€500 or €5,000? Why two websites that “look the same” may not be the same at all.
You ask for a quote for a new corporate website. The first company quotes €600. The second, €1,500. The third, €4,000.
And at that point a perfectly reasonable question comes up: “But didn’t I ask all of them for the same thing?”
Not necessarily. Saying “I want a website” is a bit like saying “I want a car”. It tells us almost nothing about what is actually going to be built.
That is one of the main reasons why comparing website quotes can be so difficult.
1. You are not buying pages
“Home, about us, services, blog and contact.” Five pages. So how hard can it be?
The number of pages is only a small part of the work. Two websites can have exactly five pages each, yet one may require many times the development time of the other.
The real complexity lies in design, functionality, integrations, content, animations, responsive behaviour, forms, data structures, SEO, performance, security and testing.
What is priced is not just how many pages the visitor sees. It is the system that sits behind them.
2. Template or custom design?
A website can start from an off-the-shelf template. For certain projects, that can be exactly the right choice. The design already exists and is adapted with your colours, logo, photos, copy and sections.
In a custom UI/UX project, however, the process is different. We study the business, the audience, the structure, the user journey, the information hierarchy, the calls-to-action and the brand identity. Then we design the interface around them.
3. WordPress or custom development?
There is no single right answer. WordPress can be an excellent choice for corporate websites, blogs, content-heavy projects and many e-commerce projects. Custom development may make more sense when there is highly specialised functionality, complex workflows, particular data requirements, custom portals or specialised integrations.
The right technology is not the one that sounds the most premium. It is the one that properly solves the specific problem.
4. The design you see is only the tip of the iceberg
An attractive screenshot does not tell you how fast the site loads, how it behaves on a small screen, whether the forms work properly, whether it can be updated easily, whether the URL structure has been planned correctly, whether tracking is set up properly or whether there are backups and basic security measures in place.
Visual design matters. But it is only one part of the product.
5. Mobile responsive does not mean “a small desktop”
Simply shrinking the elements is not enough. You may need to change the order of the content, the navigation, the size of the buttons, the spacing, the way images are presented, the behaviour of a table, an animation or a CTA.
A truly responsive website takes thought and testing.
6. Who is going to create the content?
Will the client supply ready-made copy? Will there be copywriting? Is SEO research needed? Are there professional photos? Is a photo shoot, stock photography, graphics, icons, videos or translations required?
All of this can significantly change the scope of a project. A quote that covers development only cannot be compared directly with one that includes strategy, copywriting and content creation.
7. SEO-ready does not mean “you will rank first on Google”
A solid technical foundation may include a clean URL structure, correct headings, metadata capabilities, a sitemap, indexing controls, structured data where needed, a sound internal linking logic, performance and mobile usability.
That, however, is not the same as an ongoing SEO strategy. A properly built website creates the foundation. On its own, it does not guarantee rankings.
8. Speed is not a luxury
A website can look impressive and at the same time be extremely heavy because of images, scripts, plugins, animations, trackers, fonts or video backgrounds.
Performance should be considered from the start, because it affects the experience, conversions, mobile use and technical aspects of organic search.
9. What integrations does the business need?
A simple contact form is one thing. A website that needs to communicate with a CRM, an ERP, a newsletter platform, a booking system, a payment provider, a courier, accounting software or an external API is something very different.
Every integration adds technical complexity and often a dependency on third-party services.
10. “I want a form” can mean 20 different things
Name, email, message and a submit button make a simple form. But if we want conditional fields, file uploads, a multi-step process, CRM integration, automatic emails, lead assignment, PDF generation, payments or appointment scheduling, the “form” has become a small application.
Features need to be described. Not just named.
11. Accessibility
Accessibility means designing and developing digital experiences that can be used by people with different needs and ways of interacting: contrast, keyboard navigation, labels, alternative text, semantic structure and focus states.
It is not only a matter of compliance where that is required. It is also a matter of better design.
12. Security: who protects the website after launch?
Updates, backups, permissions, admin accounts, monitoring, server configuration and plugin vulnerabilities are all part of the picture.
Security does not mean a website becomes “unhackable”. It means measures are in place to reduce the risk and to make it possible to respond and restore.
13. €3 hosting and managed hosting are not the same product
They are all called hosting, but they can differ in resources, performance, backups, support, security, server management, scalability and uptime monitoring.
A small brochure site and an e-shop with significant daily revenue do not necessarily have the same requirements.
14. Maintenance: who will run the updates in six months’ time?
Launch is not the end of a website’s life. WordPress, plugins, PHP, browsers, APIs, integrations and security requirements all keep evolving.
Before any agreement is signed, it should be clear what technical support includes, how it is charged, who takes care of updates and what counts as new development.
15. Ownership: who actually owns the website?
Who holds the domain, the hosting account, the administrator credentials, the source files, the plugin licences, the analytics accounts, the Google Business Profile, the advertising accounts and the design files?
All of this should be clear before the project starts. Not when the partnership ends.
16. Recurring costs should be known upfront
Hosting, domain, premium plugins, third-party services, email, CDN, APIs, maintenance, consent platforms and backup services can all create annual or monthly expenses.
The initial build price is not always the total cost of ownership. A proper quote should separate the one-time development cost from the recurring operating costs.
17. What exactly does “delivery” mean?
An organised handover may include final testing, responsive QA, forms testing, analytics verification, redirect checks, a backup, credentials, training, documentation and a launch checklist.
Launch should be a process. Not just a DNS change.
18. And what about changes during the project?
“Let’s add this too.” “Just one more small change.” “Can we add a login as well?” “Actually, we want an ERP connection.”
Every project needs a clear scope and an agreed process for anything that falls outside it. Scope creep is usually the result of poor definition at the start.
19. So why do two quotes differ so much in price?
Because they may not include the same thing. One may include a template, a basic setup, ready-made material and minimal customisation. The other may include discovery, UI/UX, custom design, development, copywriting, an SEO foundation, integrations, performance optimisation, testing, training and support.
Both may say “Corporate website development”. But they are not the same product.
20. The cheapest quote is not always the wrong one
Not every business needs a website costing thousands of euros. A professional who needs a simple online presence may be served extremely well by a smaller solution.
The mistake is paying for a far bigger system than you need – or buying a very limited solution for a business that needs something significantly more complex.
The right price follows from the right solution.
21. The 12 questions to ask before you choose a quote
- Is it a template or a custom design?
- Who creates the copy and the material?
- What exactly does development include?
- Which integrations are included?
- What SEO setup is done during the build?
- How is performance handled?
- What security measures are provided?
- What testing is carried out before launch?
- What support is available after delivery?
- What are the recurring costs?
- Who owns the accounts, the domain and the files?
- What happens when something outside the original scope is requested?
So, how much does a professional website cost?
The answer is: it depends.
The cost depends on what the website needs to do, not simply on how many pages it will have. It may be a simple digital presence, or it may act as a sales channel, a lead-generation engine, a booking system, a customer service tool or part of a wider digital infrastructure.
So before you ask “How much does a website cost?”, there is a better question: “What exactly do I need the website to do for my business?”
Frequently Asked Questions
Is custom design essential?
No. For many businesses, a well-chosen and properly adapted design system or template can be perfectly adequate. Custom UI/UX becomes more valuable when there are specific brand, experience or functionality requirements.
WordPress or a custom website?
It depends on the project. The technology should be chosen based on functionality, budget, maintenance and future evolution, not because one solution is generally considered “better”.
Should I choose the cheapest quote?
Choose neither the cheapest nor the most expensive on price alone. First make sure you are comparing equivalent scope, deliverables and level of support.
What should I ask for in writing?
Scope, deliverables, timeline, cost, payment terms, recurring expenses, ownership, support and the process for additional work.
The DynaWasp approach
At DynaWasp, we believe pricing should start once we understand what the project really needs to do. Not from an arbitrary number of pages.
That is why we first look at the goal, the audience, the functionality, the content, the integrations and how the website needs to be able to evolve.
This allows us to propose a solution that matches the real need. No smaller. And no bigger without good reason.
Because a professional website should not simply “exist”. It should have a specific role within the business.