The short answer: a professional website for a small business usually costs somewhere between a few hundred and a few thousand euros one-time, plus modest running costs. Where you land depends mostly on three things: how many pages you need, who writes the text, and what the site has to do (take bookings, accept payments, run a shop).
As one concrete reference point, here are our own prices: €490 to €3,490 one-time for a website, and from €2,490 for a webshop. You'll find the full details on our pricing page. The rest of this guide is about the market in general, so you can judge any quote, including ours.
What Actually Drives the Cost
Two quotes for "a website" can differ by thousands of euros because they describe different work. These are the factors that move the price:
- Number of pages. One page that explains one service is a very different job from ten pages covering several services, a team and a portfolio.
- Design. A proven layout styled with your logo and colours is faster to build than a design made from scratch for your business.
- Text. Writing good website copy takes time. Some quotes assume you supply all the text; others include a copywriter.
- Features. Online booking, payments, multiple languages, a customer portal or a webshop each add work, and sometimes subscription costs.
- Findability work. Page titles, clear headings, business details, structured data and indexing checks take time. Some providers include them; others charge extra or skip them.
- Who does the work. A freelancer, a small studio and a large agency have different overheads, processes and levels of support.
- Revisions and project management. The more rounds of changes and meetings included, the higher the price.
What Each Budget Realistically Buys
These bands describe what is typically possible at each budget. They're a practical guide, not market statistics.
Around €500
A single, well-structured page on a proven layout, styled to your brand, usually with your own text. That's enough for many sole traders (ZZP'ers) and businesses with one main service in one area.
What to check: is the page mobile-friendly, can Google index it, are your business details and service area written out, and do you own the result?
Our option: AI Launch, €490. One page on our proven layout, with the basic SEO and AI search foundation included.
Around €1,000
A small multi-page site: typically a homepage, an about page and a contact page, with a design made for your business. You usually still provide most of the text.
What to check: how many revision rounds are included, and who writes the page titles and descriptions.
Our option: AI Business, €890. Three custom-designed pages, a contact form and a WhatsApp button.
Around €2,500
Room for more pages (one per service is a good rule), professional copywriting, and tools such as online booking or payment links. At this budget you can also start a small webshop.
What to check: whether copywriting is actually included, which booking or payment systems are set up, and what they cost per month.
Our options: AI Growth, €1,690 (up to six pages, copywriting, booking and payments), or Webshop Starter, €2,490 (up to 50 products, iDEAL and Stripe).
Around €5,000 and up
Larger sites with research behind the structure, custom features, bigger webshops with automation, or a site built for a competitive market where being found is worth real money. Above this range you're typically looking at agency projects with custom integrations.
What to check: what the research and strategy work actually delivers (a document? a page plan?), and what is fixed versus billed by the hour.
Our options: AI Authority, €3,490 (unlimited core pages plus a full AI search optimization project), or Webshop Pro, €4,490 (unlimited products and automation).
The Running Costs People Forget
The build is a one-time cost. Keeping the site online is not. Ask about:
- Domain name, renewed every year.
- Hosting and SSL certificate, usually monthly or yearly.
- Maintenance and security updates, especially for sites built on a content management system.
- Backups, and who can restore them.
- Small changes: new opening hours, prices, photos or team members.
- Subscriptions for booking systems, plugins or shop platforms, and transaction fees for payments.
A quote that looks cheap can become expensive if every small change is billed separately. Our own care plans are optional and run from €30 a month; the website is yours either way.
Cheap Versus Expensive: Where the Real Risk Is
A low price isn't the problem. Missing work is. The most common hidden costs of a budget website are that it can't be found in search, it doesn't work well on a phone, you don't own it, or it can't be changed without paying again. We covered this in more detail in how small businesses lose money with cheap websites.
How to Compare Website Quotes
Put every quote next to these questions:
- Is the price fixed, or estimated and billed by the hour?
- How many pages exactly, and which ones?
- Who writes the text? Titles and descriptions too?
- How many revision rounds are included?
- Which SEO basics are included? Ask for the list.
- Who owns the website, the domain and the content?
- What does it cost to keep the site running after the first year?
- How long will it take, and what do they need from you?
- Is the price with or without VAT (btw)?
- What happens if you want to leave later?
A good provider answers all ten in writing before you pay anything.
Is a Cheaper Website Ever the Right Choice?
Yes. If you're testing a business idea, offer one service in one area, or simply have a tight budget, one page done well beats five pages done badly. You can add pages when the business grows. What matters is that the foundation is right from the start: clear, fast, findable and yours.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Can I build my own website with a website builder instead? A: You can, and for some businesses it's a sensible start. Budget for your own time, check that you can edit titles, descriptions and business details, and make sure you can take your content with you if you switch later.
Q: How long does a professional website take? A: It depends on size and how quickly content and feedback arrive. Our one- to three-page websites usually take 2–3 weeks, and larger ones 4–6 weeks.
Q: Can I pay in instalments? A: Many providers offer it. With us, AI Launch, AI Growth and AI Authority can be paid in 3 or 6 monthly instalments, and instalments for AI Business are available on request.
Q: Is SEO included in the price of a website? A: It varies widely, so ask for specifics. Every website we build includes a basic SEO and AI search foundation on its pages; you can see exactly what that covers on our website design page.
Compare With Confidence
If you'd like a fixed-price proposal to compare with the quotes you already have, see how we build websites for small businesses or compare our packages.