What should you actually pay for a professional website? We break down pricing, timelines, and what to watch out for.
Why quotes vary by 10x
The same brief can return wildly different quotes because "website" describes anything from a five-page brochure to a transactional platform with inventory, payments and role-based access. Until scope is written down, price comparison is meaningless.
What actually drives the number
Four things: the number of unique page templates, the amount of custom (non-CMS) functionality, third-party integrations, and content production. Design polish costs less than most people assume; integrations cost far more.
The costs nobody quotes
Hosting and domain renewal, SSL, content writing, photography, post-launch changes, and the maintenance retainer that keeps the thing secure. Budget 15–20% of build cost annually for upkeep or plan to rebuild in three years.
Red flags in a proposal
No timeline with milestones, no named deliverables, no mention of who owns the code and hosting, and payment weighted entirely to the front. Any of those is a reason to ask harder questions before signing.
If a number in this article does not match what you see in your own dashboard, that gap is worth an hour of someone’s time. Ask us about it.
