What affects the cost of a website

Ask three studios to quote a website and you can get three very different numbers. Usually that’s because each one pictured a different website. These are the things that decide how much work a site really is, so you can compare quotes like for like.

Pages and content

The number of distinct page layouts matters more than the number of pages. Ten pages built from three templates is less work than five pages that each look different. Who writes the words and supplies the photos matters too: ready content speeds everything up.

Design

A site adapted from a template is quicker than a design made for your brand from scratch. A custom design takes longer up front but fits your content, your audience and your brand, and you approve it before development starts.

Platform

WordPress suits sites your team edits often and that need many ready-made plugins. Next.js suits sites where speed, custom features and growth matter most. Shopify and WooCommerce suit online stores. The right platform depends on who edits the site and what it has to do.

Features

• Booking, ordering or payments
• Accounts, dashboards or member areas
• Integrations with your CRM, booking system or other tools
• Several languages
• Search, filters or calculators

Speed, SEO and accessibility

A site that loads fast, ranks and works for everyone takes deliberate work: optimized images, clean code, metadata, structured data and accessible design. It is easy to skip and expensive to add later, so check whether a quote includes it.

After launch

Updates, security, backups and small changes continue after launch. Ask what is included once the site is live, and what ongoing support involves.

Our project planner gives a rough scope and timeline in two minutes, and every project gets a written quote with the scope and timeline before any work starts.

Written byMuhammad AhmadFounder & Software Engineer at StackStead Solutions. Building for the web since 2020.Ask a question