What Costs are Involved with Building and Running a Website?

It can feel daunting to think about all the different aspects involved with a new website. Here you will find an in-depth guide to the various costs of building and running a website that in turn will help you earn more.

Making an investment in the future of your business can be a nervous time, especially for a new business. As you grow and make more investments, it becomes more exciting than nerve-wracking.

Below are the costs involved with a website at Glow Creative, whether your business is product-based or service-based (click to jump to the corresponding section).

Product-based business websites (ecommerce) – Shopify

1. Glow Creative website package

Glow’s website packages include design and development. You can find more details about packages here.

2. Domain (e.g. glowcreative.co.nz)

You pay to use and reserve your URL, it doesn’t grant you a place to build the website by itself (you need hosting as well). Domains cost about $25/year NZD. You can compare different providers to find which offers your desired domain for the best price and to see who comes most recommended. Shopify offers domains which is the most straightforward way to connect your domain to your Shopify website. However, they do tend to come at a higher price. Connecting your domain from another provider is simple enough to do (I’ll do it for you as a client of Glow Creative).

3. Shopify subscription & hosting

Your hosting is a place to house your site on the web. Where all your details and files are kept online. For Shopify, hosting costs are included in their monthly subscription fee that allows you to use their service. Shopify’s pricing and plans can be found here. Most small businesses can comfortably start with the Basic plan without missing out on any functionality.

4. Shopify theme

Your theme provides the basic structure and functionality that your website needs to run. Your theme can be customised in all ways, shapes, and forms, but it is best to choose one that includes key features you need (if you can) to ensure you don’t end up paying a monthly subscription to get the same functionality from an app down the line. There are a variety of themes to choose from on Shopify’s theme store. They range from free to around $350 USD.

5. Payment gateway

This is the provider which lets you accept payments on your website. Shopify has their own gateway which integrates very nicely into Shopify websites – Shopify Payments. There are other options, such as eWAY which can do the job as well. All of your options vary in price and availability depending on which country you’re based in. Most take a percentage out of each sale from your website.

6. Additional payment gateways (optional)

These are extra ways to accept payments outside of your standard credit/debit card payments so people can pay another way. Most commonly people like to pay using PayPal or on a payment plan over multiple weeks using AfterPay or a similar provider. These payment gateways each have their own varying fees.

7. Apps (optional)

Shopify apps are the equivalent of plugins or add ons on other platforms. If you choose to add extra functionality to your website using an app, these often incur a monthly fee from the app developer. There are plenty of free apps for Shopify, however it depends on what you’re after whether the right choice is free or not.

8. Web maintenance (optional)

Over time you may require updates, changes, and new features on your website. If you would like help maintaining your website, Glow Creative offers this at an hourly rate (listed here). If you have already signed on at Glow Creative to build your website, there is no additional paper work – you can simply make a request any time.

Service-based business websites – WordPress

1. Glow Creative website package

Glow’s website packages include design and development. You can find more details about packages here.

2. Domain (e.g. glowcreative.co.nz)

You pay to use and reserve your URL, it doesn’t grant you a place to build the website by itself (you need hosting as well). Domains cost about $25/year NZD. You can compare different providers to find which offers your desired domain for the best price and to see who comes most recommended.

3. Hosting

This is a place to house your site on the web. Where all your details and files are kept online. WordPress hosting costs $300/year NZD (+ GST if you’re in NZ) with Glow Creative.

4. WordPress theme

Your theme provides the basic structure and functionality that your website needs to run. Your theme can be customised in all ways, shapes, and forms. The prices range a lot for WordPress themes, however at Glow Creative your theme is included in your package and carefully selected specifically for your business.

5. Plugins (optional)

WordPress plugins are the equivalent of apps or add ons on other platforms. If you choose to add extra functionality to your website using a plugin, these can sometimes incur a monthly fee from the plugin developer. There are a vast amount of free plugins for WordPress, however it depends on what you’re after whether the right choice is free or not.

6. Web maintenance (optional)

Over time you may require updates, changes, and new features on your website. If you would like help maintaining your website, Glow Creative offers this at an hourly rate (listed here). If you have already signed on at Glow Creative to build your website, there is no additional paper work – you can simply make a request any time.