The Main Factors That Determine eCommerce Website Costs Include:
- Website Design – There is a big difference in cost for a fully custom design vs. a template.
- eCommerce Platform – The platform you choose (Shopify, Magento, WordPress, etc.) will greatly affect the cost of your eCommerce website.
- Functionality – Custom eCommerce functionality needs and unique features will increase pricing.
- Data Imports – If you need product data or past order/customer data imported, this can increase your website development costs. Be sure your database includes all of the data needed to run your website.
- Marketing and SEO – A fully integrated digital marketing plan will boost the cost of the build, but it may be critical for SEO and driving traffic to your site. After website launch you may want to utilize Google Ads consulting or an SEO consultant to continually improve your search marketing campaigns.
- 3rd Party Integrations – Making an eCommerce website work with an ERP or other third-party systems can often cost thousands.
- Shipping Complexities – Some eCommerce businesses have complex shipping rules which can add development time to the project.
- Responsive Design – The level of mobile design customization needs can add to development time.
- Company Selection – Choosing a reputable, experienced company often costs much more but also provides more value. If the project is being outsourced overseas, it will be less expensive, but that comes with its own kind of cost.
eCommerce Website Pricing Factors:
| eCommerce Pricing Factor | Small Business | Mid-Size Business | Enterprise Organization |
| Website Design / Graphics | $5,000 | $15,000 | $35,000 |
| Back-End Programming | $2,000 | $25,000 | $75,000 |
| 3rd Party Integrations | $500 | $8,000 | $20,000 |
| Data Imports | $0 | $5,000 | $10,000 |
| Content Management System | $2500 | $20,000 | $50,000 |
| Website Hosting | $500 / year | $6,000 / year | $10,000 / year |
| eCommerce Website Maintenance | $3,000 / year | $12,000 / year | $60,000 / year |
| SEO Services | $12,000 / year | $50,000 / year | $120,000 / year |
Pricing for Website Marketing and eCommerce SEO Services
Be sure to ask what eCommerce marketing services are included in the initial eCommerce website development cost. Some companies offer eCommerce SEO services as part of their SEO packages, and some don’t. Having SEO features built-in is a huge benefit and could save you a lot of money down the road. It will also make your future SEO company’s or in-house team’s job a lot simpler and more efficient. Having marketing features built into your website is not a shortcut to page 1 rankings, but it is a major step in the right direction! Want to know more about ongoing SEO costs? Read our Complete SEO Pricing Guide.
WordPress website pricing varies because every business’s design and development needs are unique. The average upfront cost for a WordPress website, though, is $75 to $115,000. Ongoing maintenance costs for WordPress websites range from $75 to $15,000 per year.
Costs Breakdown
Get a quick summary of WordPress website costs, both one-time and ongoing, in this table:
| Expense | Cost | Frequency |
|---|---|---|
| Domain Name | $0.95 – $120 | Per month, may be billed annually |
| Web Hosting | $24 – $10,000 | Per month, may be billed annually |
| Additional File Storage | $0 – $650 | One-time or Ongoing, dependent on service |
| WordPress Themes | $0 – $200 | One-time, per theme |
| WordPress plugins | $0 – $1000 | One-time or Ongoing, dependent on plugin |
| Optional: Security | $50 – $500 | One-time or Ongoing, dependent on program |
| Website maintenance | ||
| –In-house | $0 – $25 | Per month |
| –Freelancer | $50 – $100 | Per hour |
| –Agency | $119 – $449 | Per month |
| WordPress website design | ||
| –In-house | $0 – $300 | One-time |
| –Freelancer | $500 – $5000 | One-time |
| –Agency | $3000 – $100,000 | One-time |
| WordPress subscription | ||
| –Free | $0 | N/A |
| –Premium | $8 | Per month, billed annually |
| –Business | $25 | Per month, billed annually |
| –Ecommerce | $45 | Per month, billed annually |
| –Enterprise | $1700 | Per month, billed annually |