Ask five web designers what a website costs and you will get five different numbers. Nobody is hiding anything. "A website" can mean a single page you fill in yourself, or a site that takes bookings, sends quotes and gets you paid. Before you compare prices, it helps to know what you are actually paying for.

The parts of the bill

  • Your domain name. The address, like yourbusiness.co.za. It renews every year and is usually one of the smallest costs. Make sure it is registered in your name, not your designer's.
  • Hosting. The computer your site lives on. Cheap shared hosting is fine for a simple site. A site that takes bookings or payments needs hosting that is kept up to date and backed up.
  • Design and build. Usually a once-off fee. It ranges from a template you fill in yourself to a designer who writes your pages, sets up your photos and makes sure it works on phones.
  • Changes and upkeep. Prices change, photos go stale and software needs security updates. Some designers charge per change; some include a set amount each month.
  • Email on your domain. Addresses like info@yourbusiness.co.za are often billed separately, per mailbox.
  • The tools around the site. Online bookings, quotes, invoices, payment links and reminders are often separate subscriptions. Many are priced in US dollars, so what you pay in rand moves with the exchange rate.

Three common ways to do it

Build it yourself

A do-it-yourself website builder is the cheapest way to start and fine if you have the time. The catch is everything around it: you still need a booking tool, an invoicing tool and a way to get paid, and you are the one who connects them.

Pay a designer or an agency

You get a site made for you, which is worth a lot when you are busy running the business. Ask what happens after launch: who makes changes, what they cost, and who owns the domain and the hosting account.

Generate it online, have it finished by designers

This is how SilverLion works. The builder generates your website, business app and brand kit online from your details, and our designers finish them. Bookings, quotes, invoices and reminders run in one place, for a once-off launch fee and a monthly fee. You are not paying three or four providers, and you do not have to wire them together.

Costs people forget to ask about

  • Renewal prices. A low first-year price can go up sharply at renewal. Ask what year two costs.
  • VAT. If your supplier is VAT-registered, check whether the price you were given includes VAT at 15%.
  • Payment fees. Card and instant EFT gateways such as PayFast, Yoco and Ozow charge a fee on each payment. Check their current rates on their own websites.
  • Dollar pricing. Subscriptions billed in dollars cost more whenever the rand weakens.
  • Leaving. Can you take your website, your words, your photos and your client list with you if you stop?

Questions to ask before you pay

  1. Whose name is the domain registered in?
  2. What is included each month, and what costs extra?
  3. How quickly are changes made, and how do I ask for them?
  4. Does it work well on a phone? Most of your visitors will be on one.
  5. Can clients book, accept a quote or pay from the site?
  6. What happens to my site and my data if I leave?

What SilverLion charges

In South Africa, a website on its own starts from R3,450 once-off. A full launch with Google Business Profile setup, a brand kit and a handover pack starts from R5,950. The business app starts from R349 a month, and R599 a month covers every ready section with a WhatsApp reminder allowance. Bought separately, a website, a booking app, invoicing and WhatsApp reminders come to about R1,500 a month.

Outside South Africa we price in US dollars, euros and pounds. See every price in your currency, or build your site in the builder and see it before you pay anything.