Costs and Basic Website Components

On average, the following values can be used to estimate the cost of a small business website (if you'd like a personalized estimate for your website, phone us at +254 773 452 067 or fill out the quick estimate form and include your projected budget):

• Domain Name - Ksh1,300 per annum to Ksh55,000 per annum.

• Hosting costs between Ksh3,600 and Ksh15,100 per year (depending on traffic and hosting services) - 30 GB or more.

• Planning, Design, and Development of a Website Time – 1 week minimum

• Website Upkeep - Ksh48,000 per year and higher (depending on the amount and type of upgrades required).

• Using the Internet to Promote Your Website – Search marketing costs between Ksh25,000 and Ksh53,000 per month, and social media marketing costs between Ksh20,000 and Ksh70,000 per month.

Critical Aspects Affecting the Price of a Website

Ask yourself the following questions as you prepare to budget for web design costs:

• Is this a brand-new site or a redesigned version of one that already exists?

• What level of preparedness do you have when it comes to soliciting bids?

• Do you have a complete requirements document prepared?

• Is a blog or a content management system (CMS) required?

• Have you already made visuals for the site?

• Do you want the site to resize itself for mobile and tablet devices - Responsive?

• How much material do you have now and how much will you need to develop in the future?

• Are there any additional features you require, such as social media networks, SEO (search engine optimization), or eCommerce?

• Who will look after the site once it is up and running?

We go over each of these items in further detail below, along with an estimate of how much you should set aside for each. The cost will be determined by your unique needs. Please get in touch with us for a quote.

Fresh Designs often cost more than redesigns.

Keep in mind that the web designer is starting from the ground up while creating a new website. With no existing pieces to work with, the designer won't be able to look at an existing site and study your current online brand, nor will the design team be able to analyze the features and functionality that will be carried over and built upon in the new website.

Documentation and discovery

All new website initiatives should start with a mandatory "discovery and documentation" approach for the greatest results. This procedure aids in the identification of three crucial elements:

1. Branding on the internet
2. Structure of the website
3. Functionality of the website

This procedure, in our opinion, is critical since it helps to define expectations for all parties involved and avoids future problems.

Simple company websites, where the client knows exactly what he or she needs, can be completed in as little as a few hours of research and documentation, or even one day of labor. 

More sophisticated websites, on the other hand, may necessitate weeks of meetings and the preparation of numerous detailed documents in order to thoroughly define the project.

User Interface (UI) Design

Your logo, all of your photographs and graphics, and even your page layouts are all part of interface design, also known as visual design or the site's "look-and-feel." Don't assume that just because you have a pre-made design that you won't require new photos or layouts.

In most cases, interface design is an iterative process in which the designer shows you with several options before revising them depending on your feedback to arrive at a final design.

Budget between Ksh25,000 and Ksh29,000 for a small business website, from concept to final design, which will be turned over to developers for programming.

Don't stint on the user interface design; if you do, your site will be abandoned by today's savvy visitors.

Graphics and Images

Budgeting for website aesthetics is challenging because personalized or high-end stock photographs can cost anything from Ksh 500 to thousands of shillings.

Integrating appealing and appropriate images into your website can significantly improve its effectiveness. Free images can make this a breeze.

That isn't all, though. To complete your design, you'll also require stock icons and buttons. For these graphic elements, add Ksh2,000 to the budget. (Optional - you can still use free materials from the internet)

Costs of Mobile and Responsive Design

Because mobile devices have become such a crucial part of online success, your design should at the very least be mobile-friendly.

The best designs are "responsive," which means they automatically adjust their layout to look good and function effectively on a number of devices, including smartphones, tablets, and desktop/laptop computers.

A responsive design can cost anywhere from 20% to 30% more than a site built just for a desktop web browser (the price of progress).

This extra expense is due to the extra effort the interface designer puts in to create the site's appearance and functionality on numerous devices, which must then be programmed by the programmer. 

Finally, more testing is necessary before the site can go live. Responsive programming is included in all of our projects.

Content Creation and Insertion Costs

Small business owners can save money by developing all of the material (text and multimedia elements) themselves and then placing it into the website using a content management system (CMS).

Most designers have no problem delivering a customer a blank design template to fill up with text and images. However, you should invest Ksh500 to Ksh1,000 per page if you want the design firm to add your material and change the text arrangement.

Programming Special Features Often Cost Extra

Web developers may install a slew of extra features into your site to help you grow your business, but these extras can add up quickly.

Some features may be "included" in your website framework, but just because they're "included" doesn't imply they'll look or function the way you want them to.

The expenses listed below reflect the most common requirements we've observed, but several factors can drive them much higher. If your add-on isn't listed here, give us a call and we'll give you an estimate.

• Custom Content Management Systems – Web designers may integrate and personalize material management systems for clients who want to manage their own content (CMS). Drupal and Joomla are PHP-based open-source CMS platforms with which we operate. Integrating and configuring a CMS can cost anywhere between Ksh5,000 and Ksh10,000.

• Training and documentation - You'll need instructions and documentation on how to update and manage the site's content. Expect to spend between Ksh1,320 and Ksh2,520 depending on the scope of the material.

• Blog - Many clients prefer a blog (WordPress or something similar) integrated inside their website, modified to match the branding and style of their site. The cost of setting up a blog varies between Ksh 6,500 and Ksh 10,000.

• Add Ksh10,000 to Ksh15,000 or more for E-commerce shopping carts, catalogs, and payment processing, depending on requirements.

• Campaigns for Email Marketing - An email management platform is required by clients who want to collect emails and send out branded email blasts for announcements or newsletters. Along with an email blast template design, we can incorporate third-party platforms like sharpSpring, Mailchimp, or Constant Contact. Even your email blasts can be handled by us. Monthly fees start at Ksh3,517 and go escalate from there.

• We are frequently asked to design logos as part of our branding/identity development services. On the low end, we begin with an eight-hour approach that results in approximately six rough logo concepts. We proceed through multiple rounds of editing to get at a final version if one of these is picked. Between Ksh5,000 to Ksh20,000.

• Style Guides/Brand Guides/Style Sheets– An online style guide maintains brand consistency and ensures that your print material and online marketing messaging are consistent. A style guide explains things like how much white space should be around a logo, what typefaces and colors a company uses, and when and where they should be used. Ksh4,000 for a basic style guide.

• Landing Pages for a Specific Product or Service - Landing pages are pages that promote a specific product or service. They're typically used in conjunction with an email, social media, or banner ad campaign. Starting from Ksh5000, we can design and develop these pages.

• News streams for both your content (outgoing) and new stuff (incoming) on the site: Ksh650

• Ksh850 and above for basic contact forms (Name, email, subject, body, and copy to self) and surveys. Ksh4,000 and up for a custom contact form (basic + unlimited more fields such as phone number, country, county, gender, and so on).

• Ksh5,000 to Ksh10,000 for newsletters

• Ksh999 for advertising integration (Google Adsense)

• Ksh2,000 for a photo gallery

• Metrics (Google analytics, custom reports, etc.): Ksh2,000

• Ksh16,000 to Ksh35,000 for SEO (on-page optimization, off-page optimization, submission to search engines, and so on).

• Ksh1,000 to Ksh15,000 for creating and managing a social media network profile (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, etc.).

So How Much Does a Small Business Website Cost?

Most of the small business websites we design, construct, and launch cost between Ksh27,000 (Inclusive of domain and hosting, exclusive of logo and SEO) and Ksh50,000. You can see how quickly items and functionality add up using the a la carte estimates above. Another way to break down the budget is to make the following assumptions:

• 15% Planning
• 25% Interface design
• 40% Programming
• 20% Project Management

And Don’t Forget the website Maintenance Cost

Websites don't merely keep themselves up to date. As their strategy is refined and updated, the best websites change all the time. Most firms fail to pay for maintenance, frequently because they believe they can handle it themselves.

However, you'll regret you'd paid the extra money on a maintenance subscription the first time you accidentally delete your entire home page and lose eight hours of sales while attempting to get it back up and running.

Make sure your web developer provides post-launch support; many don't since they don't want to deal with clients who have minor issues.

Contracts for maintenance vary widely depending on what you expect from the company. If you have a problem that you can't fix, you should budget at least Ksh4,000 per month to have a designer/developer on call.

Expect to pay more if you want them to undertake more work like developing fresh photographs, adding new material, updating social media or newsletters, and so on. 

Galactik IT offers a variety of full-service maintenance plans that can be tailored to your specific needs.

A Final Note

If your website will be a significant part of your business DON’T SKIMP on design and development. If you would expect to pay Ksh500,000 for a brick and mortar retail shop (inventory, interior design, furniture, rent, utilities, staff, equipment, insurance, etc.), then don’t balk at paying reasonable rates for the creation of your online business.

So, how much does a website cost in Kenya?

You can spend as little as Ksh 25,000 for a small business website or as much as Ksh 100,000 or more. Your budget should be based on your company's strategic needs.
For one-of-a-kind web applications: Ksh 25,000 and above

You must be serious about your web business if you've read this far. Take the next step by filling out our brief enquiry form by clicking the button below. We will contact you as soon as possible with a recommendation.

You are under no compulsion to phone us at +254 773 452 067 or +254 764 566 672 because we enjoy chatting, use the chat widgets at bottom right corner of your screen to start a live chart (if online)