Why "How Much Does a Website Cost?" Is So Hard to Answer
"How much does a website cost?" is the most common question we hear as a web agency. The answer depends on the project, because the difference between a simple brochure site and a custom e-commerce platform is like the difference between a bicycle and a truck.
Both get you where you need to go. But they solve completely different problems.
In this article, we break down website costs in 2026 transparently, based on our experience from over 50 projects in the DACH region.
The Four Website Categories and Their Price Ranges
The ranges below are typical market figures for agency projects in Germany. Our own starting prices are listed further down.
1. Brochure Website (2,000 - 5,000 EUR)
What you get: A professional, typically 1-5 page online presence. Homepage, About, Services, Contact. Responsive design, basic SEO setup.
For whom: Freelancers, solo entrepreneurs, local service providers who primarily work through referrals and need a digital business card.
What you DON'T get: CMS for self-management, blog, multilingual content, custom animations, e-commerce functionality.
Typical timeline: 2-3 weeks
2. Corporate Website (5,000 - 20,000 EUR)
What you get: A multi-page, professionally designed website with CMS, SEO optimisation, contact forms, blog functionality, and responsive design. Often includes basics like cookie consent, GDPR-compliant forms, and analytics.
For whom: Small and medium businesses looking to acquire customers online. Trades, consultancies, medical practices, architecture firms.
What affects the price:
- Number of pages (5-15 vs. 15-30)
- Custom design vs. adapted template
- Multilingual support (each additional language adds 30-50% to the effort)
- Third-party integrations (booking systems, CRM)
- Content creation (copywriting, photography, video)
Typical timeline: 4-8 weeks
3. E-Commerce Website (10,000 - 50,000+ EUR)
What you get: A complete online shop with product catalog, shopping cart, secure payment processing, inventory management, and shipping integration.
For whom: Businesses looking to sell online, from local retailers to mid-size companies with 500+ products.
What affects the price:
- Number of products and variants
- Payment provider integrations (Stripe, PayPal, Klarna)
- Shipping and logistics connections
- Multi-currency and multilingual support
- ERP/inventory system integration
- Custom product configurators
Typical timeline: 2-4 months
4. Custom Web Application (20,000 - 100,000+ EUR)
What you get: Custom-built software, for example customer portals, internal dashboards, booking platforms, SaaS products, or complex data processing systems.
For whom: Businesses with specific processes that off-the-shelf software can't handle. Or startups building a digital product.
What affects the price:
- Business logic complexity
- User roles and permission systems
- API integrations with existing systems
- Real-time functionality
- Scalability requirements
Typical timeline: 3-6+ months
The Hidden Costs Nobody Talks About
Domain and Hosting (100 - 1,200 EUR/Year)
- Domain: 10-50 EUR/year (depending on extension: .de, .com, .tech)
- Hosting: 60-1,200 EUR/year
- Shared hosting: 5-15 EUR/month, sufficient for simple websites
- Managed hosting (Vercel, Netlify): 20-50 EUR/month, for performant, modern websites
- Dedicated server: 50-100+ EUR/month, for high-traffic applications
SSL Certificate
Free via Let's Encrypt or included with most hosting providers. A must-have, because websites without SSL get penalized by Google and flagged as "not secure" by browsers.
Maintenance and Updates (1,000 - 5,000 EUR/Year)
This is the most commonly underestimated expense:
- Security updates: Regular patches, especially for WordPress sites
- Content updates: Text, images, new pages
- Performance monitoring: Monitor and optimise Core Web Vitals
- Backup management: Configure and test automated backups
- Technical support: Fix issues when something breaks
Content Creation (1,000 - 10,000+ EUR)
The biggest underestimated cost factor:
- Professional copywriting: 100-300 EUR per page
- Photography: 500-2,000 EUR for a professional shoot
- Video production: 2,000-10,000 EUR per video
- Translations: 80-150 EUR per 1,000 words
As we explain in our article How to Brief a Web Agency: content is almost always the bottleneck in web projects.
SEO and Marketing (from 500 EUR/Month)
A website without traffic is like a store without foot traffic:
- Technical SEO: One-time within the web project (should be included)
- Content marketing: 500-2,000 EUR/month for regular blog articles
- Local SEO: 200-500 EUR/month for Google Business optimisation
- Paid advertising: From 500 EUR/month + agency fee
WordPress vs. Modern Frameworks: An Honest Cost Comparison
WordPress (seemingly cheaper)
- Initial build: 2,000 - 8,000 EUR
- Premium theme: 50-100 EUR (one-time)
- Plugins: 200-500 EUR/year for premium plugins
- Hidden costs: Security updates, plugin conflicts, performance issues, regular maintenance
- Total cost of ownership (3 years): 5,000 - 15,000 EUR
Next.js / Modern Framework
- Initial build: 5,000 - 20,000 EUR
- Hosting: 0-50 EUR/month (Vercel free tier often sufficient)
- Maintenance effort: Significantly lower, no plugin updates needed
- Performance: Consistently high, no degradation over time
- Total cost of ownership (3 years): 6,000 - 22,000 EUR
The difference? Modern frameworks cost slightly more upfront but save long-term through less maintenance, better performance, and higher security. Learn more: Core Web Vitals Optimisation with Next.js.
How We Calculate at Tem Craft Tech
Transparency matters to us. Here's how our costs break down:
- Discovery & Concept (10-15% of budget): Requirements analysis, wireframes, technical planning
- Design (20-25%): UI/UX design, responsive layout, design system
- Development (40-50%): Frontend, backend, CMS integration, API connections
- Testing & Launch (10-15%): Quality assurance, performance testing, go-live
- Documentation & Handover (5%): Training, technical documentation
Our starting prices: websites from €1,500, e-commerce from €3,000, SEO from €500 per month, all plus 19% VAT. Find a detailed overview of our packages on our pricing page.
5 Tips to Maximize Your Website Budget
1. Invest in Quality, Not Features
A fast, well-designed 5-page website generates more business than a slow 30-page website packed with every imaginable feature.
2. Budget for Content from Day One
Most clients forget content in their budget. Plan at least 20% of the total budget for professional copy and images.
3. Think in Total Cost of Ownership
Initial build costs aren't everything. Hosting, maintenance, content updates, and marketing over 3 years is the more realistic calculation basis.
4. Start with the Minimum Viable Product
Launch with the essential pages and features. Expand based on real user data rather than assumptions.
5. Choose the Right Technology Partner
The cheapest provider is rarely the best. Ask for references, look at completed projects, and pay attention to measurable results like PageSpeed scores.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I start small and expand later?
Yes, and we recommend this approach. Start with a solid foundation (professional design, fast performance, SEO basics) and expand step by step. The key is that the technical foundation is scalable from the start.
Why are some agencies so much more expensive than others?
Price differences come from: experience and specialisation, design quality, performance optimisation, SEO fundamentals, security standards, and project management. A 3,000 EUR website and a 15,000 EUR website may look similar at first glance. The difference shows in performance, maintainability, and results.
Do I really need a custom website or is a website builder enough?
Website builders (Wix, Squarespace) work for hobby projects or temporary landing pages. For businesses looking to acquire customers online, they lack performance, SEO control, and individuality. Beyond a certain point, you pay more for a builder than for a professional solution and still miss its benefits.
How much does a multilingual website cost?
Each additional language increases the total effort by 30-50%. This covers translations, per-language SEO optimisation, hreflang configuration and cultural adaptations. At Tem Craft Tech, all our websites are designed to be multilingual from the ground up.
Conclusion: Invest Strategically
A website is an investment in your digital infrastructure. Start with the question: "What do I need to achieve my business goals?"
The right website at the right price delivers measurable results: more inquiries, more trust, more revenue.
Want a transparent cost estimate for your project? Contact us for a free initial consultation. We'll analyse your requirements and show you what's possible within your budget.