through javascript, and the option for a professional website email. Squarespace does allow for ecommerce with this plan but takes a 3% fee if you choose to use it.
Weebly
$144 annually
Weebly’s Professional plan is their second highest tier but offers more for “free” than their free and cheaper options. You receive advanced stats, free domain, no ads, and can still utilize it for ecommerce!
Going It Alone
We understand the allure to save money and create your own website but would love to see your website be as brilliant as you are. We are happy to help with your website design needs, simply click the schedule button to schedule a call as soon as possible.