Websites are an integral part of any business. They draw in customers, promote recognition, and showcase products or services. If you don’t know where to begin or which website builder to choose from, NJ’s trusted website development company is an excellent place to start. But how much does it cost to maintain a website?
Why Maintain a Website?
Regularly updating your website is crucial to keep customers returning to your business. Here are just a few of the reasons maintenance is important:
- Content Updates: Users don’t want to read outdated information. Just as the internet is constantly changing, your website should reflect that. Timely, relevant content will not only keep users’ attention, but also rank your website higher within search engines.
- Brand Promotion: If your website performs poorly and has an outdated image, this can negatively affect how users see your brand. Even something such as a slow speed may change a user’s perspective. It’s important to keep your website running smoothly and looking its best in order to become well-established and reputable.
- Security: If you maintain your website, you can address any security concerns as they arise. Hackers can exploit unprotected websites and access personal and secure data with relative ease in this modern world. Updating your security keeps you and your customers safe.
- Recovery: Backing up your website can help you save money in the long term. If your website is hacked or erased, building it from scratch again can be costly and time-consuming. Keep your website up-to-date to make the recovery process easier.
The Costs To Maintain a Website
Now let’s focus on the monetary portion of that question: how much does it cost to maintain a website? Although the answer is different for every website owner and your needs, there are several consistent factors to take into consideration when you’re calculating these costs.
Website Domain
The domain name is what users type into their address bar. After you buy a domain name, it’s important to renew it in order to keep using the same one and maintain brand recognition. Renewal prices typically range from $10 to $129 every year.
SSL Certificate
An SSL security certificate will enhance SEO results while protecting your website. If you store any sensitive information like passwords and payment information, this is a necessity. An SSL certificate varies in cost depending on how many domains it covers, but a website owner can expect to pay anywhere from $7 to $1,000 for this.
Web Hosting
Your web hosting service will affect how much it costs to maintain a website. Simply choosing the cheapest option for web hosting can have negative effects, such as slow loading times, outages, and even a hacked website. Here are the most popular web hosting options and their functions:
- Managed Web Hosting: For smaller businesses that just have a weekly blog, managed web hosting may be the best option. In this scenario, a server’s resources are shared with other websites and users, keeping costs low.
- VPS Hosting: If your website requires specific resources within a server, this may be a better option. Experienced website owners can have more control over their server settings as well.
- Cloud Hosting: Cloud hosting tends to be more expensive than VPS hosting, but with this option, the provider is responsible for technical maintenance, and data is stored in multiple servers. Using more servers can result in better performance for high-traffic, growing businesses.
- WordPress Hosting: WordPress powers roughly 30% of sites worldwide. Premium WordPress hosting is optimized for these users and allows these websites to maintain their security and run at their peak performance.
- Dedicated Hosting: Dedicated hosting is the most expensive option, and it functions exactly as the name suggests. An established business will receive its own dedicated server specifically for its website, giving it complete control and top-notch performance.
The average cost of web hosting is between $13 to $77 per month, depending on which option is best for you and your business.
Marketing Strategy
Marketing through the Internet has become a powerful and popular way to raise brand awareness and sell products and services. In order to do this effectively, there are several steps you should take.
- Content Marketing: You can produce content (such as blogs and videos) in-house or hire digital marketing agencies or freelancers to create it for you.
- SEO Optimization: In order to reach your audience, you need to add SEO keywords to your website. SEO experts will improve and maintain your rankings in search engines.
- Email Marketing: To keep customers informed about your latest products or services, as well as any sales or other important changes, email marketing is vital.
- Social Media: Creating engaging content on social media allows you to reach a broad audience and find new customers.
The costs of these services can vary widely, but any good digital marketing agency will provide you with a quote upfront so you can know what you should expect to pay.
Design and Features
Updating a website’s design and including a variety of e-commerce features can be done in-house, or the work can be outsourced to a professional in web design. There are free-to-choose-from themes online, while premium WordPress designs cost around $17 per month. Meanwhile, a professional designer may charge more for professional, tailored design services.
Plug-ins and Extensions
Plug-ins and extensions can enhance a variety of your website’s features, such as messaging services, page builders, and security. If you choose to purchase these, expect to pay anywhere from $24 to $600 annually for each premium plugin selected.
Conclusion
How much does it cost to maintain a website? This largely depends on the kind of website you have and its needs. However, neglecting this important step may only result in more expenses in the long run.
Need help maintaining your website without breaking the bank? Or are you looking to add SEO keywords to your website? At Peppermonkey Media, we offer affordable website development and a range of other digital marketing services. Call us today at 732-576-0171 to request a consultation.