It's 2023 and things have changed; the Ghana Cedi has depreciated against the US Dollar.
And internet services are now expensive.
Let's take a deep dive into the cost of wesites in Ghana.
One of the first questions that comes to mind when planning on getting your first website is: "How much is the cost of a website in Ghana?"
If you happen to know a web developer, then you are just a phone call away from knowing the cost. If you don't know anyone in the web space then you probably turn to Google to get that question answered.
If that's the question you're currently asking, you're at the right place. This article seeks to guide you to know the cost of a website in Ghana.
Like a friend of mine will say, "Ɛyɛ sika asɛm."
Let's address the question then ... :
You are not going to like my next two words:
"It depends."
But... hold on a minute. The good news is: the price of a website in Ghana is still affordable. Before I break it down for you, know that the cost of a website in Ghana could be anywhere between GH₵ 1500 and GH₵ 8000 a year.
Skip to prices of websites in Ghana (table).
Yes, it depends on the kind of website you desire to get built and the kind of web applications you want on your website.
This article seeks to address the cost of websites for service organisations such as hotels, restaurants, gyms, clinics, NGOs, personal blogs etc.
And product businesses like boutiques, pharmacies, beauty shops etc.
The article will not address the cost of more sophisticated websites like social media, betting or music streaming platforms. These sites are quite complex, takes time to build and are therefore more expensive.
Below are factors that will determine how much you pay for a well functioning website:
Coming up with and registering a domain name are the first steps you take in having your website online. A domain name is your website's name. Users will use your domain name to land on your website.
Most often, you register your brand name or a name closely related to your brand. There are several domain registrars where you can check whether the domain name you plan on using is available or already taken. If you check and it's available, you register that name immediately.
Because most single-word brand names have already been registered, the alternative addition of gh to your brand name is encouraged when registering your new domain name.
You may also choose a domain name that ends with .com.gh.
GoDaddy and Namecheap are registrars where you can easily purchase your domain name. Registering a domain name that ends with a .com or .org should cost you between GH₵ 180 and GH₵ 250 per year, .com.gh however costs more.
You can personally purchase your domain name on any of the above sites or let a web agency in Ghana take care of it for you.
There are other local Ghanaian companies like Nacrotek and WopeDigital who can register a domain name for you.
Note: Both GoDaddy and Namecheap offer discounts when you register your domain name for 3 years or more. Make sure you take advantage of such discounts during checkout.
Let's simply define a web host as a place where web files are stored. Your files are securely kept with a web host so that when a visitor wants to access your website, the web pages are served from the web host's servers.
There are different hosting packages, and web hosting companies charge various fees for hosting your web files.
If you plan on starting a personal blog or a website for your business, then the price you pay for your website shouldn't be more than GH₵ 1500 a year.
Most web hosting companies are flexible and will allow you to upgrade your hosting plan when you start getting more visitors to your website.
This means that you can start with a simple plan that costs less and upgrade later.
Getting a good web hosting service provider is very important. Be careful of free or very cheap hosting packages as they are mostly neither reliable nor secure. If you want a good one, you should be willing to pay at least GH₵ 1000 per year.
Before you decide on the web hosting to choose, make sure that you read online reviews to find out if they are credible. Do not also compromise on speed and customer care service when you are choosing your hosting partner as these factors can make or break the success of your website.
Web design companies will have to design and develop websites that suit your desires.
It takes skills and time to come up with design ideas. And a designer/developer will have to code and/or use paid-for software to turn those ideas into a beautiful and functional website.
Often, clients may change their minds on the design and features they want on their websites, and web agencies would have to listen and develop the website according to their clients' preferences.
Web agencies therefore charge for designing and building websites. In Ghana, some may charge as low as GH₵ 800 or a high as GH₵ 3000 for the development process.
User experience (UX) and User interface (UI) are very important when it comes developing a website.
The role played by web agencies in web maintenance entails adding content (pictures, articles, products etc), updating software and plugins, adding new pages and monitoring your websites for security issues.
In addition, web design and development companies offer web support services.
While some web agencies may provide you with basic web maintenance and support services for free, others add premium services (e.g 24/7 call support service and daily backups of your website) at a price. This could cost you GH₵ 800.
| Type of Website (Basic) | Price (Annual) |
|---|---|
| Personal Blog (Free Wordpress Theme) | GH₵ 1500 to GH₵ 2500 |
| A Child-Care Organisation (NGO) | GH₵ 2000 to GH₵ 3000 |
| Dental Clinic (With Appointment Form) | GH₵ 2500 to GH₵ 3500 |
| One Page Website | GH₵ 2000 to GH₵ 2500 |
| New Restaurant (With E-commerce) | GH₵ 5000 to GH₵ 8000 |
| Building Construction Company | GH₵ 3500 to GH₵ 5000 |
| Bridal Services (Without Ecommerce) | GH₵ 2500 to GH₵ 3500 |
Know that a new web design company may charge you lesser than an older well-established one.
Because there is really no monopoly in the web design industry in Ghana, a lot of web design agencies often offer discounts, and that usually means paying less for a website.
Most of these promos are for a limited period, so make sure you ask the agency how much you will be charged in subsequent years.
So as you have read, a lot goes into creating a website that really works, and to get such website, you have to part with some money.
Be wary of any web design company which will offer to create a website for you for free or anything less than GH₵ 900. The devil is in the detail.