"How much does a website cost?" is one of the most common questions we get — and the honest answer is that it depends on scope. Just like asking "how much does a building cost" can vary a hundredfold depending on size and requirements, the cost of a business website varies based on a number of concrete factors. This article walks through what actually drives the price, so you can go into a quote conversation with the right questions instead of guessing from a number that may not apply to your situation.
What affects cost the most
- Scope: how many pages, sections, and unique templates are needed?
- Design: a template/theme versus a fully custom design.
- Content: who writes the copy, who sources the images, are translations needed?
- Functionality: contact forms, booking systems, member login, e-commerce?
- Integrations: CRM, newsletter, payments, third-party services?
- Technical platform: WordPress, another CMS, or fully custom development?
- After launch: hosting, maintenance, security updates.
Template versus custom design
A template-based site starts from a ready-made theme adapted with your logo, colors, and content. It's usually faster and cheaper, but gives you less flexibility later if you want a feature the theme doesn't support.
A custom design is built from the ground up around your brand and your actual user flows. It takes longer and costs more upfront, but avoids compromises and "that's unfortunately not possible in our theme" situations down the line.
Number of pages
More unique page types (homepage, services, about, contact, individual product pages, blog) mean more design and development work — not just more text. A site with five straightforward standard pages is a different project than one with twenty pages and several distinct templates.
Content and translations
Many people underestimate how much time copywriting, image sourcing, and any translations take. If the site needs to exist in both Swedish and English (or more languages), that should be factored in at the quoting stage, not bolted on afterward.
WordPress versus custom development
WordPress (often combined with well-chosen plugins) is a cost-effective choice for most business websites, with a well-proven admin experience. Fully custom development gives more control and can be justified for complex products or specific performance requirements, but normally requires a larger upfront investment.
Integrations
Every integration — CRM, booking system, newsletter tool, payment provider — adds both development time and ongoing maintenance. List every integration you know you'll need before requesting a quote, so you avoid surprises later.
E-commerce
Adding a webshop (see our comparison of WooCommerce and Shopify) is a bigger undertaking than an informational site — product catalogue, payments, shipping, and inventory management all become their own work blocks.
Accessibility
Building accessibly from the start (contrast levels, keyboard navigation, alt text, semantic HTML) is substantially cheaper than fixing it afterward. Always ask whether accessibility is included in the quote.
Technical SEO
Baseline technical SEO — clean URLs, fast load times, correct meta tags, a working sitemap — should be part of every serious quote, not an add-on tacked on later. See our technical SEO checklist for a full walkthrough.
Hosting and maintenance
Remember that a website costs money even after launch: hosting, domain, security updates, and ongoing content changes. Always ask what's included in the price after launch and what's billed separately.
Realistic scoping instead of fixed prices
We deliberately avoid quoting a general price level here, since it would quickly become outdated or misleading for your specific project. Instead, we recommend describing your actual scope (using the points above) and requesting a quote based on that — it gives a far more relevant answer than a rule-of-thumb figure.
Questions to ask before requesting a quote
- How many unique page types does the site need?
- Will the copy and images be produced by you or by the agency?
- Does the site need to exist in more than one language?
- Which integrations (CRM, booking, payments, newsletter) are already known?
- Will the site include e-commerce?
- What's included in the price after launch — hosting, maintenance, support?
How Irozon can help
Irozon develops business websites with a focus on clear technical SEO, accessibility, and a site that's actually maintainable after launch. Get in touch and we'll walk through your scope together and put together a quote that matches your actual needs.