During a WordPress creation course at Equinet Academy, a student inquired about the actual cost of creating a website. To address this query, I conducted online research on website costs. However, I discovered that most articles available are from overseas sources, which might not accurately reflect the expenses involved for entrepreneurs in Singapore. As a result, I have taken it upon myself to write this article and provide an estimate of the costs associated with building a website from scratch.
To illustrate the cost estimation process, let’s consider the scenario of a new boutique hotel in Singapore. Imagine you have recently acquired this hotel and wish to develop a website that allows guests to check availability and make online room bookings.
In this example, we will propose costs based on the following criteria:
- The actual or estimated cost of services provided by relevant parties.
- The latest updates from these service providers, if any.
- The customer support turn-around time offered by the providers, if applicable.
These estimates are derived from our experience and research to provide a reliable approximation of website development expenses for your boutique hotel in Singapore.
For the development of this website, we will be utilizing WordPress with the Divi Builder and WooCommerce. In particular, we will be using the WooCommerce Accommodation Bookings plugin to handle online bookings.
Divi Builder is a visual editor that simplifies the process of creating and adding pages to your WordPress site. We have chosen Divi Builder because it is the same framework we (Lemonade) use, and we find it user-friendly and conducive to future updates.
The cost of Divi Builder is $145 per year.
Current Total Cost: $805/year
Design & Content
To save time and expenses, I have decided to opt for an off-the-shelf theme for my website. After exploring various options, I found a suitable theme on themefuse.com. Based on reviews and recommendations from pandia.com, I selected a theme from ThemeFuse. The cost for this theme is $65.
Additionally, I will require the assistance of a content writer to craft the website content and room descriptions. Based on our experience and references from Upwork, the rates for proficient content writers range from $40 to $60 per hour. To allocate sufficient resources for content creation, I have set a budget of $1,500 for 30 hours of work.
Current Total Cost: $2,310 (Yearly: $805, First Year: $2,310)
Time and Effort
With the framework, design, and content ready, it is time to build the website. To calculate the time and effort required, I will consider my hourly rate as $15/hour. If your monthly salary is $2,500, this translates to $2,500 divided by 22 working days and 8 hours per day. I estimate that it will take approximately 3 weeks to complete the entire website.
Time and effort cost: $1,800
Current Total Cost: $4,110 (Yearly: $805, First Year: $4,110)
