"How much does a website cost?" is the first question almost every client asks us — and the honest answer is "it depends". That is not very useful on its own, so this guide breaks down what actually drives the price of a business website in 2026, what you get at each budget, and how to avoid paying for things you do not need.
Typical price ranges
These are the ranges we see for professionally built websites with an experienced team:
- Brochure website (5–10 pages): about $500–$1,000. A clean, fast, mobile-friendly site that presents your business, services, and contact details. Ideal for most small businesses, consultants, and local companies.
- Larger marketing website: about $1,000–$2,500. More pages, a blog, case studies, landing pages for campaigns, and integrations with your CRM or email marketing tool.
- Web application or e-commerce store: about $2,500–$10,000+. Online shops, booking systems, customer portals, dashboards — anything with user accounts, payments, or business logic.
Agencies in high-cost cities can charge several times these amounts for similar work; very cheap offers usually mean a template with your logo on it and little else. Neither extreme is automatically right — what matters is what is included.
What drives the cost
Design: template or custom
A well-chosen template, adapted to your brand, is the most cost-effective option for most small businesses. A fully custom design costs more because every page is designed from scratch, but it pays off when your brand and user experience are part of what you sell.
Number of pages and content
Ten pages cost more than five, but the bigger factor is content: who writes the text, who provides the photos? Projects stall more often on missing content than on code. If you need copywriting or product photography, budget for it separately.
Features
Each feature adds design, development, and testing time:
- contact and quote forms (standard);
- a blog or news section;
- booking and appointment systems;
- online payments and invoices;
- multiple languages;
- user accounts and member areas;
- integrations with CRM, email marketing, accounting, or inventory systems.
E-commerce
Online shops need product management, a cart and checkout, payment providers, shipping and tax rules, order emails, and stock handling. A small store with a few dozen products sits at the lower end of the range; a large catalogue with custom features and integrations at the upper end.
Platform: WordPress, Shopify, or custom
- WordPress is flexible and cheap to start with, but needs regular updates — outdated plugins are the most common way small business websites get hacked.
- Shopify and similar hosted platforms are quick for e-commerce, with monthly fees and app costs instead of server maintenance.
- A custom site (for example built with Next.js) is fast, secure, and has no plugin sprawl, which makes it a strong choice for performance-focused marketing sites and web applications.
Running costs people forget
The build is not the only cost. Plan for:
- domain name: roughly $10–$20 per year;
- hosting: from a few dollars a month for a simple site to more for a busy shop or web application;
- maintenance: updates, backups, security monitoring, and small changes — a few hours a month for most sites;
- third-party services: email marketing, booking tools, premium plugins, or payment fees.
How to get an accurate quote
The fastest way to an accurate price is a short written brief:
- what the site is for and who it is for;
- the pages you need and who will provide the content;
- the features you need now — and those that can wait;
- two or three websites you like, and why;
- your deadline and your budget range.
Be open about your budget. A good developer will tell you what is realistic within it, and suggest what to build first. Phasing the project — launching a solid core site, then adding features — is often the smartest way to get results sooner.
Is a cheaper website a false economy?
Not always. A simple, fast site that clearly explains what you do and makes it easy to contact you will win more business than an expensive one that is slow or confusing. What matters for leads is speed, clarity, a mobile-friendly layout, and search visibility — see our guide on how website speed affects leads.
If you want a fixed-price quote for your website, take a look at our web development services or send us a short brief — we reply within 24 hours.
