Creating a new website isn’t as difficult as you might think. That is, if you learn about everything you need to do prior, makes it seem less like you’re going in blind. To assist you in your time of need we have developed a sort of checklist you can go over to make sure that you cover everything you need when getting started with web hosting and making your business available on the internet. Read along to understand what you must have prepared and their related costs!
What is Web Hosting
Before we dive into the related costs for web hosting, let’s talk about what that is exactly. Web hosting is a service by a provider that allows your website to be available on the Internet. There are quite a few web hosting providers that you can choose from. They all range in pricing and services provided.
A popular web hosting platform you may have heard of is Bluehost. They are a great website provider that is both affordable and easy to learn. It’s perfect for small to medium-sized businesses. You can buy and register your domain name, manage your website, integrate plug-ins and other marketing tools, access free SSL certificates, and so much more. Their plans start at just $2.95 a month and go up depending on your needs.
Of course that is just one of many reliable web hosting companies that you can choose from. It is best to analyze several different companies and see which one is the most compatible with you and how you want to scale your business. Forbes compiled a list of the Top-rated web hosting companies of 2024, you may find just what you’re looking for there!
Web Hosting Costs
Registering Your Domain Name
So, how much is it going to cost you? Well to have a website you’re going to need to have a name for it right? That will be your domain name, and just like on Instagram, someone might just have your ideal name already. With that in mind, try to come up with a few options.
Now that you have your domain name, you will need to register it, and that is where the first cost comes in. You will have to go through the web hosting company you picked and see if your name is available. Once you have your domain name you will have to pay a fee to register it.
Domain name costs vary from around $3.49 to $15 per year. Pricing across domain name registrars varies based on your preferred top-level domain (TLD). Keep in mind that you will have to pay an annual registration fee to keep your website available on the Internet. Let’s take a look at a few affordable providers:
- Namecheap provides the cheapest option for “.com,” and “. org” domain registrations and they’re easy to use! Their registrations vary depending on the type of TLD, but they offer competitive prices and coupon codes.
- Host Gator offers four web hosting plans starting at just $3.75/month which includes a free domain for a year. As the plans go up in value so too does the speed and security of your website.
- Go Daddy is the world’s 5th largest web hosting platform with over 60 million domains. Go Daddy has various plans with prices starting at $0.01 (yes you read that right) for the first year after purchasing a 3-year plan.
SSL Certificates
Be sure to consider cyber security when building your website from scratch. One thing that may not be required, but will certainly garner trust in you amongst your audience is an SSL Certificate. An SSL Certificate, or a Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) certificate, works to encrypt data sent between a web browser and a server. So if your website will obtain any personal information from your audience like emails, contact information, or even credit card numbers, you will need to encrypt that information and protect yourself and others from hackers.
How much does an SSL Certificate cost? Well, that depends on what kind of SSL Certificate you get. But the prices can range from as cheap as $6 to well over $1000. As a business owner, you can choose what kind of SSL Certificate you need. There are a few available such as the Domain Validation Certificate, Organization Validation Certificate and, an Extended Validation Certificate. You can also choose a single-domain certificate or a multi-domain certificate which will also affect your pricing.
Landing Page
Alright, so, you have your domain registered and you’ve added security to your site with an SSL Certificate. What’s next? Well, you gotta attract visitors to your site, right? This is where a landing page can be very helpful. A landing page is a standalone web page that acts as a call to action for your audience.
For example, let’s say you run a jewelry brand and you are posting on Pinterest to expand your reach and garner interest. You can add a link to your landing page with every image that you publish. When users click on that link it will take them to a page with a call to action like “Sign up for my email list to receive 20% off your first order.” With a landing page, you have managed to attract more users to your site and get them to sign up to join your audience. From there you can build a relationship with your audience and boost sales for your business.
Landing pages are a great way to boost conversions and grow your email list. Their cost can vary depending on if you build it yourself through your website management platform like WordPress, or you can have a third party customize one for you. Building it yourself would be “free” and hiring someone else to create it for you can cost either a few hundred or a few thousand dollars.
Email Marketing
I mentioned an email list in the above section, and if you have any doubts about whether email is necessary… I am here to tell you that it is one of the most important things to consider when building your brand. There are several benefits to creating an email newsletter for your brand:
- Builds Relationships
- Builds Credibility
- Builds Engagement
- Builds Conversions $$$
Even now in 2024, people still check their emails daily. Nearly 80% of Millennials for example, like to be contacted by brands via email marketing. Millennials also make up a large portion of the online shopping market… So, do with that information as you will (eye emoji).
Let’s get into which platforms you should use and their related costs. If you are just building an email list, here are a few FREE platforms that you can use:
- Mailchimp, up to 500 contacts, 1000 sends/month
- Sender, up to 2500 contacts, 15000 sends/month
- Brevo, up to 100,000 contacts, 300 sends/day
- Email Octopus, up to 2500 contacts, 10,000 sends/month
Utilize email newsletters to build a relationship with your audience, boost conversions, and keep them up to date with your company’s offers and resources. The free plans offered by those companies will help you build your email list and learn about how best to communicate with your audience. If you haven’t already signed up for our list here, you should since our latest newsletter is all about the best email marketing strategies to implement for your business!