How much does a website cost for a small business?
Short answer: with me, between €349 and €899 + VAT where applicable, as a one-off payment, with no maintenance fees. On the market you will find everything from €15-a-month templates to agency quotes of several thousand. The difference is not a whim, and here I explain what it depends on.
What the price depends on
Almost the whole price of a website comes from four decisions:
- How many pages it has. A single page with everything does not cost the same as a website with separate sections for services, team and contact.
- Whether the design is a template or made from scratch. A template is cheaper because it already exists; a custom website is designed for your business from zero.
- What it has to do. Introducing you and collecting enquiries is the basics. Online booking, a shop or private areas are extra work.
- Who builds it. You with a website builder, a freelancer or an agency with several specialists.
What each option charges
| Option | Typical price | When it fits |
|---|---|---|
| Doing it yourself with a builder (Wix, Squarespace…) | €10 to €40 a month, every month | You have time to build it and a template is enough for you |
| A freelancer | From around €400 for a simple website; €1,000 to €3,000 with more pages or features | You want a custom website and to deal with the person who builds it |
| An agency | From €1,500 upwards, and easily more than €5,000 | Big projects, with a shop, integrations or several languages |
These are rough ranges: real quotes vary a lot from one professional to another, which is why you should always ask for a fixed price in writing.
My prices, no asterisks
All are a one-off payment, with no monthly fees or subscriptions, and the quote is fixed before we start.
- Basic€349 + VAT Your first website, fast and hassle-free.
- Professional€499 + VAT The most popular choice: a complete website for your business.
- Online booking€599 + VAT For appointment-based businesses: clients book on their own, no phone calls needed. How online booking works
- Booking + Airbnb and Booking.com€899 + VAT For holiday rentals: one calendar, synced with Airbnb and Booking.com. How the holiday rental website works
What each plan includes is detailed in the pricing section of the home page. And if you want to know which one is yours, the cost calculator tells you in three questions.
What is paid separately
So there are no surprises, this is what those prices do not include:
- The domain (yourbusiness.com): around €10–15 a year. You register it yourself and it stays in your name, so it is yours whatever happens.
- VAT, added to the quote only where the law requires it, depending on your country and whether you are a business.
Hosting the website costs you nothing, neither at handover nor afterwards. There are no other recurring costs.
When it is worth paying more
If you need an online shop with lots of products, to connect the website to your business software or to have it in several languages, a higher budget makes sense: it is more work and sometimes needs a team.
If what you need is to be found, for people to understand what you do and to contact or book you, you do not need to pay thousands. That is exactly what the plans above solve.
How to compare two quotes
Before deciding, ask each of them these questions:
- Is the price fixed or can it go up along the way?
- Are there monthly fees? What happens if I stop paying them?
- Whose name is the domain in?
- Is the design a template or made for my business?
- Does it look good on mobile and is it ready for Google?
- When will it be delivered?
Frequently asked questions
Why do some websites cost €300 and others €5,000?
Because they are not the same job. The number of pages changes, whether the design is a template or made from scratch, the features it has (bookings, a shop, private areas) and how many people are involved. An agency with several specialists and an office has higher costs than a professional working on their own.
Does a website have monthly costs?
It depends on how it is built. Website builders like Wix or Squarespace are paid month after month for as long as the site exists. The websites I build have no subscription: you pay for the website once and the only recurring cost is the domain, around €10–15 a year.
Is the domain included in the price?
No. You register the domain (yourbusiness.com) yourself; it costs around €10–15 a year and stays in your name, so it is yours whatever happens. Hosting the website costs you nothing.
How long does it take to get the website?
A one-page website is delivered in 7 days and one with up to 5 pages in 14.