What does a website really cost? An honest breakdown
"What does a website cost?" is the question every entrepreneur asks and no agency answers straightforwardly. The honest response is: it depends. But that's not a useful answer when you need to set a budget. So here's an attempt to make it concrete.
What are you paying for?
A website consists of more than a design and some code. These are the components that come up in virtually every project:
Strategy and structure. Before anything is designed, it needs to be clear what the site should do, for whom, and how the information is organised. This is the foundation. The better this is defined, the less you'll correct later.
Design. From brand identity and mood to concrete page layouts. This can range from a simple template adjustment to a fully custom design with multiple page types.
Development. Building the site: setting up the CMS, programming templates, building forms, creating integrations. The complexity depends directly on what you need.
Content. Text, images, video. Sometimes the client provides this, sometimes the agency helps write it. This is often underestimated in terms of time and cost.
Testing and delivery. Checking across devices, browsers, accessibility, speed. Plus the migration from old to new, DNS changes and the actual go-live.
Hosting and maintenance. After delivery, you need hosting, an SSL certificate, backups, security updates and technical management. These are ongoing costs.
Why do prices vary so much?
Three reasons.
Scope. A website with five pages and a contact form is a different project from a multilingual site with a CMS, portfolio, blog and integrations with external systems. More functionality means more hours.
Custom versus template. A custom-built site costs more than one based on an existing theme or template. The difference isn't just in the design, but also in flexibility: custom work scales more easily with your organisation.
Who does the work. A freelancer, a small studio or a large agency charge different rates. That doesn't necessarily say anything about quality, but it does about overhead, availability and continuity.
What can you expect per budget?
A rough indication, not a quote:
Under 3,000 euros gets you a template-based site with limited customisation. Suitable if you want to be online quickly and your requirements are straightforward.
Between 5,000 and 15,000 euros is where most custom work for SMEs and non-profit organisations sits. A bespoke design, a well-configured CMS, guidance on content and structure, and delivery including hosting.
Above 15,000 euros, you're looking at complex projects: multilingual sites, integrations with external systems, application functionality or extensive content strategy.
These figures include design and development, but exclude ongoing costs for hosting and maintenance.
The costs you don't see
What many organisations forget are the costs after delivery. Hosting, maintenance, changes, content management. A website you don't maintain becomes outdated quickly. Budget at least 100 to 300 euros per month for proper technical management, depending on complexity.
And budget your own time. Maintaining content, writing copy, providing images. That takes hours, even if the agency has made the CMS as user-friendly as possible.
How do you avoid surprises?
Always request an itemised proposal. Not just a total figure, but a breakdown by phase. Ask what happens when the scope changes. Ask what isn't included. And ask what the ongoing costs are after delivery.
A good proposal isn't a sales pitch. It's an agreement about what you get, what it costs, and how you deal with the unexpected.
Layer by layer, just like our websites.