We all know that creating a website is no more a costly affair. There are several CMS platforms like WordPress that you can use to create your website cost-effectively.
Additionally, you can also outsource your project to Indian website builders in order to reduce the cost of your web development.
But do you know that there could be several hidden charges to build a website, other than the basic website development cost?
So, before you hire any website developer, you must know all of the hidden charges that you may be required to pay if any.
In this blog post, we have shared 5 common hidden charges that your web developer may add up to your total web design bill.
Let’s explore!
#1 Annual cost of plugins
When your website developer uses any CMS platform like WordPress or Drupal, they have to integrate several plugins in order to add various functionalities to your website.
Most of these plugins’ developers provide their plugins free of cost, but some of them may charge you on the annual basis. It’s the responsibility of your web developer to inform you about those recurring charges.
And if you don’t renew those renewable plugins every year, your website may start showing some errors abruptly because of some non-functional plugin(s).
Below are some of the features for which you may have to pay recurring charges:
- Advanced contact forms
- SEO plugins (to avail advanced features)
- Newsletter plugins
- Visual builders
- Currency convertors
- Multi-language
It’s not necessary to use paid plugins to build a professional website. It’s just that when you need some advanced features, you may have to pay for them.
Some web developers may suggest you use paid plugins, even if your website development doesn’t demand any advanced features.
Therefore, you must be careful while shortlisting and hiring a reliable & experienced web developer to build your website.
#2 Website hosting charges
Although website hosting is not a hidden cost because hosting is an integral part of any website development, for some people, it may appear like a surcharge.
Especially for those webmasters who are building their websites for the first time and do not know the difference between a domain name and web hosting. They believe that if they have purchased a domain name, all they need to launch a website is just web development.
Let’s understand here the major difference between a website hosting and a domain name.
- A domain name is just the name of your website like www.yourwebsitename.com
- A web hosting is a virtual hard disc for your website where all the files, folders, databases, and emails are stored.
Now you see we definitely can’t launch a website with just a domain name because we do need a virtual space to host our files and execute the codes.
So, for all those of you who are new to the web world, website hosting is a hidden yet essential charge that you will have to pay for.
The estimated cost to host a website ranges between $50 to $200 per annum or more.
#3 Website management charges
Website development is not a one-time thing. Every now and then, you may be required to make some changes to your website. These changes could be as simple as making some text edits or could be as complicated as changing the design or a feature.
What are your arrangements to make minor changes to your website?
Are you relying on your developer to make those changes? If yes, then it may have to pay for these services too.
In order to save your money, you can ask your website builder to create a CMS-driven website.
With the help of a CMS, you can easily make minor changes like text edits or image changes by yourself. In other words, when your developer uses a CMS platform like WordPress, you won’t have to rely on your web developer or pay any additional charges to get these changes done.
Needless to mention, if you don’t have a CMS-driven website, the maintenance charges of your website may come up as a hidden cost.
#4 Bugs / Errors fixing charges
There may be a situation when you will notice some bugs or errors on your website after it’s launched and made live. In this kind of situation of post-launch errors, what kind of warranty does your website developer provide?
Below are some of the most common post-launch errors that you may face in your website:
- Form validation errors
- Spelling & grammar mistakes
- Broken links
- Slow loading speed
- Design alignment errors
- Browser compatibility errors
- Responsiveness (device compatibility errors)
- Missing images or vides
If there is not any warranty provided by your developer, then the cost to fix the post-launch bugs on your website may also be an additional charge for you.
Therefore, before you hire a website builder, you must check with them if there is any kind of service warranty or not.
At Innomax, we provide all of our clients with a free service warranty of 3 months after making their websites live, which helps them to save their web development costs.
Recommended post: 22 Most common WordPress errors along with their solutions
#5 Website population charges
Although most of the website developers offer free assistance to upload & publish the contents into your website, some of them may charge you for this service.
Especially if you have a lot of web pages to be populated or products to be added to your website, your web developer may charge you additionally for this service.
Again, if you have a CMS-driven website, you can add the contents to your website yourself without paying any additional charges to your web developer.
To avoid these additional charges, you may ask your developer to include website population charges within your web design proposal.
