So you’ve read our article on 5 Signs You Need a New Website in 2020 and realize you need to update your website. But how do you go about doing that?
There are a number of ways, all the way from free to thousands of dollars.
Each with their own pros and cons, and each with their own ideal website size.
So without further ado, let’s get into how you can update your website in 2020.
Option 1: Free ($0/yr)
Building a website from the ground up for free has become easier than ever.
There are literally hundreds of websites that offer the service, including ourselves.
There are a couple of pros and cons to consider if you want to go this route.
| Pros | Cons |
| It’s free – need I say more? | Often doesn’t come with your own domain name, so “mysite.rycob.com” instead of “mysite.com” |
| Can be made EXACTLY the way you want it | You have to do everything yourself |
| You have to troubleshoot any issues | |
| Does not look professional | |
| Requires at least basic knowledge about website design | |
| Almost impossible to implement website science |
So who is it best for?
Free websites are best suited to people looking for personal websites and have time to learn a bit about website design.
Whether this is for a resume, a portfolio, or an Instagram bio, a free website may be an option.
The learning curve on building a website can be somewhat daunting and takes far longer than many know.
But, if you’re willing to put in the time then benefits may make it worth it.
What tools should I use?
There’s a lot that goes into recommending a tool.
It depends on your knowledge, the amount of time you want to spend, and how customized you want.
For a complete breakdown of all of the free website tools, we recommend checking our article: The best free web tools for your new site!
Option 2: Low-Cost ($10-$50/yr)
Many low-cost options end up just being a better version of free options.
However, with these extra costs often come a couple of notable pros.
| Pros | Cons |
| It’s cheaper than premium solutions | Hard to implement website science without significant research |
| Can be made EXACTLY the way you want it | You have to do everything yourself |
| Usually includes your own domain name | You have to troubleshoot any issues |
| Sometimes includes a very basic level hosting package | Does not look as professional |
| More professional than free alternatives | Requires more advanced knowledge about website design |
Low-cost options are typically best for individuals who have a fair amount of website knowledge and are willing to put in more effort to avoid spending more money.
This may include people who used to design websites, computing science students, or individuals who have a passion for web design and are willing to constantly change the site as their knowledge grows.
What tools should I use?
You’ll have to set up hosting, emails, and design a website, so there is not really a single best tool.
It can get complicated, and there is a lot of personal preference and knowledge that goes into it.
However, we have compiled a list of the tools we think would be best for low-cost solutions.
For the complete list check out our article “The Best Low-Cost Tools for Your Website”
Option 3: Professional ($51 -$500/yr)
| Pros | Cons |
| It’s cheaper than premium solutions | Easier to implement website science when using a web designer, hard when doing it yourself |
| Can be made by yourself, or by a web designer | You have to do some things yourself |
| Always includes your own domain name | You have to troubleshoot minor issues |
| Always includes a very basic level hosting package | SEO will likely have to be done by you |
| Appears professional and good for a corporate site | Either costs more or requires a smaller website |
| Takes less time to update your website if using a web designer |
At first glance, this range may seem overly large, but for a professional website the cost will depend largely on a number of things:
- How large your website is. A small 3-page site will take a lot fewer resources than a large, hundreds of pages behemoth.
- How many features your site needs. A more complicated site with booking forms, applications, and custom code will take significantly longer, and cost significantly more money than one with none.
- How quickly you need to update your website. A faster upgrade means buying more things instead of creating them yourselves, which can quickly drive up costs.
Keeping this in mind, this is the first level where we recommend hiring a professional for updating your website if it’s simple, or having advanced knowledge of web design and doing it yourself if it is complicated.
A web professional, including Rycob Media, will cost less than $500 if you just have a basic 3-page website.
Adding applications and features to your site, however, is quick to drive up the price with a professional, and if you plan on saving money it would be best to do these yourself.
What tools should I use?
Recommending tools for a professional style website build can get tricky.
It depends how much work you want to do yourself, since, if you hire someone, they will have their own tools and own way fo doing it.
Nonetheless, if you want to check out what tools we recommend for large, professional websites check our article “The Best Professional Tools for Your Website”
Option 4: Premium ($500 – 5,000/yr)
| Pros | Cons |
| It’s completely hands-off | Usually can not handle significant amounts of traffic |
| Can be made by a web designer | More costly than DIY solutions |
| Always includes your own domain name | Minor SEO may be done for you, but beyond that, you will need to do some on your own |
| Always includes a very basic level hosting package | The website may not be as optimized as ultra-premium |
| Appears professional and great for a corporate site | |
| You don’t have to troubleshoot any issues | |
| Guaranteed to implement website science |
This is the level of a website where we recommend hiring a professional in all circumstances.
Professionals and those familiar with web design have the ability to custom code, develop tools, and overall create larger, more complicated websites with ease.
Premium websites often include large amounts of forms, booking, and a bunch of other things involved in a large site.
Unlike professional, it often also includes at least a basic level of SEO.
Even this small level, when done by a professional can grow your business far beyond the higher associated cost!
What tools should I use?
Professionals use a variety of tools to develop and create websites.
For a list of some of the tools, we here at Rycob Media use to design and maintain our client’s sites check out our article “The Best Premium Tools for Your Website“.
Option 5: Ultra-Premium ($5,000+/mo)
| Pros | Cons |
| It’s completely hands-off | Much more costly than DIY, and lower web design solutions |
| Can be made by a web design team | Takes a very long time to update your website or build it |
| Always includes your own domain name | Likely can’t troubleshoot anything yourself |
| Always includes an advanced level hosting package | |
| Appears professional and perfect for a corporate site | |
| You don’t have to troubleshoot any issues | |
| All SEO will be done | |
| Website will be perfectly optimized and customized | |
| Guaranteed to implement website science | |
| Can handle pretty much an unlimited amount of traffic |
These are the super websites.
The big boys.
The 100+ page, dozens of calculations, and massive amounts of custom code.
Hands down, not only do you need a professional web designer for this level, you need a professional web development team.
These sites take months to build, have constant updates, and are a full-time job on their own to maintain, nevermind build.
When updating your website at this level make sure to do your research! cheaper does not always equal better.
What Tools Should I Use?
Tools for this level of the website are best left to your web development team, as each team is different and will have tried and true methods that work best for them.
Nonetheless, we have compiled an article showing some of the best ways to help these teams design what you want.
From terminology to basics, the complete guide will get you ready to meet with your team and stay as informed as they are!
Check out the article “How to Talk Web Development: Tools and Terms: Part 1“.
Which is recommended?
We here at Rycob Media are obviously a bit biased as we offer web development services ourselves.
But at the end of the day, it depends on how large you want to go when updating your website, how complicated it will be, and how much knowledge you have.
This article is designed to be an overview of some ideas to get you started decided how updating your website can benefit you.
Do you have more specific questions about updating your website? Leave them in the comments below and we’ll make sure to answer any questions you have!
