“How much does a website cost?” is a fair question with an unsatisfying answer: it depends. But it depends on specific, knowable things. Once you understand them, quotes stop looking random — you can compare them honestly, spot what's missing, and decide where your money matters most.

Pages are the wrong unit

Quotes are often framed per page, but a page of text and a page with a product configurator are not the same job. Most of the effort lives in templates — the distinct page types a site needs — and in the interactions and integrations behind them. A fifty-page site built from four templates can cost less than a ten-page site where every page is unique and interactive.

Content: who writes it, and when

Content is the most common cause of delay in website projects. If copy, photography and product data are ready and approved, a project moves fast. If they're being written alongside the build, the design has to be done with placeholder text and revisited later, and the launch date depends on the slowest document.

Be honest about this early. Professional copywriting and photography cost money, but they often do more for results than any design detail — and doing them first makes everything else faster.

Design: template, adapted or custom

  • A template is quick and affordable, but you'll look like everyone else using it, and changes outside its design can be awkward.
  • An adapted design starts from proven patterns and is shaped around your brand — a good balance for many businesses.
  • A fully custom design costs more, and is worth it when your site is a core part of how you sell or how people judge your quality.

Functionality: where the hours hide

Each of these adds real engineering and, just as importantly, real testing:

  • Online payments and checkout.
  • Customer accounts, logins and saved details.
  • Booking calendars and availability.
  • Multiple languages or regions.
  • Connections to your CRM, inventory, accounting or email marketing tools.
  • Search and filtering across large catalogues.

List them all early, including the “nice to haves”, so the estimate reflects reality and nothing surprises anyone halfway through.

Migration and SEO

Moving from an existing site means carrying over content, mapping every old address to a new one with redirects, and protecting the search rankings you've already earned. It's careful, detailed work that's easy to under-estimate — and skipping it can mean a noticeable drop in search traffic right after launch.

Quality you can't see

Accessibility, performance, security and testing across devices don't show up in a design mockup, but they decide whether the site works for everyone who visits. Cheaper quotes often save money here. Ask explicitly what's included.

After launch

Hosting, domain renewals, security updates, backups and small improvements all have ongoing costs. A cheaper build with no plan for maintenance often costs more over two years than a sturdier one, especially if it has to be patched by someone who didn't build it.

Reading a quote

  • Is it broken down by phase — discovery, design, build, testing, launch?
  • Which templates and features are included, specifically?
  • Who provides content, and how many rounds of revision are included?
  • Is migration, SEO setup and analytics included?
  • What does support cost after launch, and what does it cover?