Monthly or one time website pricing

When you get quotes for a small business website, they usually come in two shapes. You pay once for the build and then a small amount for hosting. Or you pay a set amount every month and the build is part of it. Neither is better in general. They suit different situations.

How one time pricing works

You pay for the design and build, usually in parts, then a smaller fee to keep the site online. You know the full build cost up front and you're not tied into a long plan.

For reference, my one time plans are $295 for Starter and $395 for Standard. Half is due up front and half at launch. Starter comes with 3 months of hosting and Standard with 6. After that, hosting and edits are $19 a month.

How monthly pricing works

You pay the same amount each month and that covers the build, hosting and usually some edits. It's easier to fit into a tight budget because there's no big payment at the start. The catch is usually a minimum term, since the designer is spreading the build cost over time.

My monthly plan is $49 a month with a 12 month minimum, then month to month. Hosting and small edits are included. That's worth knowing before you sign anything, wherever you go. Ask what the minimum is and what happens when it ends.

Which one fits

One time pricing tends to suit you if:

• You have the cash now and want the lowest total over a few years
• You don't expect to change the site much
• You'd rather not have another monthly bill

Monthly tends to suit you if:

• You'd rather keep cash in the business right now
• You want edits handled without thinking about each one
• You like a fixed cost you can plan around

Do the math over two or three years

Add up what each option costs over the time you expect to keep the site. Include hosting, the domain and any edits you'd pay for. Sometimes the monthly plan costs more in total, and that's fine if the convenience is worth it to you. Sometimes it's close.

Questions to ask either way

Who owns the site and the domain. What happens if you stop paying. Whether edits are included and how many. How long the build takes. A clear answer to each matters more than which pricing model you pick.