“What does a website cost?” – I hear this question often, and there is no blanket answer. Prices range from €0–500 for a website-builder page to €100,000 and more for complex major projects. If you run a small or mid-sized business and want to have a website built, the question is: what do I actually need, what does it cost – and how can I tell a fair price?
Why prices vary so much
A website is not a standard product. The term hides completely different deliverables:
- A website builder (Wix, Jimdo, Squarespace) can be set up in an hour
- A WordPress site with custom design takes weeks
- A bespoke web application with an online shop, user accounts and a connection to your customer management system (CRM) is a multi-month development project
So comparing a €500 Jimdo site to a €30,000 agency project doesn't hold up. They are simply different products.
What does it cost to have a website built?
Roughly speaking, the market has four price categories:
| Category | Price | Typical providers | Who for? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Builders | €0–500 one-off + €15–50/mo | Wix, Jimdo, Squarespace | Hobby, trial, absolute minimum |
| Cheap freelancers | €500–2,000 one-off | Platforms like Fiverr, Upwork | Small businesses with a very small budget |
| Professional build | €3,000–15,000 one-off or subscription from €59/mo | Local agencies, specialists | SMBs, service providers, retail |
| Custom development | €15,000–100,000+ one-off | Digital agencies, software developers | Complex requirements, online shops, web applications |
What costs what – a breakdown
Design and concept
Professional design often makes up a large share of the cost. An experienced designer for look and usability (UI/UX) charges between €80 and €200 per hour. A simple website with 5 to 8 pages needs 20 to 60 hours of design work – that's €1,600 to €12,000 just for design.
It costs less when the designer works with established templates and adapts them instead of designing from scratch. The result is often barely any worse – and significantly cheaper.
Development and engineering
For simple websites, systems with ready-made templates (WordPress, Webflow) are cheaper. For custom requirements, things are built from scratch. Hourly rates: €60–150 for German freelancers, €120–250 for agencies.
Copy and content
Many underestimate the effort. Good website copy is not a quick task – it has to convince, hit the right tone and be optimised for SEO, i.e. make sure you get found on Google. Professional copywriters charge €80 to €200 per page.
Tip: deliver your own raw drafts. This cuts costs significantly and makes sure the message is right. Your provider edits and optimises the copy.
Hosting, domain, SSL
Professional hosting on German servers: €10 to €50 per month. Domain: €10 to €20 per year. SSL certificate (for the encrypted connection): included with good hosting. Cheaper hosting often means slower load times and worse uptime – both hurt SEO.
Maintenance and updates
A website is not a one-off project. Security updates, looking after extensions (plugins), backups, tweaks – without maintenance it ages quickly and becomes a security hole. Monthly maintenance fees: €30 to €200.
The subscription model: a website without an upfront fee
More and more providers offer websites on a monthly subscription – and so do I at Klarspur. Instead of a large upfront payment you pay a monthly fee that covers design, build, hosting, maintenance and often SEO management.
| Model | Pro | Con |
|---|---|---|
| One-off investment | Ownership, no recurring cost after amortisation | High upfront cost, maintenance extra |
| Subscription | Low upfront cost, predictable cost, all-inclusive | Long-term commitment; depending on the provider, the domain and content may not belong to you – clarify beforehand |
At Klarspur, the domain and content belong to you – on the monthly plan as well.
What does a website relaunch cost?
A relaunch is the rebuild of an existing website. The effort depends mainly on what is already there:
- Scope: How many pages are there, and which of them are still needed?
- Content: Can texts and photos be taken over, or is new copy needed?
- Redirects: Every old address needs a 301 redirect, i.e. a permanent pointer to the new address. That way your existing rankings on Google are largely preserved.
- Checks afterwards: Review your Google Business Profile (your listing in Google Maps and Search) and Search Console (Google's tool that reports errors).
At Klarspur, a relaunch runs on the regular monthly plan – there is no separate invoice for the rebuild.
How do you spot bad offers?
- Very low flat prices without a clear scope
- No mention of hosting, maintenance or ownership
- No portfolio with real reference projects
- Promises of “page 1 on Google” in a short time
- No mention of GDPR compliance
- No written contract or unclear cancellation terms
What should a good SMB website be able to do?
- Professional, trustworthy design
- Mobile optimisation (responsive design)
- Fast load times (under 3 seconds)
- SSL certificate (HTTPS)
- Contact form with GDPR-compliant processing
- Basic SEO setup (page titles, descriptions, headings)
- Visitor statistics, e.g. Google Analytics, or privacy-friendly analytics
- An easy-to-edit CMS, i.e. a system that lets you change content yourself
Conclusion: what should you spend?
For a professional SMB website that actually wins customers, plan a one-off budget of €3,000 to €8,000. With a subscription you instead pay a fixed monthly amount that includes hosting and maintenance – what that costs with me, you can see in my website plans.
Less is usually a compromise that bites back. More is rarely necessary for SMBs – unless you run an online shop or need complex features.
It's better to invest a little more in a website that actually works than to spend little on one no one finds or that scares prospects away. A good website works for you like a salesperson who is available around the clock.