It is the first question almost every client asks me, and the honest answer is the one nobody wants to hear: it depends. But “it depends” does not help you plan a budget, so in this article I will give you ballpark ranges and, more importantly, explain what they depend on. That way you will understand why two quotes for “the same website” can be so different, and you will be able to compare them properly.
The short answer: ballpark ranges
These ranges are for projects built by an experienced freelance developer. A large agency will usually charge considerably more for the same kind of site, because it has more overhead behind it.
| Type of project | Ballpark range | Typical timeline |
|---|---|---|
| Landing page (a single page) | $300 – $800 | 1 – 2 weeks |
| Simple business website from an adapted theme (5 – 8 pages) | $800 – $2,000 | 2 – 4 weeks |
| Business website with a custom Figma design | $2,000 – $5,000 | 4 – 8 weeks |
| WooCommerce online store | $2,500 – $8,000+ | 6 – 12 weeks |
Treat them as a starting point, not a fixed price list. A business website can land at the low end of its range or go beyond it depending on what it needs, and that is exactly what we will look at.
What pushes the price up or down
Custom design or a theme
This is the biggest factor. A well-chosen theme adapted to your brand is faster to build and, for many businesses, it is enough. A custom design starts from scratch: the structure is defined, the pages are designed in Figma for desktop and mobile, and then they are built. It takes more hours, but the result is designed for your business, not for anyone’s.
Neither option is better by default. If your website needs to set you apart from competitors or convey a very specific image, a custom design usually pays off. If you need to get online soon with a solid presence, a good theme can be the most sensible choice.
Number and type of pages
A “Contact” page does not cost the same as a service page with several sections, comparisons and forms. Rather than counting pages, it helps to count different templates: ten service pages with the same structure are built much faster than ten pages that are all different.
Content: who writes the copy and where the images come from
Many projects get delayed not because of development, but because the copy is not ready. If you provide final texts and images, the quote focuses on design and development. If they need to be written, adapted from the old site or sourced, that is extra work and it should be in the quote from the start.
Features
A contact form is simple. A booking system, a private client area, a multilingual site or a connection to your CRM are a different story. Each feature adds development, testing and often a paid plugin. If you know you will need them, mention them when you ask for a quote even if they are not needed on day one: it affects how the site is built.
An online store
A WooCommerce store involves a catalog, product pages, cart, payments, shipping, taxes and transactional emails. Selling 15 products with no variations is not the same as selling 800 with sizes and colors. That is why the range for stores is so wide.
Performance and technical SEO from the start
A website can look good and still load slowly, or be poorly structured for Google. Taking care of performance and the technical SEO foundation during development takes a bit more time, but it is far cheaper than fixing it later. If a quote says nothing about this, ask.
Migrating an existing website
If you already have a website, you need to decide what to keep, move the content over and, above all, take care of the URLs so you do not lose the rankings you already have. It is work that is often underestimated.
Costs that are not in the development quote
Building the site is not the only thing you will pay for. These costs are separate and worth planning for from the start:
- Domain: a small yearly fee.
- Hosting: where the site lives. Quality hosting makes a real difference to speed and stability, and cheap hosting usually shows.
- Licenses: some professional builders and plugins (such as Elementor Pro, Bricks Builder or WP Rocket) have a yearly or one-time cost.
- Maintenance: updates, backups and small changes after launch. You can do it yourself or hire it out.
- Content: copywriting, photography or video if you do not have them.
Why two quotes can be so different
When you get one quote for $600 and another for $3,000 for “a business website”, they are almost never quoting the same thing. The differences are usually in:
- Whether it includes a custom design or a theme with barely any changes.
- Whether the mobile version is actually reviewed or just “adapts on its own”.
- Whether review rounds are included, and how many.
- Whether speed and the technical SEO foundation are taken care of.
- Whether the site is set up so your team can manage it without depending on anyone.
- Whether there is support after launch.
Always ask for the quote to spell out what is included. A one-line quote is impossible to compare.
Signs that a cheap quote will end up costing you more
Not everything cheap is bad, but some signs are worth taking seriously:
- Nobody asks you anything about your business before giving you a price.
- The timeline is surprisingly short for what you are asking.
- There is no mention of mobile, speed or SEO.
- The site ends up running dozens of plugins “just in case”.
- It is not clear who will own the domain, the hosting or the licenses.
Rebuilding a poorly built website usually costs more than building it properly the first time.
How to request a quote you can compare
The more information you give, the more accurate the quote will be. Before asking for one, try to be clear on:
- What you want the website to achieve: generate leads, sell, inform, showcase your work.
- Which pages you think you need, even as a rough list.
- Whether you have the design, copy and images, or they need to be created.
- Which features you need now and which later.
- A couple of reference websites you like, and why.
- Your timeline and a rough budget range.
That last point makes many people uncomfortable, but it helps a lot. With a budget range, it is possible to propose the best solution within it instead of guessing.
How I approach it
When the scope is clear, I work with a fixed project quote split into stages: structure, design, development and launch. That way you know what is delivered at each point and there are no surprises. For ongoing collaborations, such as maintenance or agency support, I can also work hourly.
If you want to know what your project would cost, tell me what you need and I will get back to you with a detailed quote. You can also see how I work on WordPress design & development or browse projects I have already built.
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