How Much Should Your Website Cost?

What actually drives website cost

• Scope — a five-page brochure site and a customer portal are different disciplines, not different sizes.
• Design — a template configured well costs a fraction of a custom design system.
• Functionality — payments, bookings, accounts and dashboards each add build and testing time.
• Integrations — every third-party system adds mapping, error handling and maintenance.
• Content — copywriting, photography and data migration are often underestimated.
• Ongoing — hosting, updates, backups, monitoring and support are recurring, not optional.

Why quotes vary so much

Cheap quotes usually assume a template, your content, no integrations and no support. Higher quotes typically include discovery, custom design, testing, migration and a maintenance agreement. Compare the deliverables, not the totals.

Questions to ask any provider

• Who owns the code, domain and hosting account when we finish?
• What is included after launch, and for how long?
• Which third-party licences are recurring, and who pays them?
• How are content and data migration handled?
• What happens if scope changes mid-project?

Frequently asked questions

Is this estimate a quote?

No. It is an indicative planning range. Actual pricing depends on your specific requirements and content.

Should I pay monthly or one-off?

Build cost is usually one-off; hosting, maintenance and support are recurring. Be clear which model each line item belongs to.