We all know that creating a website is no longer a costly affair. There are several CMS platforms like WordPress that you can use to make your website cost-effectively.
You can also outsource your project to Indian website builders to reduce your web development cost.
But do you know there could be several hidden charges to build a website besides the essential website development cost?
So, before you hire any website developer, you must know all the hidden charges you may be required to pay, if any.
In this blog post, we have shared 5 standard hidden charges that your web developer may add 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 must integrate several plugins to add various functionalities to your website.
Most of these plugin developers provide their plugins free of cost, but some of them may charge you annually. Your web developer is responsible for informing 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:
- Premium 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, it may appear like a surcharge for some people.
Especially for webmasters 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 the significant difference between hosting a website and a domain name.
- A domain name is just the name of your website, like www.yourwebsitename.com
- Web hosting is a virtual hard disc for your website where all the files, folders, databases, and emails are stored.
We can’t launch a website with a domain name because we need a virtual space to host our files and execute the codes.
So, for all new to the web world, website hosting is a hidden yet essential charge 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. You may be required to make changes to your website occasionally. These changes could be as simple as making some text edits or as complicated as changing the design or a feature.
What are your arrangements for making minor changes to your website?
Are you relying on your developer to make those changes? If yes, it may also have to pay for these services.
You can ask your website builder to create a CMS-driven website to save money.
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 additional charges to complete these changes.
Needless to say, 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 where you notice some bugs or errors on your website after it’s launched and made live. What kind of warranty does your website developer provide in this post-launch mistake situation?
Below are some of the most common post-launch errors that you may face on 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 videos
If your developer provides no warranty, then the cost of fixing the post-launch bugs on your website may also be an additional charge.
Therefore, before you hire a website builder, you must check with them to see if there is any kind of service warranty.
At Innomax, we provide all our clients with a free service warranty of 3 months after making their websites live, which helps them save their web development costs.
Recommended post: 22 Most common WordPress errors along with their solutions
#5 Website population charges
Although most website developers offer free assistance to upload & publish the content to your website, some 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 content yourself without paying additional charges to your web developer.
You may ask your developer to include website population charges within your web design proposal to avoid these additional charges.
