A small business website in South Africa can cost anything from nothing upfront to many thousands of rand. What you pay depends on three things: how it is built, who looks after it afterwards, and what it needs to do. A managed website from VertexWeb costs R799 a month with nothing upfront.
What you are actually paying for
Every website price is made up of the same few parts. Knowing them makes it much easier to compare quotes, because two prices that look very different are often just covering different parts.
- Your domain name, such as yourbusiness.co.za. A small yearly fee to keep the name. Make sure it is registered in your name, not the name of whoever built the site.
- Hosting and security. The server your site lives on, the padlock (SSL), backups and keeping it safe from attacks. This is an ongoing cost, usually monthly or yearly.
- Design and building. The work of planning and making the pages. This is the part that varies the most, from a template you fill in yourself to a design made from scratch.
- Changes and updates. New prices, photos, opening hours and specials. Someone has to make them, and that is either your time or a fee.
- Extra tools, such as online bookings, review requests or a page for an advert. Not every business needs them, so they are usually optional.
Three ways to get a website
1. Build it yourself
Website builders let you build a site from a template for a monthly subscription. The fee can be low, but you do the design, the writing and every update yourself. It suits people who enjoy it and have the time. The real cost is the hours you spend, and a site that can look like many others.
2. Pay once for a build
A freelancer or agency builds the site and hands it over. You pay upfront, often several thousand rand or more, depending on the size of the site. After that, hosting, security and changes are usually extra, and prices for those vary a lot. Ask exactly what happens after the site is finished.
3. A managed website, paid monthly
A studio builds the site and then runs it for you for a monthly fee: hosting, security, backups and changes are included. You pay little or nothing upfront, and you always have someone to ask. This is how VertexWeb works. The trade-off is that you pay every month for as long as you want the service.
Hidden costs to ask about
Whichever way you choose, ask these questions before you pay anything:
- Whose name is the domain in? If it is not yours, moving away later can be hard.
- What does hosting cost after the first year? Some offers are cheap in year one and renew at a much higher price.
- Who makes changes, and what do they cost? A new price list should not need a new quote.
- Who keeps it secure and updated? Sites that are never updated are the ones that get hacked.
- What happens if I leave? Can you take your domain and your content with you?
- Is there a contract? Check for a minimum term and what cancelling costs.
What a website costs at VertexWeb
VertexWeb designs a custom website for your business, puts it on your own .co.za, and looks after it. There is nothing to pay upfront: you see a free preview first, and only pay once you approve it. There is no fixed term, and the domain is yours.
| What | Price |
|---|---|
| Business website (hosting, security, backups, up to 50 changes a month, your client portal) | R799 / month |
| Online bookings | R149 / month |
| Review requests | R99 / month |
| Extra ad landing page | R249 / month per page |
| Ad landing page on its own | R299 / month |
| Growth package (website with tools) | R999 / month |
| Scale package (website with tools) | R1,199 / month |
| Taking over a site you already have | from R500 / month |
Every price is on our pricing page.
How to choose
- You enjoy building things and have time: a website builder.
- You need something unusual and have a budget upfront: a once-off build, with a clear plan for hosting and changes afterwards.
- You want a proper website without the upfront cost or the upkeep: a managed website. See what yours would cost, and get a free preview before you decide.
Questions
Do I have to pay upfront for a VertexWeb website?
No. You see a free preview first, and only pay once you approve it. After that it is R799 a month, with no fixed term.
Who owns my domain name?
You do. We register your .co.za for you and manage it so we can host the site, and you can ask us to transfer it once your invoices are paid.
Is a website builder cheaper?
The monthly fee can be lower, but you build and look after the site yourself. If your time is worth more than the difference, a managed website usually works out better.
What if I already have a website?
We can take over an existing site and look after it from R500 a month, depending on how complex it is.