Business websites in 2026: cost, schedule and what a good site requires

The cost of a website sits somewhere between a hundred euros and a hundred thousand. That is a wide spread. Where does the difference come from, and what should you pay?

What makes up the cost of a website?

1. Design (UX + UI) — sitemap, user journey, visual identity.
2. Content production — copy, images, video.
3. Technical build: WordPress or custom, integrations, forms, conversion tracking.
4. Testing and launch: speed tests, accessibility, browsers.
5. Analytics setup — GA4, Google Search Console, Meta Pixel if needed.

If the price covers only “making the pages” and nothing else, you will probably get a half-finished product.

Price ranges in 2026

Type	Price	Schedule
DIY WordPress theme installed yourself	€0–200	A weekend (if you know how)
WordPress built by a freelancer	€1,000–3,000	3–6 weeks
Company site built by an agency (WordPress)	€3,500–8,000	5–10 weeks
Custom build (Next.js, for example)	€8,000–25,000	10–20 weeks
Online store (WooCommerce)	€5,000–15,000	8–14 weeks
Online store (Shopify)	€4,000–20,000	6–14 weeks
A large brand site or portal	€25,000–100,000+	4–8 months

What actually separates a €3,000 site from a €15,000 one?

Design and user experience

A cheap site uses ready-made theme templates. A more expensive one designs the user journey, considers every screen and builds on the business’s goals. It shows in conversion.

Content work

On a cheap site the client writes the copy. On a more expensive one it is written by a professional with SEO skills. The difference in conversion is enormous.

Speed and Core Web Vitals

A cheap page loads in 4–8 seconds. An optimised one in 1–2. Your conversion rises by 20–40 % with the latter.

SEO readiness

A cheap site does not rank in Google. An optimised one has schema markup, correct metadata, a sound content structure and technical SEO in order. The difference shows six months later.

Analytics and measurement

On a cheap site GA4 is installed if you are lucky. On an optimised one every conversion, user path and the return on ad investment is measured.

What is required of a good business website in 2026?

• Loads in under 2 seconds. Slower than that and you lose visitors.
• Works perfectly on mobile. 70 % of visitors arrive on a phone.
• A clear main message right at the top. The visitor understands in 3 seconds what you sell.
• Conversion designed in. A form or CTA on every screen, a considered path.
• SEO foundations in order. Metadata, heading structure, internal links.
• Analytics in place. GA4, Search Console, event tracking.
• Accessibility. WCAG 2.1 level AA at minimum.
• Easy to maintain. You can update the copy and images yourself.

What to avoid

• A long contract with no clear deliverable. “Six months of development” with no roadmap is ominous.
• A site that stays in the agency’s ownership. The domain, the code and the hosting have to be yours.
• Expensive annual “maintenance” contracts where nothing happens. €200/month is a lot if it includes nothing concrete.
• A custom CMS nobody else knows. You will change agency at some point. A hundred thousand people know WordPress; only its author knows a custom CMS.

The cost of maintenance

A website being finished is not the end but the beginning. Maintenance and development are their own cost:

• Basic hosting: €10–30/month
• Professional-level WordPress hosting — €30–80/month (Kinsta, WP Engine)
• A basic updates package: €50–150/month (plugin updates, backups, security)
• Developmental maintenance: €300–1,500/month (content updates, conversion optimisation, new features)

Frequently asked questions

Can I build the site myself and save money?

You can. Elementor, Wix or Squarespace produce a usable result in 20–40 hours. The question is how valuable your own time is. If your hour as a business owner is worth €100, doing it yourself costs as much as buying a freelancer.

Is WordPress still relevant?

It is. Around 43 % of all websites run on WordPress. It is flexible, widely understood and has the largest ecosystem. For small company sites there is rarely a better option.

How long does building a site take?

For a small company site, 4–8 weeks from design to launch. For a larger one, 3–6 months. The speed depends more on how quickly you deliver content than on the agency’s work.

What budget is realistic for a small business?

Most good small business sites land in the €4,000–8,000 range. Under €2,500 you generally do not get a quality result; over €15,000 means a custom build.

Further reading

Read these related articles and service pages too:

• Website redesign guide
• Conversion optimisation
• Website service

External sources:

• web.dev – Performance

Let us work out what kind of site you need

Book a free 30-minute assessment. We go through what you need the site for, what a realistic budget is and what a good site would do for your business. No sales pitch.