How much does it cost to build a website in the MENA?

WebsitesCategory
7 min read
Selina Bieber

Speculations over the cost of building a website never seem to end as companies carry in their prices of IT services. Today, IT service providers overwhelm business owners, freelancers, entrepreneurs and even corporations with their price range, making it difficult to get a hold of a materialized price for businesses to take as their website cost. If you’re trying to calculate website building cost, there are many hidden costs that can appear in addition to your initial cost calculations.
When it comes to building a website, you have a few different options. From hiring a web design agency to building it yourself, this article explores the cost of building a website in the MENA for different budgets.

Your website is the most important sales and marketing tool you have.

Outsourcing website cost

Outsourcing is the first go-to when considering creating a website, or at least it has been for most of the past two decades. It has many merits, including company collaboration, focusing on your products and services, letting IT providers worry about this particular marketing tool and creating your desired vision of the website thanks to the help of web designers.
However, it comes at a huge expense with outrageous website costs. This method is quite beneficial for big corporations with the monetary capacity to pay huge funds for particular necessities demands, though not for entrepreneurs and small businesses.
Let's have a look at outsourcing methods and how much they cost.

1. Commercial outsourcing

If you choose to outsource the work of building your website, you’ll have to carefully consider your options. This applies to either the designer or agency you employ. Usually, when outsourcing with an agency, they provide you with all the services including the front-end and back-end developers — in other words, the designer and the coder.
If you have an idea over website requirements, you’ll know that it requires a domain, SSL certificates and other tools to meet your demands. When outsourcing to an agency, they usually “gather and assemble” all required parts and add them to the costs of the website which, of course, they add their profit percentage.
According to WebFX:

On average, the upfront cost of a site, which includes launching and designing it, is $12,000 to $150,000, while routine website maintenance ranges from $35 to $5000 per month — or $400 to $60,000 per year.

If we look at the estimate prices of websites below, you can see an average price for outsourcing websites according to your demand:

WebFX website cost

This average estimate means that your website would cost a minimum of $2400 (give or take) when outsourcing and could go up to $200,000 - that is for the first year disregarding the running cost.
Of course, this can vary depending on your needs and demands and in many cases, outsourcing is beneficial in terms of manpower, resources and brings in more than it costs. However, for small and medium businesses, a website cost is more of a burden than it is a relief when outsourcing.
Downside of outsourcing?
Besides the financial burden, outsourcing is considered by many to be an outdated method of building a website. It takes a lot of time to create and quite a hassle to maintain.

2. Freelance website cost

Another method could be finding a freelancer to do the work for you in hopes of getting better prices. What’s more, freelancers are usually adaptable and flexible.
More importantly for a freelancer, each project is their opportunity to showcase their skills and build a stronger portfolio.
When you’re looking for a developer to work with, you will need to consider the following:

  • The region where your freelance developer is from. Depending on their geographic location, prices will vary. Here is a map of average hourly prices of developers in the most popular outsourcing destinations:
world map developer freelance prices

This map is according to a study conducted by Steel Kiwi. In this study, it shows that IT agencies outsource their own work to freelancers, which makes them the middleman in various cases. You could cut the middleman and find a freelancer to help create your website.
99designs seconds this estimate by calculating the average of hours spent on a website and concluding that freelance web designers charge between $500 to over $5,000 per website. A business website cost could potentially cost between $5,000 and $10,000 including maintenance and client training.
Downside of freelance outsourcing?
Although working with freelancers can be less costly than hiring a web designer, you can never guarantee the availability for a proper and permanent maintenance with a freelancer, so you have to look ahead and think of what will happen when the project is over and the website needs maintaining, migrating or updating?
Additionally, freelancers also have much less job security with a project-based income. A higher rate compensates them for the lack of long-term commitment from clients. As a result, this is not the best price if you are looking for a budget-efficient website cost.

Freelancers are like your clients: they don’t work 24/7 and their utilization is for a certain period of time.

Related article: 4 Website Costs to Consider When Setting a Budget for Your Business Website

Cost of building a website yourself

reviewing costs using laptops

Gone are the days when you need to be tech savvy to build a website. There are several website buildings tools that make the process simple and effortless - and cost effective too.

GoDaddy offers different website building tools that fit your business’s needs.

So, if you’re looking into building a website yourself, we’ll calculate the website cost for you.
For a start, you need a domain to launch your website and create personalized emails. You can search for a domain name that you love here.
Keep in mind that the cost varies according to the domain extension you need (.com, .org, .net, etc.), and you can buy a domain name with for as low as $0.99 depending on the availability.

website cost website prices

Then you need to start building the website, and you have several options to choose from:

  • WordPress Hosting

WordPress currently powers 35% — or more than one third — of all websites on the internet. This guide will help introduce you to WordPress, and has a step-by-step guide to get you started with it.
GoDaddy offers Managed WordPress hosting starting from $6.99 which already includes the price for a free domain name and a free business email (with the annual subscription plans), 24/7 support and thousands of plugin options.

  • GoDaddy’s Website Builder

If you are seeking an uncomplicated and straightforward tool, we recommend using GoDaddy Website Builder tool. The plans start from $9.99 per month for the basic version, $14.99 per month for the standard version and maxing out at $19.99 per month for the Premium version.
All these categories include a free domain, SSL certificates, 24/7 support and many other perks. You can check the plans and pricing here.

Related articles: Introducing GoDaddy Websites + Marketing

  • GoDaddy’s Arabic Website Builder

Want to build an Arabic website? A bilingual or multilingual website? GoDaddy Arabic Website Builder has you covered.
With plans as low as $10 per month, the Arabic website builder offers eye-catching templates, integration with social media platforms and coupons.

Related article: Get started with GoDaddy Arabic Website Builder: The checklist

  • GoDaddy’s E-Store

GoDaddy E-Store brings the opportunity for small businesses in the MENA to extend their reach and sell their products locally and globally.
You can try the demo version which is a 30-day free trial. Like it? Upgrade to starter plan which is $30 per month and the Premium version standing at $60 per month.

Related articles: Get started with GoDaddy E-store: The checklist

GoDaddy has a plan for every need.

Towards completion

Depending on your needs and requirements of your business, you can find service providers supplying tools that are extremely cost friendly and excellent for your marketing strategy and visibility.
With several plans and options, you don’t need to worry about your website cost anymore. You can have your website running at a cost as low as $120 annually, and you have complete control and guarantee for service quality.
Finally, remember that your website is a staple in your pursuit to digital presence and success, so calculate wisely, choose your best option, and launch it aptly.

For more insightful articles, check our blog.

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