Having a Website Built: What Costs and Services Should You Really Expect?

Why a Website Is No Longer a "Luxury" but Your Sales Infrastructure

Today, when someone hears your brand name or business, the first thing they do is search on Google. If you:

• don't have a website,
• or have an old, unprofessional, and slow website,

you lose trust in those first few seconds. The customer has neither the time nor the patience to browse through social networks to finally figure out whether you're serious or not. Your website is your digital business card, your storefront, and your online headquarters – all in one.

That's why companies in Germany and Europe invest between several thousand to several tens of thousands of euros in corporate and e-commerce websites, not merely as "costs" but as investments.

Why Are Prices So Different?

When you ask "How much should I pay for a website?", the correct answer is always: "It depends". It depends on:

• whether you just want a landing page or a complete multilingual website;
• whether you need an online store, online booking, CRM integration, or internal systems;
• whether you need specialized content, advertising copywriting, branding, and professional UX design, or just a ready-made template;
• whether you want to manage the site yourself later or hand everything over to an agency.

Professional agencies and freelancers calculate costs based on time, expertise, and project risk, not just the number of pages. This is where you need to know exactly where your money is going.

Cost Categories: It's Not Just "Website Design"!

To get a clearer picture, website costs can be divided into two main categories:

• Initial costs (one-time) – for the original design and development;
• Ongoing costs (monthly or annual) – to keep the site alive, fast, and secure.

Initial Website Creation Costs

This section typically includes:

Research, Strategy, and Planning (Discovery & Strategy)
In professional projects, work begins with conversations and needs discovery sessions:

• Audience personas,
• Goals (leads, sales, branding, booking, ...),
• Competitive advantages,
• Page structure and main user journeys.

If this phase isn't done properly, design and development later turn into rework costs.

User Experience (UX) and User Interface (UI) Design

• Wireframe design (element arrangement and page structure),
• Graphic design aligned with brand identity,
• Mobile, tablet, and desktop versions.

This is where your website conveys the "feel" of your brand. Poor design kills sales, even if it's technically perfect.

Development and Programming (Frontend & Backend)

• Implementing the design in code;
• Installing and configuring CMS (like WordPress, Webflow, or custom CMS);
• Implementing forms, shopping cart, online payment, filters, search, API connections, etc.

Content and Copywriting
A common mistake: "Let's build the site first, content later..." when professional content (text, images, videos) is what turns the site into a sales machine. Texts that merely explain aren't enough; they must stimulate needs and convince the visitor to take a specific action (contact, purchase, registration).

Basic SEO and Technical Optimization
If attention isn't paid to URL structure, speed, tags, schema, etc. when building the website, later everything must be corrected from scratch for SEO. In many cheap offers, there's either no SEO at all or just installing a few plugins.

Ongoing Website Costs

After launch, your website enters real life. Important costs at this stage:

Domain
Usually calculated annually and costs a few to several dozen euros per year depending on the extension (.de, .com, ...).

Hosting
Hosting quality directly affects site speed, security, and stability. For a professional business website, cheap, crowded shared hosting is usually a high risk. From a few euros to dozens of euros per month, depending on resources and traffic.

SSL Certificate and Security
Without SSL, both Google and users feel insecure. Usually either included in hosting or calculated separately annually.

Technical Maintenance and Updates

• Updating CMS core and plugins,
• Backups,
• Security monitoring,
• Bug fixes.

Many agencies offer monthly maintenance packages (e.g., from 50 to several hundred euros per month depending on service level).

Continuous Development and Improvement
Adding new features, campaign landing pages, A/B testing, conversion rate improvement, etc. These are costs that, over time, multiply the website's ROI.

Price Ranges: A Realistic Picture

The following numbers are approximate but help you understand whether to be skeptical or ask more questions when seeing a very low or very high price:

Based on various guides in Germany, you should typically expect a professional corporate website (neither very simple nor Enterprise) in a range of about 5,000 to 15,000 euros.

Online stores and more complex projects can reach ranges above 20,000 euros, especially if they require connections to internal systems, complete multilingualism, custom design, and bespoke development.

In international sources, average costs for a small business website have been reported in the range of $2,000 to $10,000, and for larger projects up to $150,000.

This wide range means that when you see a number, you should immediately ask: "What services and what quality are included in this price?"

What Services Should You Definitely See in a Price Quote?

When an agency or freelancer sends you a proposal, at least the following should be clear and in writing:

Initial Analysis and Strategy

• Consultation sessions,
• Definition of website goals,
• Information architecture design (Site Map).

Responsive UX/UI Design

• Separate design for mobile and desktop,
• Complete alignment with visual brand identity,
• If possible, interactive prototypes before implementation.

Development with a CMS You Can Manage

• Ability to edit text, images, blog, and products without a developer;
• Not limited to an unknown system that only that agency knows.

Basic SEO and Performance

• Proper URL structure and navigation,
• Setting up titles, meta tags, image alt texts,
• Speed testing and initial optimization.

Integration with Business Growth Tools

• Connection to Google Analytics / Matomo,
• Contact forms connected to email or CRM,
• Ability to connect to newsletter tools, online chat, or booking systems.

Training and Documentation

• At least one training session on website management,
• Video or PDF guide for your team.

Technical Warranty and Initial Support

• E.g., 1 to 3 months of bug fixing after launch,
• Clear terms for additional services and hourly rates.

If most of these items are vague, unwritten, or omitted in a proposal, but the price seems "very good," you're probably paying for tomorrow's problems, not today's quality.

Agency, Freelancer, or Cheap Website Builder? Which Is More Suitable for You?

There's no single answer; it depends on your business stage and budget:

Cheap Website Builders / DIY – suitable if:

• You're a very early-stage startup,
• Your budget is very limited,
• and you're willing to invest a lot of time yourself and accept design and SEO limitations.

Risk: Usually, after growth, you'll need to rebuild the website from scratch.

Good Freelancer – suitable if:

• Your project is small to medium-sized,
• You prefer direct personal communication with one person,
• and you can accept that capacity and work speed are limited to one person's power.

Professional Agency – suitable if:

• The website plays a serious role in your sales and branding,
• You want multiple services (strategy, design, development, SEO, content) in one place,
• and you're looking for long-term collaboration, not just "website delivery and goodbye."

What's important is knowing what level of support and responsibility you're paying for.

How to Intelligently Compare Different Proposals?

Instead of just looking at the final number, ask each provider these questions:

What is your process from start to launch exactly?
If they don't have a clear, step-by-step, and transparent process, the project risk is high.

What is included in the price and what isn't?
Are content, images, texts, basic SEO, testing, and training calculated separately or included?

What kind of support and warranty do I have after delivery?

Are there any restrictions if I want to work with another team later?
For example: Do you have full access to hosting, domain, CMS, and source code, or is everything under their control?

Portfolio and Real Results
It's not enough to just see the appearance of websites; if they can show data like lead increases, speed, conversion rates, or SEO rankings, that's a sign of professionalism.

Conclusion: A Website Isn't a Cost, It's a "Growth Lever"

If you look at a website as just "a few information pages," it's natural to look for the lowest possible price. But if you:

• want to build trust,
• want to attract leads and customers,
• want to present your brand seriously,

then the website becomes an investment whose ROI you should calculate, not just the invoice amount.

Commissioning a website makes sense when you:

• know exactly what you're paying for;
• connect the costs to the "result" they create for you;
• and work with a technical partner who thinks transparently, responsibly, and long-term.

When you put these three things together, the number on the invoice gradually transforms from "stress" to "investment."

Frequently Asked Questions About Website Costs and Commissioning

1. Is a cheap website for a few hundred euros sufficient?
If you just want a "minimal presence" for a short time, maybe yes. But for a business that relies on trust, leads, and sales, very cheap websites usually have:

• no strategy,
• generic and repetitive design,
• weak SEO and performance,
• and lead to missed opportunities in the long run.

2. How long does it take to create a professional website?
Depending on complexity and your decision-making speed, typically:

• Small simple websites: 3 to 6 weeks;
• Medium corporate websites: 6 to 12 weeks;
• Complex and e-commerce projects: several months.

A large part of the time is usually spent on coordination, content creation, and decision-making, not just programming.

3. What should I do if my budget is tight right now?
Some smart solutions:

• Start now with an MVP (minimal but professional version);
• Plan some features for later phases;
• Focus on pages that contribute more directly to sales and leads (Homepage, services page, contact page, one key landing page).

This way you don't gamble with your brand while controlling the budget.

4. Should I build the website myself or hand it over to professionals?
If you have time, interest, and some technical knowledge, you can build the initial version yourself and later upgrade it with a professional team. But if:

• you don't have time,
• the project is critical for you,
• and technical and SEO mistakes can cost you dearly,

saving on "initial costs" may cost you several times more in the future.

5. What should I prepare before commissioning a website?

• Clear description of the business and services;
• Examples of websites you like (in terms of design and structure);
• Logo and visual identity elements (if you have them);
• Initial ideas about needed pages;
• and if possible, some content samples or initial texts.

The clearer your mental picture, the faster the project and the closer the result will be to what you have in mind.