Running a business without a website is like opening a store in the middle of the desert without any roads leading to it. Even if you have the best products or services in the world, no one knows you’re there.

Almost all businesses have a website these days and all most have gone through a process to justify having it built. BUT once its built you also need to keep it intact and operating smoothly – what a lot of busineses dont do is accocunt for the ongoing expenses and there are some significant costs involved in doing this properly and ensuring that your website does not become a liability.

In this article I’ll break down this down and outline what it really costs to keep your website running and performing at its best.

The Obvious Costs

1. Hosting

This is the fee you pay your hosting company to keep your website live on the internet. Think of it as rent for your website. Hosting costs range from budget options like $5 per month (for basic O/S shared hosting) to $300+ per month for dedicated servers. Most small businesses spend somewhere in between – around $20-$50 per month.

2. Domain Registration Renewal

Your domain name is your online address and is normally renewed annually and costs between $20-$50 annually for a regular domain name.

3. SSL Certificate

Most businesses domains and hosting will include this – it’s non-negotiable these days – some include this for free. For a more robust solution a regular charge is around $100-$200 annually.

The “Hidden” Costs (The Costs You Normally Don’t Budget For)

1.DIY/in-house Time

Let’s talk about Nigel. Nigel is an admin assistant who’s now in charge of updating the business website because he “knows how to use WordPress.” also because no one else wants to do it and he’s the only one that can remember the passwords. Nigel is also referred to the IT guru – Nigel is not an IT guru.

Nigel spends two hours every week fixing broken links, Googling “how to create a contact form.”, trying to interpret Google Analytics, applying software patches, trying to fix website warnings/errors and sometimes tinkering with the code – scary emoji. At $30 ph it’s cheap but inefficient and his time adds up $3120 per year. That’s the conservative cost assuming Nigel doesn’t break anything along the way. Worse still, you may be managing this yourself. What is your time worth and how much is this taking away from the energy and expertise your business needs.

2. Plugins and Tools

Websites run on plugins and tools. Need a new booking form? There’s a plugin for that. Do you need to incorporate videos into a page – that’s another plugin . Most plugins start free but then as you need more functionality you may need to go with the PRO version with a $100-$300/year subscription fee. When you have a handful of tools you’re looking at $500-$1,000 annually.

2. Security and Backups

Hackers don’t discriminate. A small business website can be a juicy target and maybe an easy one too. To keep your site secure, you’ll need firewalls, malware scans, and regular backups. A decent security suite can cost $100-$300/year. The cost to restore/clean websites after an attack can cost a lot more.

3.Content Updates and improvements

When your business evolves so should your website. Regularly updating content, adding new pages, or tweaking designs requires a pro – typically charging $100-$200 per hour. For 10 hours of work per year – we’re looking at $1000-$2000. You can do it in-house of course but it will often take more time and result in more costs and most likely poorer results :/

4.Technical Support

Things go wrong. Sometimes its not even Nigel’s fault – things change on the internet all the time, when browsers update, often the website needs patching and sometimes depending on how the website was initially developed it can just simply break. Either way, troubleshooting technical issues will mean hiring an expert (Nigel has already had a go at it and probably made it worse). A single fix can cost hundreds and at least 2 incidents per year should be included in your budget.

NOTE on The Cost of Mistakes

Mistakes can happen and they can be costly to fix and can take away time – accidentally deleting important files, misconfiguring settings, or failing to update software can lead to downtime, lost business/sales, loss of IP, loss of reputation or even a hacked website. The real cost of mistakes can run into $1000s

The Opportunity Costs (What You’re Missing Out On)

When someone with little digital marketing knowledge maintains your website – you are missing out on valuable knowledge and pro-active advice that would normally be provided by a professional in the market. With insider knowledge on what works, latest developments, SEO advice and best ways to promote and build your business. There are many ways to calculate this figure of lost opportunity but I will expand on that in another article.

So, What’s the Final Total …

• Hosting: $300/year
• Domain renewal: $20/year
• SSL: $100/year
• Plugins/tools: $750/year
• Security: $200/year
• Content updates: $1500/year
• DIY time: $3120/year
• Technical support: $1000 /year

Grand Total: $6990 per annum
And that’s a conservative estimate. If you’re running a larger site or need more advanced functionality, the costs will multiply.

How to Save on your ongoing website cost

1. Invest in Professional Help
   Outsourcing website maintenance to experts might feel like an unnecessary cost at first (you’ve got Nigel after all), but like doing anything properly, it does save you money (and headaches) in the long run. Professionals are faster, more efficient, and less likely to break things.
2. Check and streamline
   Do an audit of your plugins and subscriptions. Are you paying for tools you don’t actually use?
3. Review your Backup and Security costs
   Most good hosting providers offer built-in backups and security. It’s worthwhile reviewing your current solution and upgrading your hosting plan to include these features. There is little doubt you will need to restore you website and/or have a significant security breach at some stage – having a good hosting provider to help prevent or resolve this is priceless.

Summary

Maintaining a website isn’t cheap, but it’s an essential element of your business – keeping it in good nick means you are more likely to benefit from it and use it as a tool for generating more business. By understanding the real costs (including hidden ones), you’ll be better equipped to budget wisely and you can help prevent any unexpected surprises and repair costs. Best of all you can let Nigel go back to doing what he is best at — because running your website isn’t it.

Are there any other costs that you allow for in your budget?

If you would like to discuss website management options – please contact us or check out our purpose built Website Care+ package which provide all you need.