What Does a Professional Website Cost? Prices and Factors Explained

One of the most frequently asked questions we receive: "What does a website cost?" The honest answer is: it depends. But that is not very helpful when you need to determine a budget. In this article, we give you a realistic picture of website prices in 2025.

The Large Price Range Explained

Website prices vary from a few hundred euros to tens of thousands of euros. These large differences are due to:

• Complexity of the desired functionality
• Custom vs. template approach
• Quality and experience of the builder
• Ongoing costs for hosting and maintenance

Let us look at the different options.

Option 1: Do-It-Yourself Website Builders

Costs: 0 - 500 euros per year

Platforms like Wix, Squarespace, and WordPress.com offer an entry-level model for those who want to do it themselves.

Advantages:

• Low costs
• Quick to go online
• No technical knowledge required

Disadvantages:

• Limited possibilities
• Often slow loading times
• Less professional appearance
• Limited SEO capabilities
• Dependency on the platform

Suitable for: Hobbies, personal projects, test ideas

Option 2: Template-Based Website by a Professional

Costs: 1,500 - 4,000 euros one-time

A web agency uses an existing template as a base and customizes it to your corporate identity.

Advantages:

• Professional end result
• Faster delivery
• Lower costs than fully custom
• Proven design patterns

Disadvantages:

• Less unique design
• Limitations from the template
• Sometimes harder to expand

Suitable for: Starting entrepreneurs, small businesses with standard requirements

Option 3: Custom Website

Costs: 5,000 - 15,000 euros one-time

A fully custom-made website without template limitations.

Advantages:

• Unique design that fits your brand
• Optimal user experience
• Fully flexible and expandable
• Better performance possible
• Distinctive from competitors

Disadvantages:

• Higher investment
• Longer development time

Suitable for: Established SMB companies, businesses with specific requirements

Option 4: Webshop / E-commerce

Costs: 4,000 - 25,000+ euros one-time

A webshop requires additional functionality: product management, shopping cart, payments, inventory management.

Price factors:

• Number of products
• Integration with inventory system
• Payment methods
• Shipping options
• Customer accounts and order history

Suitable for: Retailers who want to sell online

Ongoing Costs

In addition to the one-time construction costs, you have ongoing costs:

Hosting: 10 - 100+ euros per month

• Shared hosting (10-25/month): Fine for small websites
• VPS hosting (25-75/month): For websites with more traffic
• Dedicated/managed hosting (75-200+/month): For critical business websites

Domain Registration: 10 - 50 euros per year

A .com domain costs around 10-15 euros per year. Special extensions can be more expensive.

SSL Certificate: 0 - 200 euros per year

Let's Encrypt offers free SSL. For e-commerce or extra validation, you can consider a paid certificate.

Maintenance: 50 - 300 euros per month

• Security updates
• Plugin/software updates
• Backups
• Monitoring
• Minor adjustments

Content Updates: Variable

Updating content yourself is often free. If you have this done for you, expect 50-100 euros per hour.

What Determines the Price?

1. Number of Pages

A one-pager is faster to build than a website with 20 pages. More pages means more content, more design, and more development time.

2. Functionality

Standard functionality:

• Contact form
• Google Maps integration
• Social media links
• Basic SEO

Extra functionality (additional cost):

• Booking system
• Customer portal
• CRM/ERP integration
• Multilingual support
• Search function
• Newsletter integration

3. Design Complexity

• Simple, clean design: standard
• Animations and interaction: +500-2,000 euros
• Custom illustrations: +500-2,000 euros
• Video integration: +300-1,000 euros

4. Content Creation

If you provide all texts and images yourself, you save costs. Professional content creation:

• Copywriting: 100-200 euros per page
• Professional photography: 500-2,000 euros
• Stock photos: 10-50 euros per image

5. SEO and Marketing

Basic optimization is often included in the price. Extensive SEO work costs extra:

• Keyword research: 300-800 euros
• Content optimization: 100-200 euros per page
• Technical SEO audit: 500-1,500 euros

Hidden Costs to Watch For

When reviewing quotes, watch for these often-forgotten items:

• Revision rounds: How many are included?
• Training costs: Do you get CMS instruction?
• Migration: Are old content and SEO preserved?
• Plugin licenses: Some functionality costs money annually
• Future adjustments: What does an extra hour of work cost?

Our Price Indication

At Robuust Marketing, we maintain transparent prices:

Solid Start package: Ideal for starters and small businesses who want to be professionally online.

Firm Foundation package: For established businesses that need more functionality and customization.

Both packages include hosting, maintenance, and support. No hidden costs.

Tips for Comparing Quotes

1. Compare apples to apples - Make sure quotes have the same scope
2. Ask what is not included - Avoid surprises afterward
3. Check references - Review previous work and ask for reviews
4. Pay attention to ongoing costs - A low build price with high monthly costs can be more expensive
5. Ask about the team - Who will actually build your website?

Conclusion

A professional website for an SMB business costs an average of between 2,000 and 10,000 euros in 2025, depending on your requirements. Add 100-300 euros per month for hosting and maintenance.

Better to invest a bit more in quality. A cheap website that does not convert or that you need to replace within two years is ultimately more expensive than investing properly from the start.

Want to know what a website costs for your situation? Contact us for a no-obligation custom quote.

Further Reading

• Web Hosting for Beginners - What does hosting cost?
• Website Maintenance - Understanding ongoing costs
• Next.js vs Traditional Websites - Modern vs classic approach