“How much does a website cost?” is one of the hardest questions to answer honestly — because the real answer is always “it depends.” But that’s not useful when you’re trying to budget for a project. So here’s a straight breakdown of what actually drives WordPress website costs, and roughly where different types of projects tend to land.
What actually drives the price
Before any numbers, it helps to understand what you’re really paying for:
- Design complexity — a template-based layout costs far less than a fully custom design built around your brand
- Number of pages and content types — a 5-page brochure site is a very different job from a 40-page resource hub
- eCommerce vs. informational — adding WooCommerce, product catalogs, and payment processing adds real scope
- Integrations — CRM connections, booking systems, membership areas, and custom plugins all add development time
- Content and copywriting — whether you’re supplying finished content or need it written from scratch
Rough price tiers
These are general ranges you’ll see across the market — treat them as a starting point for budgeting, not a quote:
Basic brochure site (5–10 pages) A clean, templated design with standard pages — Home, About, Services, Contact. Fastest to build, lowest cost.
Custom business website Original design work, more pages, some custom functionality (booking forms, galleries, blog setup). This is where most small-to-mid-size businesses land.
WooCommerce or Shopify store Product catalog setup, payment and shipping integration, and checkout optimization add meaningful scope — pricing scales with product count and complexity.
Custom web application or enterprise site Highly custom functionality, complex integrations, or a large content architecture. This is a different category of project entirely.
The hidden costs people forget
A website quote often covers the build — but not everything around it:
- Hosting — ongoing, usually billed monthly or annually
- Domain renewal — small but easy to forget
- Premium plugins or themes — some functionality requires paid add-ons
- Stock photography or licensed images
- Ongoing maintenance — updates, backups, and security monitoring (more on why this matters in WordPress Development)
Skipping these in your budget is the most common reason a “finished” website ends up costing more than expected in year one.
How to get an accurate number
The only way to get a real figure is to scope your actual project — your pages, your functionality, your content status. Generic price lists (including this one) can only tell you the shape of the market, not your specific cost.
If you want a real number instead of a range, request a free website audit and we’ll scope it properly — no obligation, just a clear picture of what your project actually needs.