What does a website cost in Jersey? 6 costs to check

The 6 costs in the video

The video opens with a question: what does a website really cost in Jersey? The first quote is only part of the price. Steps 2 and 3 use our own prices as the example: builds from £100, depending on the job, and hosting from £20 a month.

1. 1

   Step 1: Compare how it’s built

   0:18

   DIY, a freelancer, an agency, or a managed build.

   Each route spreads the cost differently. A website builder you set up yourself has a low monthly fee, but you supply the design, the words, the photos and the upkeep, so your own hours are part of the price. A freelancer or an agency charges more upfront for a finished site. A managed build, which is how we work, keeps the upfront price down and puts the running costs into one monthly fee.

   Compare the options over the same period, say three years, not by the first payment. Our guide to what a builder, a freelancer and a built site cost over three years lays them side by side.

2. 2

   Step 2: Ask for the build price

   0:30

   One-off work depends on the size of the job.

   The build is the one-off cost of designing the site and setting it up. What moves it is the number of pages, features such as an online shop or bookings, and how much writing and photography is involved. Our builds start from £100, and the quote depends on the job.

   Whoever you ask, get the price in writing before work starts, with a list of what it covers: the pages, the contact form, a layout that works on phones and who writes the words. A quote that only says “website” is hard to compare with anything.

3. 3

   Step 3: Add the monthly cost

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   Hosting and support keep your website running.

   Every website needs hosting, whoever builds it, so a quote with no monthly figure isn’t the whole price. Ours is from £20 a month, with no setup fee and no long contract. It covers the server, the SSL certificate, backups, security, updates and a real person to contact when you want a change.

   With any other quote, check two things: whether the price rises after an introductory first year, and whether backups, the security certificate or email are charged on top. Add twelve months of hosting to the build price and you have a fairer first-year figure.

4. 4

   Step 4: Remember the domain

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   Your web address has its own renewal cost.

   Your address, such as yourbusiness.je, is paid for every year on top of the website. Registered direct with the Channel Isles registry (opens in a new tab), which runs .je, a .je costs £49 a year and a .co.je £29. Registering direct means arranging your own DNS, so the registry points most people to a registrar instead, and each registrar sets its own prices.

   The registry’s good-practice rules (opens in a new tab) require registrars to tell customers their registration and renewal charges in advance. Ask for the renewal figure, not only the first-year price. Our guide Do you need a .je domain, or will .co.uk do? helps you choose an ending.

5. 5

   Step 5: Check what’s included

   1:06

   Words, photos, SEO and changes can cost extra.

   Two quotes with the same price can cover different work. Ask who writes the words and supplies the photos, whether any search engine work is included, how changes are charged after launch, and who handles backups and fixes if something breaks.

   With us, backups, security and updates come with the hosting, and you ask us when you want something changed. SEO and copywriting are optional extras, priced separately and only added if you want them.

6. 6

   Step 6: Keep control of it

   1:18

   Know who owns the domain, content and logins.

   The domain should be registered in your business’s name. The .je registry’s rules say a registrar acting for a customer must register the name in the customer’s name, except in exceptional circumstances, and even then only with the customer’s explicit, informed consent. The registry’s WHOIS search (opens in a new tab) shows the registrar and the registrant organisation, if one was entered, so you can check yours.

   Ask in writing who owns the words and photos, and keep your own logins for the domain, hosting and email. With us, your content and domain are yours, and there’s no long contract. If an old designer still holds yours, our guide to getting a website and .je domain back sets out the steps.

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