Did you know that 62% of diners research restaurant choices online before dining out? Having a website for your restaurant is of paramount importance and in a previous blog we looked at why you need a website for your restaurant. Whilst you might understand why having a website is key for your restaurant, you might be a bit apprehensive about the costs of building a website. 

Although there isn’t a set price when it comes to building a website, there are multiple different routes to take, and some are cheaper than others. If you have the time and the necessary knowledge, you may want to build a website from scratch, or you may opt to enlist the help of a website builder, such as our simple, easy to use site builder, for a quicker and simpler option. We break down the costs of these two choices, so that you can build your website with a rough idea of prices. 

Building a website from scratch 

Web hosting 

If you’re building a website from scratch, you’ll need to find a web host, as it is a service that will allow you to post your website onto the internet, and in turn, lets others find you on the internet. Of course, this is vital to attract new customers – if potential site traffic can’t even find your restaurant on the internet, then you’re not going to be able to entice any potential customers, regardless of how appealing your web design is. 

The costs of web hosting can cost anything from a couple of pounds a month to £700 a month. If you want to find the cheapest option, then shared hosting is your best bet – however, as numerous other websites are sharing the resources of a single server, your site can become slow and more difficult to use. If you want more control over your server, dedicated hosting gives you your very own server, although it is the more expensive option. 

SSL certificate

An SSL certificate is an important feature for your restaurant’s website: as you’ll be taking bookings via your website, you’ll need to collect personal information from site users. As an SSL certificate ensures that any information stored on your site is protected from potential site hackers, having one helps to build trust between your website and a potential customer. 

Again, the cost of a SSL certificate can vary quite widely, depending on the scale of your business. If you’re building a website purely to take bookings, then you could be looking at a cost of roughly £50 a year for your SSL certificate. However, if you’re building an ecommerce website for your restaurant to sell products that you make, you may want to have a higher level of protection, as your customers will be handing over their bank details. This could cost you anything from £90 to over £200 a year. 

Web designer 

Part of the attraction of a restaurant is its aesthetic appeal – in fact, there is a complete psychology behind what pulls us into a restaurant. This means that you’ll want your website to look as good as your restaurant itself: if you have a bad web design, it sends the message that your restaurant is similarly of low quality. 

For a beautiful, sleek web design, you’ll probably want to enlist the help of a web designer to ensure your website looks stunning. The price of hiring a web designer is relative to their level of expertise – you could be looking at a cost of anything from £10 to £150 per hour. Ultimately, the choice of how much money you’re willing to invest into your web design is up to you. 

Using a website builder 

Costs of website builder 

With a website builder, you’re required to pay a set subscription fee a month, which can go up if you require additional features for your website. Although you have less control over individual costs with a website builder, website builders will include the aforementioned within their packages and more. Not only do the prices often work out cheaper than if you were to build a website from scratch, but it also saves you the time it would take to build a website without a website builder. 

Of course, you’ll still have to factor in additional costs of hiring a photographer if you want to upload clear and professional pictures. This is extremely important for a restaurant website, as users will be attracted by the look and design of your restaurant as well as appetising pictures of your food. If your pictures are badly lit and obviously unprofessional, this will quickly put potential customers off. 

At Go Sitebuilder, we have ready to go templates especially designed for restaurants so you can easily upload pictures of your stylish space and delicious menu and have a smooth and sophisticated web design up and running in minutes. To find out more about everything we offer in our affordable, yet high quality, package, try our 14-day trial today!