Website design cost: what a business website really costs
A website costs anywhere from a few hundred euros a year if you build it yourself on a template to more than €20,000 for a large online store or a custom project. For a small or mid-sized business, a professional business website typically runs €2,000 to €7,000 (roughly $2,000-$8,000 in the US or £1,700-£6,500 in the UK), plus yearly costs for domain, hosting and maintenance. The price depends mostly on four things: the type of site, who writes the copy, the level of design and the integrations.
These ranges are indicative: they reflect what you commonly see across the US, UK and EU markets, not an official rate card. Below you get the breakdown by type and how to read a quote.
How much does a website cost by type?
| Type of site | Typical market range | Who it suits |
|---|---|---|
| DIY template (Wix, Squarespace, WordPress.com) | From $0 plus a yearly subscription of a few hundred | Freelancers starting out, minimal budget |
| Template set up by a professional | $500-$2,000 | Businesses that need a basic presence |
| Professional business website | $2,000-$8,000 | Small businesses that want to win customers |
| Custom website | $8,000-$25,000 or more | Companies with specific needs or a demanding brand |
| Online store (ecommerce) | $3,000-$30,000 or more | Online selling with a catalog and payments |
The ranges are wide because “a website” can mean very different things. Here is each type in turn.
Template website
You use a builder (Wix, Squarespace, Shopify for small stores) or a WordPress theme and fill it with your content. If you do it yourself, you pay only the builder subscription and your time. If a freelancer does it, the price usually sits between $500 and $2,000.
What it usually includes: setting up the template, pasting your text and photos, configuring the domain and a contact form.
What it usually leaves out: copywriting, strategy, SEO beyond the basics, custom design.
When it makes sense: when you need to be online now and the site is not your main source of customers.
Business website
This is the typical small business site: home, services, about, contact and maybe a blog. Between 5 and 15 pages, with a design adapted to your brand.
The usual range runs $2,000 to $8,000. The gap within the range depends on:
- Number of pages. Giving each service its own page costs more, but it ranks far better on Google.
- Copy. If the agency writes it (with keyword research), the price goes up and so does the result.
- Design. An adapted template or a custom design.
- Technical SEO. Speed, structured data, sitemap, tags.
Custom website
Design and development from scratch, with no template. It makes sense when the site needs features a template cannot give: a product configurator, a customer area, a custom search, integrations with your ERP or very high performance.
Usual range: $8,000 to $25,000, and more on large projects. The price depends mostly on the features and integrations.
Online store
A store has everything a business site has plus catalog, cart, payments, shipping, taxes and order management. That is why it starts higher.
- Shopify or similar with an adapted theme: from about $3,000, plus the platform’s monthly subscription.
- WooCommerce or Magento with custom design: $6,000 to $18,000.
- Large stores with integrations (ERP, warehouse, marketplaces): from $18,000 upward.
What does a website cost every year?
The upfront price is only part of it. Every year you also pay for:
| Item | Indicative cost |
|---|---|
| Domain (.com, .co.uk) | Usually $10 to $25 a year |
| Hosting | From a few dollars a month (shared) to several dozen (managed server) |
| Platform subscription (Wix, Shopify) | Depending on the plan, from a few hundred a year upward |
| Plugin or theme licenses | Varies; some are yearly |
| Maintenance | From a few dozen dollars a month for updates and backups |
A WordPress site without maintenance ends up with security problems. If nobody updates it, expect someone to fix it at some point, and that usually costs more than maintaining it would have.
What makes a website cost more or less?
The copy
This is the most underestimated factor. A site with good copy (clear, aimed at what your customer searches for and using the right keywords) converts and ranks far better. Writing it well takes time. If someone offers you a cheap site “with your copy”, you do the writing work yourself.
SEO and visibility in AI search
More people ask ChatGPT, Perplexity or Google’s AI overviews before they scroll the results list. To get cited, your site needs solid structure: a clear answer at the top of each page, structured data, content readable without JavaScript and an llms.txt file. This is what people call GEO, and a site designed for it from the start costs less than fixing it later.
If you already have a site and want to know where it stands, the AI visibility checker reviews your page for free in seconds.
The integrations
Connecting the site to your CRM, booking system, ERP or an AI chat adds work. In return, every contact lands directly in your system without anyone copying it by hand.
The design
An adapted template costs less than a custom design. The difference shows in how a customer who is comparing you with competitors perceives your brand.
The number of pages
One page per service, per industry or per city costs more, but it is what lets you show up in specific searches. A five-page site competes only for your name.
How do you compare website quotes?
When you receive several quotes, do not compare only the total. Ask each to answer these questions:
- Who writes the copy? Does it include keyword research?
- Is it a template or a custom design? Can I see the design before development?
- What technical SEO is included? Speed, structured data, sitemap, tags, mobile version.
- What integrations are included? Forms, CRM, analytics, chat.
- Can I edit the site myself? With what tool and what training?
- Who owns the domain, the code and the logins? It should always be you.
- What does it cost each year? Hosting, licenses and maintenance.
- What is the timeline, and what happens if it slips?
A quote that does not answer these questions is hard to compare, and that is where surprises tend to appear.
What mistakes do companies make when commissioning a website?
These are the problems we see most when a company asks us to rebuild a site it commissioned one or two years ago.
The domain in the vendor’s name
If the domain is registered to the agency or freelancer, switching providers gets complicated. Register it yourself, or require that it be in your name from the start.
Nobody knows how to edit the site
A site that only its builder can touch ends up out of date. Ask for training and a simple editor so you can change text, photos and prices without depending on anyone.
Paying for design and forgetting the content
A beautiful site with generic copy (“we are a leading company with years of experience”) neither convinces nor ranks. The text on each page has to answer what your customer is looking for: what you do, for whom, what it costs and how to get in touch.
Not measuring anything
Without analytics set up, you will not know how many visits arrive, where they come from or how many end in a contact. Setting it up takes little time and is the basis for improving.
A slow site on mobile
Most visits to a small business come from mobile. Unoptimized images, extra plugins and overloaded hosting make the page slow to load, and that hurts conversions and rankings.
Forgetting the forms
A form that sends contacts to an inbox nobody checks is a lost customer. Connect forms to your CRM or, at least, to a mailbox with an owner.
How much does a website cost with Gradual?
At Gradual, professional web design is budgeted per phase with a fixed price agreed before we start. It includes content strategy, keyword-driven copywriting, design adapted to your brand, technical SEO and a structure ready for AI search engines from day one.
The final price depends on the number of pages and the integrations: a form connected to your CRM, online booking or an AI agent that talks to your visitors. To get a figure for your case, tell us about it on a free first call and we send a written proposal.
Which website does your business need?
A simple rule:
- If the site is not your customer channel, a well-built template is enough.
- If you want the site to bring you customers, you need a business website with good copy and SEO.
- If the site is part of your product or process, go custom.
- If you sell online, build a store sized to your catalog and volume.
If you are not sure, book your free first call: in 30 minutes we review your current site and tell you which type of project makes sense for your business and what budget to expect.