While we still think you should hire a professional to design your website, we also understand there are times when this is not financially feasible.
If your budget is tight or you’re just starting and have limited funds to allocate toward website design, hiring a professional web developer may not be the best option.
You need that money to stock up, run advertisements, and take care of the general operating expenses associated with running a business. The professional web developer you had in mind can wait until your business picks up.
However, this doesn’t mean you should do away with having a website altogether. We wouldn’t lie. You need one. The internet is where most people turn to when looking for products or services, and if you’re not there, you’re missing out on a huge share of the market.
Luckily for you, the internet is considerate enough to understand that not everyone can write code, let alone afford a professional web developer. That’s why there are numerous tools available online that you can use to create your website without breaking the bank.
We’ve identified ten of these tools you can use to create your website in Kenya, and we’ve listed them below with a brief description of what they do and how to take advantage of them:
WordPress
You don’t need to be a developer to create your website with WordPress. It’s the world’s most popular content management system (CMS), and the best part is that it’s free.
It’s free in the sense that you don’t have to pay for the software itself, but you’ll need to purchase a domain name and hosting. Once you’ve done this, you can easily use WordPress’s user-friendly interface to create your website.
Remember, a website will never be $0 free, regardless of the tools you use. You’ll have to pay for your domain name and hosting.
Domain Name: Your website’s address, for example, www.yourbusiness.com
Costs about $10-$15 per year
Hosting: A service that allows you to store and publish your website’s files.
Costs about $5-$50 per month, depending on the type of hosting you choose.
WordPress also has a vast selection of free themes and plugins to customize your website’s design and functionality without writing a single line of code.
So, how much do you need to spend on your website if you decide to go with WordPress?
Assuming you purchase a domain name for $10 and hosting for $5 per month, you’ll spend approximately $35 annually (approx. kes5K).
A .com domain name costs $7.95 at Truehost.
Shared hosting at bluehost.com (recommended for beginners): $1.99 monthly or approximately $24 yearly.
Total: $34.95 or kes. 5,000 per year
That is a fraction of what you would have to pay a professional web developer to create a templated WordPress website for you.
Wix
You’ve probably come across Wix ads while browsing the internet. That’s because it’s a popular website builder that enables you to create your website with its drag-and-drop interface.
It has a free plan, but it comes with a Wix subdomain. In other words, if your business’ website is hosted on a free Wix plan, your website’s URL will be www.yourbusiness.wixsite.com.
That’s not professional or trustworthy from a customer’s perspective. So, you’ll need to upgrade to a premium plan ($8.50-$35 monthly) to connect your own domain. The good news is that Wix provides hosting and a free domain for the first year.
So, how much do you really need to spend on your website if you decide to go with Wix?
Approximately $102 annually (kes. 15,000) for the premium plan includes hosting and a free domain for one year.
Between WordPress and WIx, which is cheaper?
WordPress will cost you approximately $35 annually (kes. 5,000), while Wix will cost you roughly $102 annually (kes. 15,000). So WordPress is the cheaper option between the two.
However, if you’ve never created a website, Wix may be easier and more user-friendly since it’s not as technical as WordPress. In addition, Wix takes care of hosting and domain registration for the first year.
Squarespace
Squarespace is the closest competition to Wix, and they share some similarities. It’s a drag-and-drop website builder that doesn’t require you to know how to code.
It has a free trial period of 14 days, after which you’ll have to subscribe ($23-$65 monthly) to keep your site live. The good news is that Squarespace offers hosting and a free domain for the first year.
So, how much does it cost to build a website with Squarespace?
Approximately $23/m, with 16% off if billed annually or $192 annually (kes. 28,000) for the personal plan, including hosting and a free domain.
Canva
You probably know Canva as a graphic design tool. You don’t know that you can also use it to create simple websites.
Canva sites are free, and all you have to do is sign up for a Canva account. However, the downside is that your website will not have its domain name. It’ll be part of Canva’s subdomain (example: www.yourbusiness.my.canva.site).
Canvas web builder is not as robust as WordPress, Wix, and Squarespace, but it’s perfect for businesses that need a simple one-page website. If you want to take your website to the next level, you can always upgrade to a premium plan ($6.49 monthly or $54.99 annually) to connect your custom domain.
After that, you can purchase a custom domain and use it for your Canva website. That will cost you approximately $18.99 annually (kes. 2,800).
Shopify
If you’re looking to set up an e-commerce website, Shopify should be your first stop. It’s an all-in-one platform that makes it easy for you to start selling online.
Here are some of the features that make Shopify a popular choice for online stores:
- Easy-to-use interface
- Customizable themes
- Secure payment gateways
- Shipping integration
- Analytics and reports
- Marketing tools
Shopify has a free trial period of 14 days, after which you’ll have to subscribe ($32-$399 monthly) to keep your online store live. It also offers hosting and a free domain for the first year.
You can test out all their plans for only $1 for three months.
So, how much do you need to spend on your ecommerce website with Shopify?
The basic plan costs approximately $288 annually (kes. 42,000), including hosting and a free domain.
Between Shopify and other ecommerce platforms like WooCommerce, which is cheaper?
WooCommerce is the ecommerce plugin for WordPress, so you must purchase hosting and a domain separately. So, depending on the type of hosting and domain name you choose, WooCommerce can cost anywhere from $2 to $50 per month or more. In contrast, Shopify offers an all-in-one solution at a fixed monthly price.
Of course, WooCommerce is cheaper if you choose a budget-friendly hosting and domain option, but Shopify offers more features and support for an ecommerce website. Both options have pros and cons, depending on your business needs and budget.
Zelisline
We’re not exactly a website builder, but we’re as cheap as they come- perhaps cheaper than most.
Our web development team at Zelisline can create a customized website for your business for as little as $150 (kes. 20,000). That’s inclusive of hosting and domain name charges for the first year. We also offer free maintenance for three months to ensure your website is running smoothly.
After that, you only have to pay approximately $50 annually (kes. 7,000) for hosting and any additional features or updates you may need.