The cost of designing a website in Nigeria varies depending on the type of website, required functionality, specifications, and urgency. This article breaks down the costs of website design in Nigeria, detailing individual components and providing a broad estimate of what to expect. For a more precise cost estimate, please contact us.
Summary
Website design costs in Nigeria vary widely based on project scope and specific requirements. The cost of core essential elements includes:
- Domain, Hosting, and SSL Certificates: Foundational expenses for any website.
- Informational/Corporate Websites: Typically range from ₦230,000 to ₦830,000.
- E-commerce Platforms: Generally cost between ₦277,000 and ₦1,300,000 or more.
- Web Applications: Start at ₦1,500,000 and vary based on complexity; contact us for a custom quote.
The above costs do not include other variable costs influenced by factors such as:
- Platform Choice: Self-hosted systems like WordPress or cloud-hosted platforms like Shopify.
- Content Creation: Custom content, images, or videos.
- Advanced Features: SEO optimisation, custom functionalities, or integrations.
- Ongoing Maintenance: Regular updates and support.
- Professional Development Fees: Charges for expert design and development services.
Please contact us for a precise, free quote tailored to your unique project.
Continue reading for a detailed cost breakdown.
Factors That Determine Website Design Costs
Website design costs in Nigeria are determined by primary (essential/core website design elements) and secondary (non-essential) factors.
Primary Determinants of Website Design Cost
The Domain Name, Hosting & SSL
Every website needs a domain name (the website’s address), hosting (the server where the website resides), and an SSL certificate (security to protect visitors’ data). Costs vary based on:
Domain Name: The cost of your preferred domain name depends on the top-level domain (TLD), availability, and vendor. Visit a registrar to find out.
Hosting: Prices vary by requirements, specifications, and provider. Options include shared hosting, private servers, and VPS, with multiple tiers.
SSL: Costs differ based on the type of SSL certificate and vendor.
These costs will be outlined extensively in subsequent sections.
The Type of Website
The type of website is the most critical factor determining the cost of website design in Nigeria. Contrary to the notion that “a website is a website,” websites can be grouped into three categories based on their requirements and characteristics: informational websites, e-commerce websites, and web applications.
Informational Websites
The primary goal of informational websites is to serve as a hub for relevant information and provide options for website users/visitors to contact the website owners, such as forms, WhatsApp, email, phone number buttons with click-to-call functionality, and addresses with embedded Google Maps.
These websites are usually corporate, and priority is placed on ease of edits; hence, CMS platforms like WordPress, Squarespace, Wix, and Webflow are the go-to platforms for them.
These websites typically include Home, About, Team/Location, Blog, and Contact pages. Users can also fill out forms and access contact information to make inquiries.
Requirements: A spam-protected contact form, click-to-WhatsApp, call, and mail buttons, clearly listed services, address and Google Map embed, YouTube video embed, mobile responsiveness, and basic SEO.
E-commerce Website
As the name suggests, these websites are primarily used to sell products online. An e-commerce website typically includes core pages: a product list page, a cart, a checkout, and a product delivery tracking page.
The technology on which e-commerce websites are built differs depending on the quantity of goods listed and whether custom functionality is needed. For simple e-commerce websites, CMS platforms like WordPress with WooCommerce, Wix, or Squarespace may suffice. For larger e-commerce needs like wholesale platforms, options like Magento might be used, or the site may be coded from scratch.
Requirements: Inventory management, ability to add and remove products to cart, automatic shipping cost calculation, online checkout via solutions like Paystack or Flutterwave, account signup and login, order tracking, and direct customer support.
Web Application
A web application is software that runs in a web browser, such as booking systems, CRMs, or e-learning platforms. Examples in Nigeria include Jiji (a marketplace for buyers and sellers), Glovo and Chowdeck (food ordering websites), and SeamlessHR (a complete HR solution).
Web apps typically have a homepage, a signup/sign-in page, and a dashboard that consolidates all other functionalities within the app.
Note that e-commerce sites are also web apps. Still, due to their popularity and similar functionalities, software has been developed to make launching an e-commerce platform quicker than other web apps.
Requirements: User management (sign-in, sign-up, and password recovery functionality), a dashboard, a user profile page, checkout functionality, and other required custom features.
Secondary Determinants of Website Design Cost
The secondary factors influencing the cost of website design in Nigeria are extensive, ranging from content creation and designs to the choice of development tools. Below, we highlight common elements:
- Content Creation: Content includes not only website copy but also images, videos, audio, and more. Costs vary depending on content needs and existing material. For example, an e-commerce website with existing product images and descriptions costs less than one requiring new pictures and written descriptions.
- Time Constraints and Project Duration: Express website delivery incurs additional costs, similar to other professional services.
- SEO and Analytics Integration: Basic on-page SEO tasks, such as optimising for web vitals, heading hierarchy, redirects, sitemaps, index rules, and integrating analytics tools like Google Analytics and Microsoft Clarity, are add-on services that attract additional costs.
- Post-Launch Support and Maintenance: Websites often require regular scheduled maintenance and technical support after launch to ensure optimal functionality, adding to costs.
- Project Complexity and Specific Requirements: The cost of building a 10-page website differs from a 50-page website. Other requirements, such as custom interactions and animations, influence the price.
Having examined the primary and secondary factors determining website design costs in Nigeria, we’ll break down the line items and provide price estimates for informational, e-commerce, and web application websites.
Cost of Building an Informational Website in Nigeria
As explained, informational websites are primarily developed using content management systems (CMS). A CMS can be installed on purchased hosting (self-hosted) or subscribed to on the CMS developer’s platform or a third-party provider. We’ll explore the costs of both options.
Cost of Building an Information Website on a Self-Hosted CMS
Self-hosted CMS platforms involve buying a hosting plan from providers like Namecheap, GoDaddy, Hostinger, or HostGator and installing the CMS, usually via cPanel. You are 100% responsible for maintaining the CMS installation, updates, and security.
Popular CMS options include WordPress, Joomla, and Drupal. However, WordPress is the most popular, powering 43.5% of all websites globally. Hence, all references to CMS in this article imply WordPress.
- Self-Hosted CMS Pros: Easy to use and manage, unrestricted permission to install plugins, lower recurring fees.
- Self-Hosted CMS Cons: Open to higher security vulnerabilities, potential for bloat & more hands-on approach is necessary.
Building an Information Website on a Self-Hosted CMS Price Breakdown
| Item | Entry/Basic Tier | Mid/Advanced Tier | Premium/Business Tier |
| Essential Costs | |||
| Domain (.com, Namecheap) | $6.49 (₦10,253) new | $13.98 (₦22,086) (renewal) | N/A |
| Hosting (Namecheap – Shared Hosting) | $22.88 (₦36,146)(Stellar) | $34.88 (₦55,104) (Stellar Plus) | $58.88 (₦93,020) (Stellar Business) |
| SSL (SSLs.com) | $3.75/yr (₦5,924) (Basic) | $38.53/yr (₦60,871) (positive ssl wildcard) | $69.99 (₦110,606.) (EV multi domain SSL) |
| Elementor | Free | $59/yr (93,208)(Essential) | $399/yr (₦630,263)(Business) |
| $33.12 (₦52,323) | $146.39 (₦231,269) | $527.87 (₦833,889) | |
| Variable Costs | |||
| Professional Fee (Design, Development, Environment setup) | |||
| Addon Fees (Content Writing) | |||
| SEO Implementation, Ongoing Maintenance & Support | |||
Cost of Building an Information Website on Cloud-Hosted CMS
Unlike self-hosted CMS, cloud-hosted CMS options involve the CMS developers or a third-party vendor handling hosting, security, and updates. You pay a recurring fee, either monthly or annually.
Automattic, the developers of WordPress (an open-source software), also offer a cloud-hosted solution on WordPress.com. Other popular cloud-hosted CMS platforms include Shopify for e-commerce, Wix, Squarespace, Webflow, and Weebly.
- Cloud-Hosted CMS Pros: Simplified setup, built-in security and updates, and lower technical difficulty to set up.
- Cloud-Hosted CMS Cons: Limited customisation options, platform lock-in making transferring to another host challenging, and long-term cost accumulation.
Building an Information Website on a Cloud-Hosted CMS Price Breakdown
| Platform | Plan Name | Price (per month) | Major E-commerce Features |
| Webflow | Free Starter | $0 (₦0) | Webflow.io subdomain, up to 2 static pages, 50 CMS items, 1 GB bandwidth, basic site forms |
| Basic Site Plan | $14 (₦22,118) | Custom domain, up to 150 static pages, unlimited form submissions, 10 GB bandwidth, no CMS functionality | |
| CMS Site Plan | $23 (₦36,336) | Up to 2,000 CMS items, 150 pages, 50 GB bandwidth, 3 editors, site search, dynamic content collections | |
| Business Site Plan | $39 (₦61,713) | Up to 10,000 CMS items, 300 pages, 100 GB bandwidth, 10 editors, form file uploads | |
| Wix | Free Plan | $0 (₦0) | Wix branding, 500 MB storage, Wix subdomain, basic site building |
| Combo Plan | $16 (₦25,277) | Custom domain, 3 GB storage, no Wix ads, 30 minutes video, SSL | |
| Unlimited Plan | $22 (₦34,756) | Unlimited bandwidth, 10 GB storage, site booster app, form builder | |
| Pro Plan | $27 (₦42,655) | Includes events calendar, professional logo, social media logo files | |
| Squarespace | Personal Plan | $16 (₦25,277) | Unlimited bandwidth & storage, SSL, templates, basic website features |
| Business Plan | $23 (₦36,336) | Promotional pop-ups, advanced website analytics, fully integrated ecommerce (can be disabled for non-ecommerce use) | |
| Weebly (Square Online) | Free Plan | $0 (₦0) | Basic website builder, Square subdomain, SSL, SEO tools |
| Connect Plan | $5 (₦7,899) | Connect custom domain, basic site features | |
| Pro Plan | $12 (₦18,958) | Site search, password protection, video backgrounds |
General Recommendations for Informational Websites
The choice between a self-hosted CMS and a cloud-hosted CMS depends on individual site requirements. However, for most informational websites, which are usually business, company or corporate websites, the self-hosted CMS option with WordPress is preferred due to:
- Access to premium plugins and themes without restrictions
- Relatively mature ecosystem and support
- Affordability for Nigerian businesses
- Option to pay for hosting in Naira
- Lower recurring cost & ability to switch easily between hosting providers.
Cost of Building an E-Commerce Website in Nigeria
An e-commerce website usually costs more than informational websites and is more complex. At a minimum, it requires integration with payment processors like Paystack, Flutterwave, or Stripe and stronger security measures to protect sensitive customer data.
Similar to informational websites, e-commerce websites can be built on a self-hosted CMS, cloud-hosted CMS, or, in rare cases, custom-coded.
Cost of Building an E-commerce Website on a Self-Hosted CMS
Building an e-commerce website on a self-hosted CMS is similar to creating an informational website, with the addition of e-commerce extensions. For example, with WordPress, the WooCommerce plugin is installed alongside other necessary e-commerce extensions.
Other e-commerce CMS options include Drupal with Commerce, Joomla with VirtueMart, and Magento (for large e-commerce websites).
- Self-hosted e-commerce website Pros: Familiar interfaces, especially when using WooCommerce + WordPress, extensive customisation options & one-time plugin license cost option available.
- Cloud-hosted e-commerce website Cons: Higher technical knowledge needed, responsible for strong security & website performance management.
Building an E-Commerce Website on a Self-Hosted CMS Price Breakdown
| Item | Entry/Basic Tier | Mid/Advanced Tier | Premium/Business Tier |
| Essential Costs | |||
| Domain (.com, Namecheap) | $6.49 (₦10,253) new | $13.98 (₦22,086) (renewal) | N/A |
| Hosting (Namecheap – Shared Hosting) | $22.88 (₦36,146)(Stellar) | $34.88 (₦55,104) (Stellar Plus) | $58.88 (₦93,020) (Stellar Business) |
| SSL (SSLs.com) | $3.75/yr (₦5,924) (Basic) | $38.53/yr (₦60,871) (positive SSL wildcard) | $69.99 (₦110,606.) (EV multi domain SSL) |
| WooCommerce | Free | $29 (₦45,815) | $299 (₦472,344) |
| Elementor | Free | $59/yr (93,208)(Essential) | $399/yr (₦630,263)(Business) |
| $33.12 (₦52,323) | $175.39 (₦277,084) | $826.87 (₦1,306,233) | |
| Variable Costs | |||
| Professional/Website Design Agency Fee (Design, Development, Environment setup) | |||
| Addon Fees (Content Writing, Product photography, Product description, Product uploading) | |||
| SEO Implementation, Ongoing Maintenance & Support | |||
Cost of Building an E-commerce Website on a Cloud-Hosted CMS
Most cloud-hosted CMS platforms, such as Wix, Squarespace, and Webflow, have e-commerce functionality, although most require subscribing to an advanced pricing tier. Shopify is a CMS built specifically for e-commerce websites.
Developing an e-commerce website on a cloud-hosted CMS platform requires subscribing to the pricing tier that meets your needs, paid periodically: monthly, quarterly, annually, or biannually.
- Pros: Built-in e-commerce features, integrated payment processing & automatic updates and security.
- Cons: Monthly subscription costs, customisation limitations & additional transaction fees.
| Platform | Plan Name | Price (per month) | Major E-commerce Features |
| Shopify | Starter | $5 (₦7,899) | Sell via social media and messaging apps, Buy Button, POS Lite, basic e-commerce features, and a 5% transaction fee. |
| Basic Shopify | $29 (₦45,814) | Complete online store, unlimited products, abandoned cart recovery, 2 staff accounts, 2.9% + 30¢ online fee | |
| Grow | $79 (₦124,745) | All Basic features plus 5 staff accounts, advanced reports, 3 international markets, 2.7% + 30¢ online fee | |
| Advanced Shopify | $299 (₦472,342) | 15 staff accounts, advanced reporting, 3rd-party calculated shipping, 2.5% + 30¢ online fee | |
| Shopify Plus | From $2,300 (₦3,633,586) | Enterprise-grade, unlimited staff, 50 markets, B2B support, priority support, custom checkout | |
| Wix | Core | $29 (₦45,814) | Sell online, accept payments, abandoned cart recovery, dropshipping (25 products), and multi-channel sales. |
| Business | $36 (₦56,873) | All Core features plus multi-currency, loyalty programs, advanced marketing & analytics | |
| Business Elite | $159 ( ₦251,110) | Unlimited storage, priority support, advanced ecommerce features | |
| Other Options | |||
| Big Commerce | Pricing Page – https://www.bigcommerce.com/essentials/pricing/ | ||
| Squarespace | Pricing Page – https://www.squarespace.com/pricing | ||
| Square Online | Pricing Page – https://www.weebly.com/pricing?lang=en | ||
General Recommendations for E-commerce Websites
- Small Stores (<100 products): WordPress + WooCommerce for affordability and flexibility.
- Larger Stores (>100 products): Shopify or BigCommerce for scalability and built-in features.
- Rapid Scaling: Cloud-hosted platforms are preferred as they are better for rapid scaling.
Cost of Building a Web Application in Nigeria
Developing web applications is similar to developing software, typically following the software development lifecycle (SDLC) process. Other options, like pre-made templates and scripts, exist besides hard-coding, but these are difficult to scale and often require a transition to fully developed applications.
Custom coding involves manually writing all code from scratch. Custom-coded web apps cost significantly more than e-commerce and informational sites and take longer to complete, but offer complete control over functionality tailored to your specifications.
- Pros of custom-coding web applications: Complete customisation, easily scalable & ability to implement unique functionality.
- Cons of custom-coding web applications: Higher development costs, longer timelines & requires specialised expertise.
Web apps are custom solutions, hence it’s not possible to give an outright estimate without getting more information. Need a web app quote? Contact us.
| Variable Costs | |||
| Infrastructure (Domain Registration, Cloud Hosting (monthly), CDN Services (monthly), SSL Certificate) | |||
| Development (System Architecture & Planning, UI/UX Design, Front-end Development, Back-end Development, Database Development) | |||
| Specific Features (User Authentication System, Payment Integration, Search Functionality, Real-time Features, Analytics Implementation) | |||
| Quality Assurance (Testing Automation, Security Testing, Performance Testing & User Acceptance Testing) | |||
| Deployment & Maintenance (DevOps Setup, Continuous Integration/Deployment, DocumentationKnowledge Transfer & Training, Maintenance & Support Contract (monthly) |
Also Read: Cost of Website Maintainance in Nigeria
Conclusion
Understanding the cost of designing a website upfront allows for better planning and opportunities to save money. This article covers the factors determining website costs, various types of website solutions, cost breakdowns, and general recommendations to suit your needs.
Need website design services? Contact Krestel Digital, the leading website design agency in Nigeria. We design and develop websites optimised for stunning aesthetics, seamless performance, and maximum conversion to enhance your brand’s online presence and directly impact your bottom line.
