How much does a website cost? What really moves the price

It is the first question in almost every call we get, and the honest answer is an uncomfortable one: it depends. But “it depends” is no answer on its own, so we are going to explain exactly what it depends on, with the factors that really move a quote.

1. How many pages and how much content

A five-page website for a small office is not the same as a catalogue with 300 products or a hotel website with rooms, services and a gallery. Content counts too: if the copy has to be written and the photos tracked down, that is work; if you hand it to us ready to go, you save.

2. Whether you sell or only inform

An online shop multiplies the work: product pages, payment gateway, taxes, shipping, returns and, above all, syncing with your real stock. An informative website with a good contact form is a different level of project. You can see it on our page about online shops.

3. How much it has to do on its own

This is where the price varies most. A website that collects form entries is standard. One that books tables by connecting to your dining room, updates prices from your till system, issues invoices or sends a WhatsApp alert is already custom development, and it is quoted separately.

4. Custom design or template

A bought template is cheaper on day one and dearer two years later: it fills up with plugins to cover what it cannot do, it runs slowly and you end up rebuilding it. A custom design costs more at the start and ages far better.

5. Whether you want to show up on Google or just be there

A website with no search work is a leaflet in a drawer. The work on structure, copy written for search and speed does not show in the design, but it is the difference between getting clients and not. We cover it in SEO.

So why do you not publish rates?

Because a price list forces your project into a box that almost never fits: either you pay over the odds for things you do not need, or you fall short and the extras start appearing. We prefer to look at your case and give you a fixed price: what you sign is what you pay.

What does have a fixed, published price is everything recurring — hosting, domains, email and hour packs — and you can check it on our prices page.

One piece of advice before asking for quotes

When you compare offers, always ask three things: who owns the domain, who maintains the website afterwards and whether search work is included. That is where most of the price differences between two quotes that looked identical come from.