How much does it cost to make a website and business needs

A website is a source of knowledge about our business. Its task is to inform about services or products, communicate transaction rules and provide contact details to the company. Just a few years ago, all goals would be met by a simple website consisting of several tabs. Today, however, the requirements associated with it are much higher – you should take into account trends in the industry and the network, and if you want to reach as many customers as possible – also the requirements of search engines.

How much it costs to make a website depends largely on its expected size and the technologies used. So let’s start by answering a few questions:

A. Size of the website – if you are planning a website for a small, very local business, all you have to do is build a simple website that will provide basic information for your customers – it will tell you about the business, who is behind it and where and at what times you can use the services. What does “simple site” mean?
These are several tabs – subpages.

These types of sites are intended for a small number of recipients. By placing the object on the map and adjusting the search to the locations of its user – those interested will easily find a website and gain access to the necessary information.

The site can be based on pure HTML and CSS, without a content management system. However, if you plan to frequently add entries to the news section and be able to change your course offer, for example, it is worth meeting people who are unfamiliar with the code and invest in one of the popular CMS. The simplest solution here is WordPress – popular, intuitive, with the ability to create users with different levels of access to the administration panel. The installation of CMS is, however, associated with higher costs and in the extended time of completion of the website design.

For this type of page, however, you can use alternative solutions – page builders. Google also provides this type of solution. Sites created using these solutions are usually cheap (costs are the subscription of the selected tool and the price of domain maintenance and hosting) and can be done on your own. Website builders have their limitations and creating large websites that have ambitions to storm the first positions in search results may not be very effective.

Websites that are to contain more tabs – e.g. the offer category is to be developed for various types of services, and the site will allow customers to contact the company directly or book visits – it is worth building based on CMS. More subpages require agile administration, and this will definitely be facilitated by the installation of a content management system.

B. Technology – the bigger side is usually the need for more individual solutions. The simplest and cheapest solution is to put a static page, using HTML, CSS and simple JavaScript. How much does it cost to make a simple website? An efficient developer will code and – colloquially speaking – will “put” this type of website within a few days. The cost should also be increased by the work of the graphic designer responsible for creating the website layout and time related to making corrections to the project.

More complicated pages, extended with functionalities allowing for greater interaction with the page – e.g. using forms, creating accounts and logging in, require more advanced solutions. In these cases, the page is most often based on one of the CMS. Again, the most popular solution for medium-sized sites is WordPress, which thanks to the plug-in system can extend a regular website with almost any functionality.

The advantage of popular CMS are easily available documentation and forums, where you can find solutions for virtually any problem. Their definite downside – susceptibility to burglary. Lack of the current version of the system, unchecked plugins and add-ons may be the reason for slamming or hijacking. Therefore, if you choose this type of solution, their additional cost may be updating the version (which does not always go smoothly), and in the worst case … removing the effects of hacking.

Online stores also have a separate price list. Here, several solutions are involved – installing the engine on a server or using software in the Saas model.

Placing the store on your own server is associated with the need to take care not only of its appearance, but above all about security. It is not only about meeting security requirements, but also about the stability of servers, the security of your data and customers and the elimination of errors related to installed extensions. This solution, however, allows full access to the code of the website and full modification in accordance with your own vision.

The online store can also be opened using the offers of companies operating in the SaaS model – Software as a service. By choosing this solution, we sub-rent a cloud fragment and store software in exchange for a monthly fee. There are many companies operating in this system on the market. Each of the brands offers several subscription versions. Its amount depends on, among others on the number of accounts in the administrative panel, integration with other sales channels and wholesalers, the number of products and so on.

The costs associated with placing the store at the start may be smaller – the smallest subscription is around $ 10 / month. This, of course, brings limitations, e.g. the inability to match the appearance of the store’s vision or pasting the codes necessary to run a Google Ads campaign. Fees must be paid monthly, which can be quite painful for the entrepreneur in the event of a worse period.

How much does it cost to create a small page?

As mentioned above, making a website takes a few hours of work and graphics. The list of points in the cost estimate will look like this:
– domain cost,
– hosting cost,
– the cost of creating the page layout (graphics time),
– cost of coding the website (web developer time).

The total should be close to about $ 200-300.

These costs can be reduced by using, for example, one of the programs that allows you to create a page yourself. In this case, the main effort will be our time – necessary to choose the program, familiarize yourself with it and build a working website. The cost of domain and hosting will remain the same, you should also add a subscription to them resulting from the use of the wizard – the cheapest start from around $ 5 / month. Note – the use of wizards has its limitations – e.g. a smaller subscription requires you to agree to display ads on our site.

The small site is ideal for businesses that do not have the ambition to dominate search results.

How much does it cost to make a website for a medium-sized business?

A website, which is to be a tool for acquiring new customers, should meet a whole range of requirements – it should be fast, mobiles and accessible to recipients.

Building this type of site will be more complicated – the number of bookmarks increases and additional functions need to be added. Points that should be included in the cost estimate of such a project are similar to those of a small site, but their height will increase significantly. Depending on the planned functions and the expected traffic on the site, it may be necessary to choose a more expensive option or a dedicated server.

The cost of creating a medium-sized business website also has a CMS chosen. Installing it usually increases the price by around $ 150-300. Added to this are the costs of some solutions that need to be installed into the basic system.

Additional costs worth paying

CMS support requires familiarity with its limitations and capabilities. Unless it is planned to employ a separate employee to operate the website, it is worth considering the issue and, for example, adding a point related to the system training in the website contract. It is worth keeping this in mind – simple corrections that you can do yourself in a few minutes, the company will cost you a lot. Self-service of the system also saves time – delegating tasks in this case can postpone their execution for several days.

Note – submission of the page by the web developer is not synonymous with its full preparation for active activities on the Internet. If you start positioning or Google Ads, you may need to make corrections. This does not mean, however, that the “site was bad”, but only not fully adapted to Google’s guidelines. Optimization, however, may involve the need for additional changes, especially if the site is managed by a proprietary CMS system that does not have full documentation on the Internet.

Store – virtual store shelves, salesman and cash register

One of the more complex types of websites are certainly online stores. This translates directly into how much it costs to make them. What should be considered?

In addition to basic costs – domain and hosting, there is the cost of the engine. As I mentioned above – its issue can be solved in two ways – by installing open source options or choosing a SaaS solution.

Store prices start at around $ 2-3 thousand and increase depending on the solutions and integration used.

SaaS for those who like “fast”

At first glance, it may seem that how much it costs to make a website and store on open source engines is incomparably greater than using the store options in the SaaS model. Subscription allows us to set up a fully functional store, but depending on the height limits the possibility of customizing its appearance and optimization. These types of solutions will not work for large e-commers trading thousands of products. This solution will be appreciated by small companies that do not have financial expenses to build their own sales platform.

(Not) Perfect solution

The biggest drawback of this type of solutions is the inability to modify the code and make changes, including those that would be required during optimization for running an advertising campaign. Of course, many of them have the option of more advanced customization, but this is an additional cost that the company must take on. Many suppliers of ready stores emphasize the possibility of giving websites a unique look, unfortunately, most projects – especially in lower subscription plans – do not differ much.

SaaS also has its advantages – the responsibility for maintaining the continuity of the correct operation of the site and ensuring data and transaction security, falls on the service provider. In the case of multi-person activities, the delegation of these tasks allows you to focus on creating the product and running the brand.

The cost of placing a store in a SaaS model starts at around $ 15 / month. Prices for more advanced packages start from around $ 70.

PDF file – the most important information

PDF, or Portable Document Format, is a document format designed by Adobe. Established in 1992. Work on the PDF was ongoing as part of the Camelot project. The PDF format was primarily to be used to convert paper documents to digital. The creators of Portable Document Format have also set themselves the goal of ensuring that electronic versions of documents can be sent to anywhere, displayed and printed on any computer. Today we know that this goal has been achieved.

PDF has gained considerable popularity over the years and is used to create various content. The widespread use is due to the many advantages of PDF files. The most important are:
– easy to open PDF files on most computers,
– simple navigation within the document, which facilitates the efficient reading of even long texts,
– the ability to prepare materials in this format for printing,
– small size of documents,
– easy transfer of PDF files.

Google indexes PDF files?

PDF files have been used for years. For a very long time one of the myths was that PDFs could not be indexed by Google search engine. However, reports indicate that search engines with this file format have been doing very well since 2001, as long as they are not password protected or encrypted. The content of PDF files is analyzed by Google robots in the same way as the content contained in the page code. The case with links that are in the PDF document looks the same. Simply put, Google search treats links from PDF files in the same way as HTML links. The only difference is that for PDFs you cannot set nofollow attributes. All this shows that for Google search engine it doesn’t matter if the content is placed in a PDF or HTML document. For SEO, the most important thing is relevant content and its keyword saturation.

When it comes to indexing PDF files, it’s worth noting that search engines really like them. They are often much higher in search results than traditional HTML files. Despite this, many companies still do not use the potential of PDFs in positioning.

How to optimize PDF for search engine?

For PDF documents to have a positive impact on SEO, they must be properly optimized. This gives them a chance to display high in search engine results. It is worth remembering that in order for PDF to affect SEO, it should be text-based, which only gives bots the option of loading content. Therefore, if you want to use PDFs for SEO, you cannot place them as an image – the search engine will not load it and will not take it into account at all. How to further prepare the PDF file?

– Name it – the title of the PDF should reflect its content and contain keywords; this will allow Google robots to determine what is in the document; rules that should be followed: it is a title about 50 – 70 characters long, natural and encouraging to click on the link; the PDF title can be completed in the wizard; it allows not only to enter the title, but also the author, subject and keywords; it is best to complete all fields;

– Take care of the PDF file size – the smaller the document size, the faster the page loads; this is not only positive for SEO, but also provides comfort for web users; the easiest way to reduce the PDF file size is to choose medium or optimal quality instead of the highest when saving or exporting a document; it is worth noting here that smaller files are faster indexed by search engines;

– Choose a URL – the PDF should have a friendly URL; sometimes it is broadcast automatically by CMS; however, you must check whether it is too long; too long a link is not good for SEO and does not meet user-friendly rules; short addresses can not only be easier to remember by the user, but also look good in search results; the URL does not translate directly into SEO, but the keywords contained in it will be highlighted in the search engine and thus are more visible to the user;

– Add ALT attributes – in PDF files, apart from text, there may be photos / pictures; if they are listed, the ALT and title attributes should be completed; this data must be completed with each graphic; this will help robots read PDF better;

– Link internally – for PDF files to actually impact SEO, they must be internally linked; the content of the documents should include links to the internal subpages of the website and thus indicate relevant sections of the page to Google bots and Internet users;

– Optimize content and avoid duplicate content – the text that is contained in the PDF document must be prepared in accordance with the same rules as those per page; this means that you need to optimize your document; it includes content saturation with keywords, the use of subheadings, paragraphs, bullets, graphics, tables, italics, bold; the text in the PDF should also be valuable, useful and provide the necessary information to the reader; it cannot be copied from other files or websites – search engines will treat this as duplicate content.

– Adapt PDF to mobiles devices – UX issues are very important for SEO; are preparing an e-book or manuals in PDF, it is worth thinking about mobiles device users; In order for the document to be easily read on the phones or tablet, it is important to use the right font size, matching the file to the screen size, ensuring readability and visibility of the images.

PDF files – is it worth positioning them for SEO?

The use of PDF files for SEO has its undoubted advantages. Note, however, that in some cases you may encounter navigation problems between the PDF file and the rest of the site. You also lose full control over the length and organization of content – content placed in PDF cannot be placed via CRM. Speaking of disadvantages, you must also remember that PDF documents are not as flexible as HTML pages – they do not have code that can be modified in any way. Still, using PDFs for SEO is profitable and worthwhile. It is worth to bet above all when:

– There are many PDF documents that have already been created and they are of great substantive value to users;
– Developing a PDF document is more aesthetic and transparent in terms of UX than placing text on an HTML page;
– The content is specially prepared for printing or downloading, e.g. e-books, brochures, price lists, regulations, leaflets, etc.
– Creating separate subpages, i.e. converting PDF to HTML would be too expensive and time consuming.

The possibilities that you have in using PDF in SEO are many – we are limited only by imagination. In PDF form you can save all documents created by the company, both of practical and marketing significance. Saturating them with internal links and keywords will allow you to use PDFs as another tool to help your website rank in the search engine.

The PDF format is the universal one, easy to use and distribute. It is often used to create various documents, including those with a marketing tone. PDF files can contain substantive guides, useful ebooks, leaflets, brochures, quotes. They are also a great tool for creating user manuals or instructions, regulations, price lists, etc. From the point of view of SEO PDF is not an ideal format, but extremely useful. Its proper preparation will bring benefits in the form of an increase in the CTR index and an increase in the level of traffic to the website (including organic results), and will also translate into the website SEO results.

Summary

– PDF files can “wander like hamsters” so take care of all attributes in the file, especially the correct linking to services or products – thanks to which you will get extra traffic
– it is good to prepare a template on letterhead with an active link to the home page on the website
– file repositories are great at SEO – especially where you sell services (e.g. legal) or devices (e.g. user manuals)
– apart from PDF files, DOCs position well
– if you want to have traffic from Google Graphics save the PDF file as an image and optimize
– you can use UTMs to track traffic from PDF files
– do not duplicate content from a page in PDF
– a page with embedded PDF can be very strongly linked and popular, and then cross-canonical to another subpage simply does not work
– use PDF files as training materials – they index well and generate traffic
– if you have a lot of educational videos, prepare a transcription and upload it to a PDF file (if you do not have space on the page)
– if you use external issue service to embed directories – quit – build your own repository and keep the client at your place. Well, unless you don’t have an IT structure for it.

Whisper marketing – definition

The key concept associated with the definition of whisper marketing is recommendation. What is the point To understand, think about how often you talk to family, friends or colleagues about different types of products. Do you ever share your opinion about the fridge you bought or how the new TV works? You recommend your friends proven repair companies or shops with friendly service. This is what a whisper is based on.

The goals of whisper marketing are:
– arousing interest in a given product or brand, encouraging consumers to discuss it,
– creating trends – building “fashion” for specific products or brands,
– strengthening the brand image through positive recommendations,
– spreading information about current promotions, and thus – increasing the likelihood that the customer will opt for the product.

What forms can whisper marketing take?

“Whispering” can be run both online and offline. The second category includes actions led by brand ambassadors. But online whisper marketing is the most prevalsent. This happens because:

– campaigns are easy to carry out – they can even be partially automated,
– you can gain wide ranges in various communication channels – some time ago the “whispering” on the forums was the most popular, today this role is taken over by social media,
– You can engage audiences in discussions about the brand in many ways.

But the divisions are not over yet. Because online whisper marketing alone can also be implemented by various methods – less and more ethical.

Whisper marketing – it’s not just paid posts on forums / social media. The first association many people have with whisper marketing are paid posts placed on internet forums or on Facebook by hired people. I must admit that just a few years ago this was the form most often taken by the whisper. They paid for the mass insertion of positive opinions and whispered ads on various forums, as well as in the form of comments on social media. Today, there are still brands that use this way of promoting themselves on the market – this is common, for example, during political campaigns. Nevertheless, it is worth considering:

– how unethical whisper marketing will translate into the brand image in the long term?
– how soon will customers realize that this is an “artificial” campaign and not authentic opinions published by users?

You may think that an efficiently implemented “whisper” will keep the impression of naturalness. Remember, however, that consumers are becoming more aware and able to better detect intrusive ads. And in the modern marketing model there is no place for them. That is why whisper marketing in this form is slowly becoming a thing of the past. However, this does not mean that the strategy based on recommendations is bad. On the contrary. All you have to do is focus on more ethical and effective in the long run.

Authentic reviews are at a premium

Did you know that as many as 88% of users trust authentic, verified online reviews, as do recommendations obtained through personal contact? Exactly. The term “AUTHENTIC” plays a key role here. That is, not those commissioned by copywriters, but prepared by people who really bought the product / used the service.

You may find it difficult to obtain them. But look at the success of Google Maps, which encourages users to post reviews of places they’ve visited. In fact, Internet users do not receive any material benefits from this. Despite this, they willingly share their views with others, building a community of “local guides”. Also think about a rating system that works, for example, on eBay and similar sales portals. How often do you check if the seller has good reviews when buying?

Similar mechanisms can be used to build whisper marketing campaigns. It is about engaging consumers to express opinions and share information about the brand. This is what modern word-of-mouth marketing is all about!

How to get them? Useful will be e.g.:
– enriching the after-sales service of the customer with an e-mail asking for leaving an opinion, e.g. on the website of your e-store or portal that serves this purpose,
– affiliate program that encourages the sharing of opinions about the brand and provides the customer with “remuneration”, e.g. in the form of a discount for subsequent purchases,
– running a campaign based on brand ambassadors – but those who honestly say they represent it, and engage them in discussions with community members.

In this form, you can carry out word-of-mouth marketing, among others in social media. You can use, among others, the very popular groups on Facebook. They will allow you step by step to build a community related to your brand.

It is also worth engaging users for discussion in social media. So allow them to review your services / products and respond to both positive and negative voices in the discussion. Open, honest conversation, confessing and honesty will do more than artificial opinions!

Strength of social proof

Remaining in the circle of marketing strategy based on recommendations, it is also worth mentioning proof of social equity. The point is that if the customer recognizes that other consumers have chosen the product and express positive opinions about it – they are more likely to make a transaction.

And how to use it in the context of word of mouth marketing? Tools that automate messages related to the so-called social proof that you can use, among others in your online store. It is worth informally informing people who are currently in the e-store about:
– positive opinions about a given product – this is possible thanks to the introduction of a rating system and quoting the most positive in small pop-ups,
– that someone is watching a product that interests them, as well as how many people have already bought it, the number of transactions made that day.

These are, of course, only sample data that can be included in such messages. Their content and frequency should be adapted to the specifics of your e-store. Data related to social proof should also be used in remarketing campaigns.

Word of mouth marketing – is it worth it?

Word-of-mouth marketing (whisper marketing) can have very positive effects on the results your business achieves. Remember, however, that if you want them to be long-term and improve your brand image – you should only focus on the ethical forms of this way of communicating with customers. In this way you will use the power hidden in real gossip. It spreads at lightning speed, not artificially prepared messages. Are you wondering how to translate these assumptions from theory into practice? Do you want to create a coherent marketing strategy, whose element will be communication focused on obtaining opinions and recommendations? We will help you plan and execute a campaign that will inspire your clients’ trust and increase reach.