What Does a Website Cost? — The Ongoing Costs
When I put together a proposal for a client, I include the ongoing costs — the investment fees to keep the site running beyond the initial launch. The initial cost of building a website was covered in the previous post. Here's what you'll need to budget for on an ongoing basis.
Domain Name
Your domain name (yoursite.com) requires annual renewal. Domains can be registered for 1 to 10+ years. I recommend 1–2 year renewals as a natural check-in point. Pricing runs from around $10–20/year for standard .com domains. I handle domain registration for my clients to ensure they never accidentally lose their domain — it happens more often than you'd think when clients don't know to watch for renewal notices.
Web Hosting
Hosting fees vary based on your site's size and traffic. Shared hosting for a small business site typically runs $10–30/month. Larger, more dynamic sites can run $100+/month. I recommend going with the host your web designer uses and trusts — they know how to handle technical issues on that platform and can better support your site. Don't just go with the cheapest option; reliability and security matter more than saving a few dollars a month.
Updates to Your Site
Regular updates improve SEO and keep your site relevant. If you want to make routine updates yourself, let your designer know from the beginning — a CMS like WordPress makes this possible without technical knowledge. For more complex updates (adding pages, new features, structural changes), budget for occasional designer involvement.
If you need consistent ongoing help, ask about a maintenance plan — a set number of hours per month at a reduced rate. I offer tiered plans for exactly this reason. If you don't need regular support, per-project pricing works fine.
SEO Optimization
If you want to seriously optimize your site for search engines, budget for ongoing SEO work. At minimum, your designer should set up your site with proper keywords, page descriptions, and page titles. An SEO firm takes this further — keyword research, competitive analysis, link building, and ongoing monitoring. Rates vary widely: from a few hundred dollars a month for local/small business SEO to thousands for more competitive markets or national campaigns.