There are a lot of costs involved with web design. Depending on the complexity of your site, those costs can be high. The good news is, most of the sites on the web, even the ones that look very complex, aren’t. Tools and resources available to web developers have really driven costs down. For example, the typical cost of a domain back in 1998 was somewhere around $50/year. Now, you can buy a domain for $18 – $22/year and that’s after the initial discount.

Still, web design can be pricey. Here are some things you’ll want to consider when you’re building your budget:

• Your URL (domain name): I generally use NameCheap or GoDaddy for domain names. I rarely recommend purchasing the URL from the hosting company. The reason for that is because I like to switch hosts from time to time and it’s easier if the domain name is registered separately from the host. 
• Once you register your domain name, you own it for the life of the registration. You’ll have the option to register it for one year or longer. Don’t make the mistake of not re-registering it when you get the notification from your service—if you don’t pay for it, the name will go into default. If you let it go long enough, you’ll lose the registration and the name will be up for grabs.
• Hosting plans will generally be much cheaper the first year. It’s to get you hooked in. That’s okay as long as you remember to mark your calendar for the cost increase. If you’re sure you’re going to be using the site for a long time and the host gets really good reviews, it’s a good idea to buy as many years as you can afford. That said, don’t be afraid to purchase a year at a time—switching hosts for most sites is a fairly simple process.
• Hosting plans typically are billed per year. I’ve seen quite a few people confused by this and unfortunately clients sometimes aren’t buying what they think they’re buying. Hosting plans are subscription services—you’re literally buying space on someone’s server and paying per month for that service.  The price you see listed if the price listed is $6.99/month, it’s $83.88 that will hit your credit card. There are still a few hosts that bill month-to-month but those plans are always a bit more expensive. 
• Typically, your hosting plan will include options for a custom email. Because email is a small fraction of the host’s business, the email features might be limited. as opposed to Gmail and the like. 
• If your site includes any kind of e-commerce, security is an issue so expect to pay more for it. You’ll want to plan in advance as to what kind of fulfillment processes and payment options will be best for your products so you can add that to your budget.