How Much It Costs To Build a Website for An Accounting Business
Building a website for an accounting business can be done on a budget. However, it's vital to understand that not all websites are created equal.
Website platforms are all different. Some platforms are better than others, and it's crucial that you understand why this is the case to make the right decision for your business.
Building a website might seem daunting at first, but if you know what to do and have the right tools and information, it's not as difficult as you think. To get all the details on building your website, continue reading to see how much it will cost you to build a website for your business.
Why do you need a website for your Accounting Firm?
As your firm grows, you'll need a place where clients, customers, and other interested parties can find out more about what you do. Having an online presence, even a simple website, will make it easier for customers and clients to interact with you.
A website is a great way to showcase your business. It also helps you establish credibility and trust with potential clients. If you're a small business owner, it's essential to have a website. Here are three reasons why:
1. It's the first thing people see
The first thing people will see when they Google your company is your website. If they don't like what they see, they'll move on to other firms. A website makes it easy for potential customers to find information about your firm and connect with you directly.
2. A website builds credibility
A well-designed website with accurate information about your firm can build credibility in the eyes of potential clients. They'll know that you're serious about your business and that other satisfied customers have used your services in the past.
3. A website helps generate leads
Once potential clients find your site online, there are many ways to contact you directly through their browser or through social media platforms like Facebook or Twitter (or any other platform where you've advertised). You can use these tools to collect email addresses from prospective clients to follow up with them later on down the road when they're ready to use your accounting services.
What are the primary options for building a site?
There are many website builder software platforms to choose from when building a website for your accounting business.
Which one is the best for you?
Well, which platform is best for you will depend on how much time and energy you want to put into the web design process, what capabilities you desire in a platform, and your accounting firm's stage of growth.
Let's review the main options for building a website for an accounting business and how much each one costs.
DIY Website Builder Platform
Estimated cost of $9/month - $99/month
Have you ever tried to make a website for your business and not known what to do? You're not alone. There are thousands of platforms, plugins, and templates which can be challenging to choose from.
You could use a DIY website builder platform to create a website for your accounting business or WordPress (which we don't classify as a Do-It-Yourself platform).
You probably heard people saying that WordPress is the most popular website platform. That's true, but it is a particularly challenging platform to get the hang of and usually requires the help of outside experts to build and manage.
Web builder platforms have taken off in recent years. They are popular with users who think they might grow beyond their initial position. There are now several to choose from - with more becoming available all the time.
What is a website builder software platform? A website builder is a program or application that gives you the power to build your website online—no need to download or install anything. A website builder software platform is one where you can sign up yourself and use their tools to build a website without writing any code.
Here are the most popular website builder platforms on the market for accounting business and estimated prices for licensing the platforms.
Popular DIY Website Builder Platforms
- Mighty Sites - Starting at $9/month.
- Go Daddy - Starting at $14.99/month for business
- Wix - Starting at $16/month
- Squarespace - Starting at $23/month for business.
- Web.com - Starting at $10/month
WordPress
Estimated cost
- Software = Free
- Hosting = $20/month - $50/month
- Template = $29 - $199
WordPress is technically free for the software, but you will have to buy a template, pay for hosting and likely pay for someone to set it all up.
WordPress is one of the most popular content management systems (CMS) globally, used by businesses large and small. If you have any connections to WordPress, then you know why. It comes with thousands of excellent plugins, and it caters to just about everyone.
WordPress is an excellent platform for building websites and blogs. And it can also be used to create an online presence for your accounting business. A well-designed website can help you attract new clients, establish credibility, and represent your firm's brand the way you want.
However, the barrier to entry for using WordPress to build your website is significant. WordPress was made for bloggers, and creating a website built on WordPress means that a lot of labor must be done by the user to set up the platform, hosting, template, and design.
It is a powerful platform, but it takes time, effort, and expertise to build and maintain.
How much does the process of building the site for your accounting business cost?
The price of a website for an accounting business can vary drastically based on who builds it, what platform it is built on, and how often you need to change things.
Websites can cost anywhere from $100 to $100,000+ depending on the complexity of your needs. Many factors go into pricing a website, but here are some basic ones to consider:
The Type of Site You Need
There are many different types of websites, and each one has its own unique features and functionality. Some sites are simple brochure-style pages with no interactivity. In contrast, others are highly interactive, user-driven sites that allow visitors to browse through catalogs or order products directly from the site itself. The more complex your site is, the more time it will take to develop and the higher the price. However, even simple static sites can cost several hundred dollars if they're large enough (i.e., have lots of content).
Who Builds Your Site?
The company that builds your site will also affect its price. Most small businesses choose local companies to make their websites because they're cheaper and easier to work with on an ongoing basis if problems arise down the road. Large companies like GoDaddy offer lower prices but often require a lot of effort from the business owner to get the sites set up and running correctly.
The main three options for building your accounting business website are a DIY platform, a Freelancer, or a Website Agency. Let's review each option.
The Cost of Building It Yourself
Estimated cost: $9/month - $100/month
You could use a DIY website builder platform to build your website for your accounting business. This can be a good option if you're unsure how to begin your website and want to see what it looks like before hiring someone else to create it.
Here are some of the benefits:
Cost. Building your website is usually cheaper than hiring a professional web designer or developer. You may even be able to find a free site builder that allows you to build a professional-looking site without spending anything at all!
Timing. The time it takes to build a website varies depending on how simple, or complex the site is, but some DIY builders can have you up and running in less than an hour.
Control over content and design. With most DIY builders, you get some control over your site — from editing text formatting, images, and linking to social media.
The fastest and easiest way to build a simple, one-page website for your accounting business is using the Mighty Sites system. A professional, mobile-friendly web page will be generated for you instantly. You can have your new website live in less than a few minutes.
Freelancer Costs
Estimated cost $500 - $5,000
You could work with a freelancer to build your website for your accounting business. This is a great way to get a professional-looking website without having to spend the money on hiring someone full-time.
You can find freelancers on sites like Upwork and Fiverr, or if you have a friend who has built websites before, you could ask them for help.
The best part about working with freelancers is that they are usually very affordable, especially compared to what you would pay an employee. You will also be able to pick and choose what you want your website to look like and how it functions, which means that it will be completely customized.
You must do your research first, though, as not all freelancers are created equal! Ensure that they have experience building websites in the industry that you want yours to be geared towards (i.e., accounting).
Web Agency
Estimated cost: $5,000 - $20,000
You could use a professional website agency to build your website for your accounting business.
A website agency can help you build a fantastic site that will look great and work well for your business. They can help you with everything from design to hosting, and they have the experience to get it done right.
One of the most significant benefits of working with a website agency is that they have all the tools necessary to build an excellent site for your accounting business. They have designers who know how to create beautiful websites, web developers who can code them, and SEO experts who will make sure they rank high on Google. All these people work together as part of a team to create the best possible outcome for each client's needs.
Another significant benefit of using an agency is that they'll save you time and energy by handling behind-the-scenes work. You don't need to spend hours searching for fonts or figuring out how to code; instead, you can focus on running your business!
What are the other costs of building a website for your accounting firm?
There are hidden costs to building and managing a small business website that you may not be aware of at the outset.
The cost of getting started with a small business website can vary widely, depending on the size and complexity of your project. But once you're up and running, there are also plenty of hidden costs to consider.
Here are some of the most common hidden costs for small business websites:
(P.S. - Mighty Sites includes hosting in the $9/month charge for an accounting business website!)
Opportunity Cost for DIY Platforms
Suppose you use a do-it-yourself website builder and spend hours building your own website for your accounting business. In that case, there is an opportunity cost for you. You could have been working on growing your client base and generating revenue.
The cost of doing it yourself includes the time you spent learning how to build websites, which could've been spent on other things, such as marketing or billable hours.
The cost of doing it yourself also includes the money you spent on tools and software that were unnecessary to create an effective website for your business.
In contrast, if you want to focus on what you do best, find an easy solution, like Mighty Sites, for generating a website for your accounting firm.
Hosting for WordPress
When you host your website yourself, you need to pay for the hosting and the domain name.
For example, HostGator is one of the most popular hosts around, and it costs $20/per month for a basic account. If you want more features like SSL encryption or unlimited bandwidth, that will cost more.
Here are some popular hosting companies for WordPress and their approximate costs:
- Hostgator starting at $10.95/month for shared hosting.
- Blue Host starting at $4.95/month for shared hosting.
- Dreamhost starting at $1.99/month for shared hosting.
- Siteground starting at $3.99/month
You'll also need to install WordPress on your server if you're using WordPress. Again, this is where the complexity enters the equation.
Domain Registration & Hosting
Estimated cost of $10/year - $20/year
You will need to buy a domain name and pay annually for domain name hosting for your small business website. You can typically get the domain name for about $10 per year.
These are some of the most popular and affordable domain registrars:
Template for WordPress (reminder link to templates)
Estimated cost of $29 - $199
You will need to buy a WordPress template for your accounting business website. This is not a difficult task, but it does require some time and patience.
You will need to find a template that suits your business's needs and requirements. You should also choose a theme that will be easy to customize, so you can make the changes you need without having to spend hours on it.
If you have no idea where to start, there are plenty of websites available that sell pre-made themes for WordPress. These sites offer different types of templates for all kinds of businesses, including accounting companies.
After choosing the perfect template for your company's website, you'll want to install it on your site. You can install your template through an FTP client if you know how to or through an online service like Dreamweaver or ClickBank.
Here are some popular companies for buying WordPress themes for accounting businesses:
Maintenance, Changes & Updates to the Website
Estimated cost: $75/hour - $180/hour
You will need to pay someone to make changes and updates to your accounting business website from time to time, or you will need to do it yourself.
To ensure that your website is up-to-date and your business is presented the way you want, you'll need to make regular changes to your site. This may involve adding new content, updating existing content, adding new pages, or changing existing pages.
If you have a large number of pages, then this can be time-consuming and costly. You may also find it challenging to keep track of all the changes you have made and any new content that needs adding or updating.
For this reason, many businesses hire someone skilled in making these changes for them.
Hiring someone or using an expert contractor to manage and make changes to your website can be pretty costly.
Conclusion
So, there it is--the cost to build a website for an accounting firm.
Many factors can affect your costs, and these site examples only reflect one possible concept of how you might go about creating a website. So you still need to add in design costs and give yourself some cushion if things don't go 100% as planned—because they rarely do!
Hopefully, this information will be helpful as you prepare to launch your website. Good luck!