What Should I Pay for a Website?
Pricing a website is one of those slippery topics that seems straightforward until you actually have to do it. Like buying a couch or a pair of jeans online—you’ve got no idea if it’s going to be a perfect fit, wildly overpriced, or suspiciously cheap until it shows up. And by then, you’re already emotionally (and financially) invested.
So let’s get into it. What should you actually pay for a website in 2025? The short answer: it depends. The longer answer: it depends on what you need, who’s building it, and whether you want your site to feel more like a back alley lemonade stand or the digital version of a flagship boutique in Soho.
The 0€ to 500€ Range: DIY, Templates, and a Lot of Googling
If you’re a solo freelancer or just getting your business off the ground, tools like Squarespace, Wix, or Webflow can be lifesavers. They offer beautiful templates, basic SEO functionality, and drag-and-drop editors that make building a site possible without knowing a lick of code. Total cost? Probably around 200€–500€/year when you factor in hosting, templates, and a custom domain.
But here’s the thing: it’s not really “free” when you factor in your time. You’ll spend hours tinkering with layouts, trying to make your logo sit nicely, and wondering why your mobile version looks like a bad game of Tetris. So if your time is valuable—and let’s assume it is—this route makes sense only if budget is the top priority and your design expectations are modest.
MINIMALISTIC COACHING
View the Live Demo Here: https://dodecahedron-hexaflexagon-tx6m.squarespace.com/?password=demo
Password: demo
Squarespace 7.1 Website Template
Perfect for Coaches, Consultants, and Bloggers: Our website template is designed for service providers, coaches, and bloggers who want an easier way to market their business, stand out online, and book new clients. This is a minimalistic and elegant website featuring full-width images, earthy colors, and classical typography. Perfect for coaches, consultants, designers, photographers, bloggers, creatives, and service-based businesses.
What’s included:
8 individual pages: Home | Schedule | Services | Blog | Events | About | Contact | Imprint
Built-in copy (no lorem ipsum!) that makes it easy to plug in intentional words that attract your ideal audience
Responsive design so your website looks gorgeous on all devices
Helpful online support (kind of like having a design expert in your back pocket!)
Email Support: Up to 3 months after your template purchase
Bonus Features:
Launch Checklist / Quick Guide: Get started and navigate around the template with ease (including useful links). Launch with complete confidence that your website is ready to go LIVE!
20% off your first year of an annual Squarespace subscription.
Extended Free Trial: Get a 6-month free Squarespace trial when purchasing our template.
How it works:
Purchase the template (make sure to fill out the email address, with which you want your Squarespace account to be connected). Your template will be digitally delivered within 24 hours of purchase (Monday – Friday). Meanwhile, you’ll have instant access to the Launch Checklist, which includes all the tools and resources you need to start preparing to customize a stylish and strategic website.
Style: After your template is delivered, you’ll be able to style your template so that it is on-brand and uniquely yours. Quickly and easily customize your colors, fonts, images, and copy. Customization Options: Colors and fonts | Images and image styling | Text | Add/remove pages | Add/remove sections | Page order and navigation | Add any third-party integration
Launch: Complete your Launch Checklists before getting ready to go live! Launch your website like a pro. Don’t forget to celebrate!
Important Information:
We require an email address to deliver your template promptly within 24 hours on workdays (Monday – Friday) of purchase. Please be sure to fill out the email-address field, when purchasing.
Your template is delivered as a brand new website. We do not offer installs into existing websites.
A Squarespace Business subscription is required to go live (set up your subscription AFTER you receive your template).
This template works only for Squarespace 7.1.
One purchase equals one license for one website. Templates may not be duplicated.
Due to the digital nature of website templates, they cannot be returned and are non-refundable.
Basic Squarespace experience is recommended, but not required, before purchasing this template.
FAQ:
Do these templates require code? No, the templates do not require code.
Can you help customize the template? Of course. Please reach out via email if you're interested in getting a quote for us to customize your website to make it truly yours: sarah@vermeulen-design.com
Do you offer this template for different platforms? No, all of our templates are created on Squarespace only because it is one of the easiest platforms to customize, maintain, and grow with, especially for coaches and service-based businesses.
License Information:
By purchasing the template, you agree that this template is for one website built for your own brand and you don't have the right to resell it or claim it as your own design, even if you change the photos and fonts. You must leave the site credit in the footer. You may NOT use this template for clients if you are a web designer UNLESS you purchase a commercial use license. Send us a message at sarah@vermeulen-design.com to buy a commercial license.
It is forbidden to resell or redistribute the designs you purchased – they are intellectual property of © Vermeulen Design Studio. Keep in mind that this is a digital file that cannot be returned or exchanged. Don’t hesitate to contact me if you’re having questions of any type.
Please note: Vermeulen Design Studio is not employed by, affiliated with, or endorsed by Squarespace.
The 1.000€ to 5.000€ Range: Freelancers and Boutique Studios
This is the sweet spot for small businesses, personal brands, and folks who need more than a brochure site but less than a full-blown digital experience. Working with a freelance designer or a small studio means you’re getting something semi-custom—often built on WordPress or Webflow—tailored to your brand.
At the lower end of this range, you’ll likely get a 1–3 page site with solid design and light branding. At the upper end, you might get more pages, animations, content strategy, and help with SEO setup.
Still, even here, you need to be clear about scope. Revisions take time. Custom features (like booking systems, multi-language support, or interactive elements) may push the price up quickly. Good freelancers are worth their weight in gold, but they’re also not mind-readers. Clear communication is your best budgeting tool.
Web Design for ‘Willbe Home’ (Real Estate) © Vermeulen Design Studio
The 5.000€ to 15.000€ Range: Custom Design, Strategy, and Business-Driven Results
If your website is the face of your business—or plays a critical role in your sales funnel—you need more than a pretty homepage. At this tier, you're paying for experience, strategy, and polish. You’re likely working with a small to mid-size creative agency or an experienced freelancer with a well-rounded team.
Here, you’re not just getting a website. You’re getting a full process: discovery sessions, wireframes, UI/UX design, responsive layouts, SEO optimization, content planning, and sometimes even copywriting. Think of it as hiring a tiny digital marketing team to give your online presence a glow-up that actually moves the needle.
Want your site to load fast, rank well on Google, convert traffic, and look amazing? This is your ballpark. You might flinch at the price tag—but think of it as an investment, not a cost. A website that actually brings in business pays for itself.
20.000€ and Up: Enterprise, eCommerce, and High-Stakes Digital Real Estate
At this level, you’re looking at highly custom solutions. Think corporate websites, large eCommerce platforms, web applications, or brands that need to integrate complex back-end systems (like inventory management, CRMs, or member logins).
This kind of project typically involves multiple stakeholders, rounds of user testing, data migrations, security compliance, and ongoing support contracts. It’s not just a “website”—it’s infrastructure. And it often comes with timelines in months, not weeks.
A Few Examples:
The Neighborhood Café in Portland paid 2.500€ for a five-page Squarespace site with custom illustrations and online ordering integration. Designed by a local freelancer. Took six weeks and came with a round of revisions. Clean, charming, and doing its job.
An indie skincare brand spent 8.000€ for a brand refresh and eCommerce website built on Shopify, complete with animations, a blog, and custom packaging design. Handled by a small studio with a background in beauty branding.
A SaaS startup in Berlin paid 30.000€ for a full website redesign, custom animations, UX copywriting, CMS integration, and SEO strategy. Executed by a design agency specializing in tech brands. They saw a 45% increase in demo sign-ups within two months post-launch.
Final Thoughts (a.k.a. Please Don’t Ask for a “Quick” Website)
If you’re asking what you should pay for a website, start by asking what you want the website to do. Is it a digital business card? A portfolio? A sales machine? A content platform? Your answer changes everything.
Budgeting for a website isn’t about hunting for the lowest quote—it’s about finding the best value. A cheap website that doesn’t convert is more expensive than a pricey one that brings in steady business. Think outcomes, not just deliverables.
And if you’re still not sure what you need—or what it should cost—I can help. If you're looking for a fully custom website with all the bells, whistles, and strategic finesse, that’s right up my alley. But if you're just starting out and need something beautiful, functional, and easy to launch, I also offer professionally designed Squarespace templates. They’re simple to set up, don’t look DIY, and come without the stress of starting from scratch. Either way, let’s create a site that actually works for you.
