You can have a basic website live in an afternoon, or spend three months and a few lakh on a custom one. Both can be right. It depends on what the website needs to do: show you exist, bring enquiries from Google, sell products, or run part of your business. Here's how to make one in Nepal, step by step.
Step 1: Decide what the site must do
| Goal | What you need | Typical cost in Nepal |
|---|---|---|
| Look credible | 5–7 page business website | NPR 30,000 – 60,000 |
| Get enquiries from Google | Business site + SEO-ready service pages | NPR 50,000 – 1,20,000 |
| Sell online | Online store with eSewa/Khalti | NPR 60,000 – 2,00,000 |
| Run operations | Custom web app (bookings, portal, ERP) | NPR 2,00,000 and up |
Step 2: Get a domain
A .com.np domain is free for Nepali citizens and registered businesses through Mercantile's register.com.np. It takes a few days and needs documents. A .com costs about USD 10–15 a year and is instant. Many businesses take both and point one at the other. Pick a short name that's easy to spell over the phone.
Step 3: Choose how to build it
| Option | Good for | Downsides |
|---|---|---|
| Website builder (Wix, Squarespace) | Very small budgets, quick start | Monthly USD fees, harder to rank, limited payments in Nepal |
| WordPress (yourself) | Blogs and simple sites if you're technical | Security updates, slow themes, plugin conflicts |
| WordPress by a developer | Most business websites | Quality varies a lot by developer |
| Custom build (React, Laravel) | Speed, custom features, web apps | Higher upfront cost |
Step 4: Hosting
For a business site, decent shared or cloud hosting costs roughly NPR 5,000–20,000 a year from Nepali or international providers. Ask about daily backups, SSL, server location and support hours. Very cheap hosting is usually slow, and speed affects both Google rankings and enquiries.
Step 5: Write the content before the design
Most website projects in Nepal get delayed waiting for the client's content. Prepare it early: what you do, for whom, where, your prices or price ranges, why people should choose you, real photos and answers to common questions. One page per service gives Google more to rank.
Step 6: Launch checklist
- Works and loads fast on a cheap Android phone over mobile data
- Click-to-call and WhatsApp buttons on every page
- Unique title and meta description on every page
- SSL (https) and a contact form that actually delivers email
- Google Search Console and Analytics connected, sitemap submitted
- Google Business Profile linked to the website
- Privacy policy and, for online stores, delivery and return policies
Choosing a developer
- Ask for three live sites they built, and check them on your phone
- Get a written scope: pages, features, revisions, timeline and price
- Make sure the domain, hosting and admin access are in your name
- Ask what yearly costs follow (hosting, domain, maintenance)
- Ask how they handle SEO basics; 'we'll do SEO later' often means never
