What actually makes up the price of a website

When you pay $2,000 for a corporate website, you're not paying for "design and coding". You're paying for at least six separate jobs done by different people.

  • Analytics & structure — someone analyses your competitors, audience, customer journey and decides which blocks go where.
  • UX/UI design — wireframes and visual design for all pages across all screen sizes.
  • Frontend development — turning the design into working code in the browser.
  • Backend & CMS — so you can edit content independently.
  • SEO structure — correct URLs, meta tags, schema markup, page speed.
  • Integrations — CRM, analytics, forms, payment systems.
If someone offers a website for $200 — one or two of these jobs are being done. The rest are missing or rushed. That's not inherently bad — the question is whether you understand what you're actually buying.

Real website prices in 2026

Not averages — actual ranges that reflect what's happening in the market right now.

Landing page
$400 — $3,500
Realistic budget for a solid result: $1,200–$2,000.
Corporate website
$800 — $6,000
3–10 pages. The gap between template and custom is enormous.
Online store
$1,500 — $15,000+
Basic Shopify build: $1,500–$3,500. Custom with integrations: from $5,000.
Catalogue / platform
$3,000 — $20,000
Manufacturing, real estate, education platforms, B2B portals.

Landing page (single page)

The lower end is a template solution with minimal customisation. The upper end is a fully custom landing with original design, copywriting, A/B testing, CRM integration and configured analytics.

Corporate website (3–10 pages)

At $800 you get a template with your texts and photos. At $4,000–$5,000 — a full custom build from scratch with thought-out structure, unique design, SEO optimisation and team training.

Online store

A Shopify store with basic functionality costs $1,500–$3,500. A custom store with warehouse integrations, delivery services and payment systems — from $5,000. Large B2B e-commerce projects start at $12,000. If you're at the platform-choice stage — we have a separate piece: Shopify vs Horoshop vs Weblium — which to choose for your business.

For restaurants and cafes — we have a separate guide with structure, pricing, and examples: restaurant website turnkey.

Why the same website costs three times more from different teams

You've probably seen it: one quote says $1,500, another says $4,500, another $9,000 — all for "the same landing page". What's going on?

Freelancer / cheap
  • Works alone, no team
  • "We'll do whatever you say"
  • Post-launch support is extra and pricey
  • Risk of disappearing or going offline
  • Analytics and SEO often absent
Agency / market rate
  • Analyst, designer, developer, QA
  • "We'll propose what drives leads"
  • Support included or in a package
  • Team is always there
  • SEO, CRM, analytics as a package

Where you can save — and where you absolutely cannot

💡
Where saving makes sense Platform choice (Shopify instead of custom for small business covers 95% of needs at a fifth of the cost), content (if you can write texts yourself), design (premium templates with brand adaptation often look just as good as fully custom).
⚠️
Where you should never cut corners Technical SEO, mobile responsiveness (70%+ of traffic is mobile), page load speed, security. A site that takes more than 3 seconds to load loses half its visitors before they even see the first screen.

What website support costs after launch

$50–150
Basic support / mo.
updates, backups, security
$200–400
Active support / mo.
content edits, improvements
$500+
Site development / mo.
A/B testing, new features

A website without ongoing support becomes a leaking ship within a year: plugins get outdated, vulnerabilities appear, speed drops.

How to figure out the right budget for you

  • What's the expected ROI in 12 months? If you plan 50 leads/month at a $1,000 average deal — a $5,000 investment pays off in two to three weeks of work.
  • Do you have an in-house team to manage content? If not — build support into your budget from the start.
  • Fast result or long game? Fast — landing page + ads. Long game — corporate site with SEO and a blog.

Frequently asked questions about website costs

Can you build a decent website for under $500?

Yes, if you're willing to work on a template, write your own texts and don't expect deep analytics. Fine for testing an idea. Not for a serious business.

How long does a website take to build?

Landing page — 2–4 weeks. Corporate site — 4–8 weeks. Online store — 6–12 weeks. "A website in a week" almost always means a template with minimal adaptation.

Do I pay for domain and hosting separately?

Yes. Domain — around $10–15/year. Hosting — $5 to $50/month depending on traffic load.

Why is a freelancer twice as cheap as an agency?

Because there's no project manager, analyst, tester or backup designer. Fine for small tasks. Risky for a business: if the freelancer disappears, you're left without a site and without the code.

Do I need to pay for updates?

With a support package — no or minimal extra charge. Without one — every change is billed separately, and the hourly rate is usually higher than the cost of a package.

What to read next

Other materials on the blog that pair well with this guide.