The short answer
A small business website with 5-10 pages costs from about EUR 1 000 with a freelancer using a template to EUR 25 000 or more with an agency, or your own time plus EUR 15-50 a month if you build it yourself. Roughly:
| Option | One-off cost | Running cost |
|---|---|---|
| Do it yourself with Wix, Squarespace or similar | Your own time | About EUR 15-50 a month |
| Freelancer using a template | About EUR 1 000-3 000 | Hosting and updates, EUR 10-50 a month |
| Freelancer or small studio, own design | About EUR 3 000-8 000 | Low to moderate |
| Agency | About EUR 8 000-25 000 or more | Often a monthly support plan |
These are rough ranges from what I see in Europe, excluding VAT. Prices in Norway, Sweden and Denmark tend to be at the higher end.
What drives the price up
- Number of pages and languages. Every extra page needs text, layout and checking. A second language nearly doubles the text work.
- Own design or template. A template is cheaper. Your own design looks like you and nobody else.
- Who writes the text. Many projects stall because the owner has to write everything. If the developer writes it with you, it costs more but gets done.
- Special features. Booking, online shop, member login, connections to other systems. Each can add thousands.
- Rounds of changes. Unclear wishes at the start mean many rounds later. A clear brief saves money.
The running costs people forget
- Domain: about EUR 10-20 a year.
- Hosting: from free to EUR 50 a month. A simple, fast site can often be hosted for free on Cloudflare or similar.
- Website builder subscription: if you use Wix, Squarespace or Webflow, you pay every month for as long as the site exists.
- Plugins and licences: WordPress sites often need paid plugins and regular updates to stay secure.
- Changes: who updates prices and opening hours, and what does it cost?
Over three years, a "cheap" site on a monthly builder can cost more than a one-off site with free hosting.
Questions to ask before you buy
- Is the price fixed, and what exactly is included?
- Who writes the text?
- Do I own the domain, the design and the content?
- What does it cost to run per year, all included?
- Can I make small changes myself, or what does each change cost?
- How will the site be found on Google and in AI answers?
- When will it be live?
A good supplier answers all seven in writing before you pay anything.
What I charge
My own offer is a website like this one, from €3 900 excluding VAT, as a one-off fee. That covers your own design, up to 8 pages in one language, text written with you, the SEO and AI search basics, a contact form with spam protection, and 30 days of fixes. It's live in under two weeks, and running costs are usually just the domain.
Questions people ask
How much does a small business website cost?
Roughly EUR 1 000-8 000 with a freelancer or small studio, and EUR 8 000-25 000 or more with an agency, excluding VAT. Building it yourself costs your time plus a monthly fee.
What does a website cost per month to run?
From almost nothing to EUR 50 a month or more. A simple, fast site can be hosted for free, so you only pay for the domain. Website builders like Wix charge every month.
Is Wix cheaper than a web designer?
At the start, yes. Over three to five years the monthly fee adds up, and you can't take the site with you if you leave. Compare the total cost over a few years.
Is a website still worth it?
Yes, maybe more than before. When people ask ChatGPT or Google for a recommendation, the AI reads websites to answer. A clear, fast site with real answers is what gets you mentioned. More in How to get your website found in AI search.
If you want a chat that answers visitors on the site too, see An AI chat on your website.
Want help with this?
This is what I do for small businesses. See A website like this one, or start with the 90-minute audit.