The short answer: The cost of a business website depends on what it must do, not on how many pages it has. The biggest factors are the type of site (a simple brochure, a business site, an online shop or a custom system), how much is designed from scratch, the features you need, who writes the content and photographs the products, and what happens after launch. There is no single price, so ask for an itemised quote, compare what is included and be careful of anything that is much cheaper or much more expensive than the rest.
"How much does a website cost?" is the first question most business owners ask, and the answers they get can be very confusing. One developer quotes a small amount, another quotes ten times as much, and a third refuses to give a number at all.
Both of the first two may be telling the truth, because they may be pricing different things. This article does not give prices, because they vary by developer, by project and over time. Instead it explains what decides the cost, how to compare quotes fairly and how to avoid expensive surprises.
What Are You Actually Paying For?
A website project has several parts, and a quote may include some or all of them:
- Planning: understanding your goals, your customers and the pages and features you need.
- Design: how the website looks and how visitors move through it.
- Development: building it, connecting the features and testing it.
- Content: the words, photographs, logo, video and product details.
- Domain name and hosting: yearly costs to keep the site online (see How to Choose a Domain Name and Web Hosting Without Getting Cheated).
- Launch and training: putting it live and showing you how to manage it.
- After launch: updates, backups, security and support.
The Main Factors That Decide the Price
1. The type of website
| Type | What it is | Effort |
|---|---|---|
| Simple brochure site | A few pages, contact details and a form | Lower |
| Business website | More pages, a blog, galleries, enquiry or booking forms | Medium |
| Online shop | Products, a cart, payment and delivery options, order management | Higher |
| Custom web system | Accounts, dashboards, special workflows, integrations | Highest |
2. Template or custom design
A design based on a ready-made template or theme costs less than a design created for your business from scratch. A good template can look professional. A custom design makes sense when your brand matters a great deal, or when your needs do not fit a template.
3. How many pages and how much content
Ten pages cost less than a hundred. But more important is who creates the content. If your developer must write the text, take photographs, edit pictures and enter hundreds of products, the project grows quickly.
4. The features you need
Each feature adds work: contact and enquiry forms, online booking, a customer login, a calendar, a map, a payment option, a search function, a language switcher or a connection to your accounting software. Be clear which ones you need now and which can wait.
5. Whether it must work well on phones
Today every business website should work properly on phones, as I explain in Why Your Business Needs a Responsive Website in 2016. A website designed for small screens from the start costs less than one that is fixed afterwards.
6. The technology and the platform
A WordPress website is often quicker and cheaper to build than a fully custom system, and it lets you edit your own content. A custom build gives more freedom, but costs more. I compare them in WordPress or Custom PHP: Which Is Right for Your Business Website?.
7. More than one language
A site in Bangla and English needs everything created, checked and maintained twice. Translation, layout for both scripts and a switcher all take effort.
8. Search engine setup
Basic SEO, such as proper titles, descriptions, structure, a sitemap and Google Search Console, should be part of a professional build. Ongoing SEO work, such as writing regular content or building links, is a separate service with its own cost.
9. Integrations
Connecting your website to other systems, such as a payment gateway, your stock list or an email service, requires extra development and testing.
10. The developer and the timeline
Experience, reputation and location all affect price. A freelancer, a small studio and a large agency will each charge differently and offer different levels of support. A rushed deadline costs more.
Costs People Forget
Many owners are surprised by these items. Ask about each of them:
- Domain and hosting renewals, which are paid every year.
- Security certificate (HTTPS), which you should have, as explained in Why Every Website Should Move to HTTPS.
- Premium themes and plugins, which are sometimes paid yearly.
- Photography, logo design and copywriting if you do not already have them.
- Business email, if you want addresses on your own domain.
- Changes after launch. Ask how many rounds of revisions are included.
- Maintenance: updates, backups, security checks and fixing problems.
- Marketing, because a website does not bring visitors by itself.
How to Get Quotes You Can Compare
- Write a short brief. Describe your business, your customers, what you want visitors to do, the pages and features you expect and examples of websites you like.
- Ask at least two or three developers for quotes based on the same brief.
- Ask for an itemised quote. It should list what is included, such as design, pages, content, features, hosting, training and support.
- Compare the deliverables, not only the price. A lower quote may leave out things a higher one includes.
- Ask what is not included, and ask for a price for any extras you may need later.
- Look at past work, and if possible speak to a former client.
- Agree a written contract that covers the scope, deadlines, revisions, payment schedule, who owns the website and the files, and what happens if you want to move it.
Paying for a Website
- Pay in stages. A common approach is an advance to start, a payment when the design is approved and a final payment at launch. Avoid paying everything before any work is done.
- Get invoices and receipts for every payment.
- Be careful of 100% upfront payment to someone you do not know, especially if there is no contract.
- Do not forget the currency. Check whether a price is in taka or dollars, and whether taxes or transfer charges are included.
How to Spend Less Without Losing Quality
- Start with the essentials. Launch with the pages and features you really need, and add more later.
- Prepare your content before you start. Photographs, text and product details ready on day one save time and money.
- Use a good template or WordPress if your needs are standard.
- Make decisions quickly, and name one person who approves the work. Delays and many rounds of changes increase the cost.
- Keep the scope clear. Adding features halfway through is expensive.
- Learn to update simple things yourself, such as text and photos.
Warning Signs
- A price far lower than every other quote, with no explanation
- No examples of past work
- No written quote or contract
- A refusal to say who will own the domain, the hosting account and the files
- No mention of mobile phones, security or backups
- Pressure to pay quickly
- A promise of guaranteed rankings on Google
A Quick Budget Checklist
- I wrote a short brief with goals, pages and features
- I have two or three itemised quotes
- I compared what each one includes
- I know the yearly cost of the domain and hosting
- I know who will provide and write the content
- I know how many revisions are included
- The contract covers ownership, payment stages and handover
- I have budgeted for maintenance after launch
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do website quotes vary so much?
Because they often price different things: a template or a custom design, a few pages or many, with or without content, features, hosting and support. Comparing itemised quotes is the only fair way.
Is a cheap website a bad idea?
Not necessarily. A simple website for a simple business can be inexpensive. The risk comes when cheap means no planning, no testing, no mobile version, no backups or no support. Look at what you get.
How long does it take to build a website?
A simple website can often be ready in a few weeks, and a larger one takes longer. Most delays come from waiting for content and approvals, so prepare early.
Do I have to pay every year?
Yes, for the domain name and hosting. These are usually small compared to the build, but they are essential. Many owners also budget for maintenance and updates.
Can I add features later?
Yes. A good website can grow. Ask your developer to build it so that new pages and features can be added without starting again.
What should I do first?
Write down what you want your website to do for your business, collect your content and ask for quotes against the same brief.
Want an Honest Quote?
If you would like a clear, itemised quote for your website, I can help. I design and develop websites for businesses, and I explain what each part costs and why, in plain language. Send me a short message with a short description of your business and what you need.
