"How much will my website cost?" is the first question almost every client asks, and the honest answer is a range, not a single number. Here's what actually moves the price, so you can budget with confidence before talking to anyone.
The four things that decide the price
1. What the site needs to do
A five-page business website that explains your services and collects enquiries is a very different project from an online store with hundreds of products, payments, and courier integration. The more the site has to do — take orders, book appointments, manage members, connect to other software — the more it costs to build and test.
2. Template or custom design
A customized template is faster and cheaper. A fully custom design takes longer because it starts from your brand and your customers rather than someone else's layout. Custom is worth it when the website is a major sales channel; a template is often fine for a first site.
3. Platform
- Shopify is usually the quickest route to a working store, with a monthly subscription paid to Shopify.
- WordPress suits content-heavy sites your team will update often.
- Custom Next.js costs more upfront but gives you the fastest site, no builder fees, and full ownership of the code.
4. Timeline
A rushed deadline means more people working in parallel, which costs more. If you can plan a few weeks ahead, you'll pay less for the same result.
Costs people forget
- Domain and hosting: usually a small yearly cost, but someone needs to own and renew them — make sure it's you.
- Content: product photos, copywriting, and translations take real time if they don't exist yet.
- Apps and plugins: many Shopify and WordPress features are paid monthly add-ons.
- Maintenance: updates, backups, and small changes after launch.
How to avoid paying twice
The most expensive website is the one you rebuild a year later. A few rules help:
- Own your domain, hosting, and accounts from day one.
- Ask how fast the site will load on a mobile phone — and check it after launch.
- Make sure basic SEO (titles, descriptions, sitemap, speed) is part of the build, not an extra.
- Get a written scope and a fixed quote before work starts.
Get a realistic range in a minute
Our instant estimator shows a price range for web development, Shopify, WordPress, and SEO projects based on the features you choose — no email required to see the number. If you'd rather talk it through, book a discovery call and we'll send a fixed quote after.