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.
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.
