Ask around about getting a website in Zimbabwe and you’ll get wildly different answers. Someone will tell you they paid $500 for a “professional” site. Another person will say they got one free from a cousin who “knows computers.” Meanwhile, agencies are quoting $2,000, $5,000, even $10,000 for business websites.
So what’s the truth?
Let’s Break Down What You’re Actually Paying For
A website has three main cost components:
- Domain name — Your web address (web3.co.zw). Usually $10-$30 per year.
- Hosting — Where your website lives on the internet. This is where costs vary wildly.
- Design/Development — Building the actual site, templates, content, etc.
The Cheapest Option: $1/Month Hosting
Here’s what nobody tells you: you can host a small business website for as little as $1 per month. That includes 1GB of storage, 3 professional email accounts, and enough power to handle a decent amount of traffic.
At web3.co.zw, our hosting starts at $1/month. That’s less than the data you’d burn through browsing in a week. For that price, you get:
- 1GB storage
- 3 professional email accounts (info@yourbusiness.co.zw)
- SSL certificate (the padlock — non-negotiable these days)
- Basic support
Where People Go Wrong
The mistake most small businesses make is either:
1. Going too cheap. Free website builders seem great until you realize you don’t own your data, can’t customize anything, and your “free” site has their branding all over it. Plus, free platforms can disappear overnight (looking at you, Google+).
2. Overspending unnecessarily. You probably don’t need a $5,000 website when you’re starting out. A well-built $500-$1,000 site on affordable hosting will serve you perfectly well while you validate your business.
The Sweet Spot
For most Zimbabwean SMEs, here’s what actually makes sense:
- Hosting: $1-$10/month (scales with your needs)
- Domain: $10-$30/year
- Design: $200-$1,000 one-time (WordPress + a good theme + some customization)
- Maintenance: $0-$50/month (or learn to do basic updates yourself)
Total first-year cost: $250-$1,500 depending on complexity.
What You Shouldn’t Do
Don’t skip the SSL certificate (the padlock icon). Without it, Google will flag your site as “not secure” and browsers will warn visitors away. It’s 2026 — there’s no excuse.
Don’t go with the cheapest hosting you find. If a hosting offer seems too good to be true, it probably is. Oversold servers mean slow load times, and slow websites lose visitors fast.
The Bottom Line
A professional online presence doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg. With smart choices about hosting and a clear brief for your developer, you can have a solid website for less than you think.
Need help figuring out what’s right for your business? That’s literally what we do. Reach out and let’s talk.
