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What a website costs: the eight things that decide the price

Why two quotes for "a website" can differ tenfold, the eight things that drive the price, and how to brief so the quotes you get can be compared.

SaaS & technology · 3 min read · 10 October 2026

Ask five companies what a website costs and you will get five numbers that have little to do with each other. They are not quoting for the same thing. One has priced a template with your logo on it; another has priced a product with accounts, payments and an admin area.

The price follows from a short list of decisions. Make them, write them down and the quotes become comparable.

01The eight things that set the price

  1. Number of distinct page types. Ten pages built from two layouts cost far less than ten pages with ten layouts.
  2. Design. A template adapted to your brand, or a design drawn for you from nothing.
  3. Content. Whether you supply final text, photographs and film, or they are made for you.
  4. What the site does. Showing information is one thing; bookings, payments, accounts and search are software.
  5. Connections. Each link to another system, such as a CRM, a payment provider or stock, is a piece of work.
  6. Who edits it afterwards. A content system your team can use takes more to set up and saves money every month after.
  7. Languages and regions. Each language is more content and more testing.
  8. Standards. Speed, accessibility, security and search readiness, done properly, take real time.

02What is usually left out of a low quote

  • Writing and photography
  • Mobile layouts tested on real phones
  • Search set-up: titles, structured data, redirects from the old site
  • Accessibility
  • Hosting, updates and fixes after launch
  • Training your team to edit it

A quote is only cheap if it covers what you assumed it covered. Ask for the list of what is not included.

03The cost after launch

A site needs hosting, security updates, small fixes and new content. Ask what the monthly cost is and what it includes. A site that nobody maintains loses its search position and eventually breaks.

04How to get quotes you can compare

  1. Write one page: who the site is for, what you want a visitor to do, and the pages you expect.
  2. List what it must do beyond showing information.
  3. Say who will supply text and images.
  4. Ask each company for scope, price, timeline and what happens after launch, in writing.
  5. Ask what they would cut if the budget were smaller.

05Spending less without regretting it

  • Launch with fewer page types and add later.
  • Use an existing design system rather than a fully bespoke one.
  • Supply good photographs and clear text yourself.
  • Keep features that few visitors would use out of the first version.

In short

  • Website prices differ because the scopes differ, not because one company is ten times dearer.
  • Page types, design, content, features, connections, editing, languages and standards set the price.
  • Ask every company what is not included, and what the site costs each month after launch.
  • A one-page brief makes quotes comparable.

Questions

Why will nobody give me a price without a conversation?

Because the price depends on the eight decisions above. A company that quotes without asking is guessing, and the guess is usually corrected later, upward.

Is a template site a bad idea?

No. For a simple site with standard pages, a good template adapted with care is quick and sensible. It becomes a problem when the business needs things the template was never built to do.

Should I pay a fixed price or by the hour?

For a site with a clear scope, a fixed price protects you. By the hour suits work whose shape is not yet known.

How does Quantum Beetle price a website?

We agree the scope in writing first, then give a clear quote before any work starts. A small business gets a small, clear scope.

Sounds like your problem?

Tell us about it. We'll say honestly whether the swarm can help, and what it would take.

Talk to ushello@quantumbeetle.ai

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