The short answer
There is no single figure. The price depends on how many pages the site has, who supplies text and photos, how much work goes into being found on Google and which features are added. A simple site with a few pages costs something different from one with a page for every service and every location.
More important than the price alone is what the website should do for your business. Should it simply show that you exist, or should it bring in enquiries regularly? That determines the sensible scope.
What the price depends on
Scope and number of pages
Every page has to be designed, filled with content and adapted for smartphones. A home page, a services page and a contact page are quicker to build than a site that describes each service and catchment area separately.
Text and photos
If you supply text and images yourself, the effort for the provider falls. If the copy is written for you, the price rises, but it is aimed at your customers and at Google. Your own photos of the team and real jobs almost always look more credible than stock images.
Visibility
A website nobody finds brings no enquiries. Search engine optimisation, a maintained Google Business Profile and pages for services and locations take work. Ask whether this is included or charged extra.
Features
An enquiry form is standard. Online booking, automatic replies to enquiries or an on-site assistant are additional components that can raise the price.
Do not forget the running costs
On top of the one-off price come running costs:
- the domain, i.e. your website address
- hosting, i.e. the server the site runs on
- maintenance and updates, for security and new content
- optionally, reports on how many enquiries the site generates
Clarify in advance which of these are included and which are added monthly or annually. Only the total of build and running costs shows what the website really costs you.
Website builder, agency or fixed price
A website builder looks cheap but costs your time. You design, write and maintain the site yourself, and it often stays tied to the builder's platform. An agency takes the work off your hands but often bills by the hour, so the final price is hard to estimate at the start.
A fixed price gives you certainty: you know beforehand what you pay and what you get. Make sure the scope is described precisely so there is no later argument about extras. And whichever route you take, count your own time too. A supposedly cheap option can end up costing more than a quote that takes the work off you entirely.
An example: the Winsites packages
For orientation, here are the fixed prices of Winsites, the web design brand of the Scalient Group:
- Solo Launch: €1,890, up to 3 custom-designed pages
- Brand Site: €3,490, up to 5 custom-designed pages
- Market Leader: €9,690, up to 12 pages, including copywriting and ongoing support
Winsites also commits to the following: SEO and AEO always included, 100% ownership, including the domain, hosting in Frankfurt am Main and Amsterdam, optional maintenance from €97 per month. The website goes live within 14 days.
These prices apply to Winsites. Other providers charge differently, so it is always worth checking the exact scope.
How to recognise a fair quote
- The scope is described precisely, with number of pages and features.
- It is clear who supplies text and photos.
- Running costs for domain, hosting and maintenance are stated.
- You receive the rights to the website and the domain.
- The site is built for smartphones and loads quickly.
- Visibility on Google is part of the offer, not a vague extra.
Ownership matters most. If the provider owns the domain, you depend on their cooperation when you switch. Get written confirmation that the website and domain belong to you.
What the website should bring back
For a trade business, a website is no longer just a business card but often the first contact with new customers. It should be found on Google, convince visitors, build trust and make it easy to get in touch. If it does, the investment pays for itself through the jobs that come in via the site.
A useful question is how many additional jobs the website would need to bring in to pay for itself. The answer varies widely by trade and job size, and you can work it out quickly with your own figures. So when comparing, do not just ask what a website costs, but also how it will bring you enquiries.