“How much does a website cost?” is the first question most buyers ask and the hardest to answer in one line. The honest answer is that the price depends on what the site has to do for your business. Here are the factors that matter, so you can compare quotes sensibly.
What drives the cost
- Scope: number of pages, templates and content types.
- Design: a refined template adapted to your brand costs less than a fully bespoke design system.
- Functionality: booking, memberships, quoting tools, staff portals or integrations add engineering time.
- E-commerce: product volume, variants, shipping, payments and stock rules.
- Content and SEO: copywriting, migration of existing pages, redirect planning and technical SEO.
- Hosting and care: security, backups, updates and support after launch.
Brochure site, store or custom system?
A brochure site presents your business and captures enquiries. A WooCommerce store sells products and needs payments, tax and fulfilment. A custom system, such as a booking platform or staff portal, behaves like software. Each step up involves more design, build and testing, so the cost rises accordingly.
Why a fixed quote beats an hourly estimate
Hourly pricing is open-ended and shifts risk onto you. A written fixed quote defines the scope, timeline and price up front, so you know what you are buying and what happens if requirements change.
Hidden costs to ask about
- Premium plugin and theme licences.
- Stock photography and copywriting.
- Hosting, domain and email.
- Ongoing maintenance and security.
How to compare quotes
Ask each supplier what is included, who owns the code, whether the site will be fast and accessible, and what support follows launch. The cheapest quote often leaves out the work that makes a site actually bring in business.
If you want a clear number for your project, send me a few lines about what you need and I will reply with questions and a written fixed quote.
