How much does a website cost, and what should the quote include?
HeadPills starts at €500 for a focused page built in code, €1,000 for a custom website with an editor, €2,000 for an online store and €3,000 for a catalogue or portal. These are our starting prices, not market averages. The final budget depends on what the site must do and what needs to be prepared.
- Focused page
- €500
- Custom website
- €1,000
- Online store
- €2,000
- Catalogue / portal
- €3,000
Choose the type of website before comparing prices
The word website can describe very different work. A page that explains one offer and collects an enquiry has fewer operating requirements than a multilingual store connected to stock and delivery systems. Page count helps describe the content, but it cannot establish the whole price. A single complex booking screen may need more implementation and testing than several straightforward information pages.
One offer with a focused path
A focused page built in code starts from €500 at HeadPills. It can suit a defined offer, a campaign or a first presentation when frequent visual editing is not required. Its brief should name the sections, form behaviour and supplied materials. If the team expects a blog, a large catalogue or several maintained language versions, those needs should be discussed before selecting this scope.
Several services or an operating catalogue
A custom website with an editor starts from €1,000, a store from €2,000 and a catalogue or portal from €3,000. These starting points represent different jobs rather than a ladder of how attractive the design may be. A quote should identify the actual templates, content, functions and connections. The fact that a feature exists on a platform does not make its setup part of every project.
The main variables behind a website quote
- Content and design
- Design effort depends on the required layouts, interaction and material available. A project with approved identity, texts and photography begins from a different position than one that needs to define the offer and create its content. Specify who writes, edits, translates and approves each part. Custom illustration, photography, video and complex interaction can be separate work; do not assume that a screen count captures them.
- Functions and data
- List functions as observable behaviour. A contact form might send an email, create a CRM record, route by service or require an attachment and consent record. Those are different scopes. For a catalogue, define the fields, filters, import source and update method. For a store, include product variants, shipping logic and the supported payment setup rather than asking only for a shop page.
- Languages and migration
- Languages affect interface copy, navigation, content entry, metadata and review. Existing sites may also need content migration, URL mapping and redirections. Specify what must be preserved and who checks it. Avoid assuming that automatic translation or a bulk import finishes the job. A technically transferred page can still contain an outdated offer, broken image or a form addressed to the wrong team.
Compare three illustrative briefs, not just three page counts
A useful first brief might be one service page with supplied copy, a few images and a tested enquiry form. That is a narrower task than a page promising an interactive calculator, multilingual content and account login. The starting price is only meaningful beside these limits. Reducing optional functions can make the first version smaller without weakening the clarity of its main offer.
A portfolio that the team edits
A portfolio brief could require project collections, reusable case layouts, category navigation and an editing walkthrough. The number of initial projects matters, as does the state of their images and copy. Decide who enters the first set and whether the agency prepares each case. A reusable template saves later work, but preparing the material for each entry still requires time.
A store that must process an order
A store brief needs a complete order path: relevant products, cart, configured payments, shipping, notifications and an operating handover. Eligibility for payment services depends on the business and provider; Shopify documents country and business requirements for Shopify Payments. Custom checkout rules, integrations and unusual fulfilment needs should be assessed explicitly. A good-looking product card is only one part of the delivery.
What should be written in the quote?
Deliverables and responsibilities
Look for a list of page types, content collections, languages, integrations and the amount of initial content. Identify what the client supplies and when it is needed. The quote should distinguish work included in the build from optional services and third-party charges. Ask whether the amounts include applicable taxes. A single line saying website design leaves too much room for conflicting expectations.
Review and acceptance
Agree how design decisions are reviewed and how the working site is accepted. Useful checks include the enquiry reaching its destination, the editor handling a normal update and the agreed checkout or booking path completing successfully. Define the devices and key interactions to check. A statement that the site is finished is less useful than a set of agreed behaviours the client can inspect.
Changes and handover
Ask how changes outside the scope are estimated and approved. Clarify which defects are corrected under the delivery arrangement and which later additions are new work. The handover should identify accounts, editable content, relevant files, licences and instructions. Avoid assuming that all third-party assets transfer without restrictions; the applicable rights and access should be clear before signing off the project.
Budget for the first year, not only launch day
- Direct service costs
- The website may need a domain, hosting or a platform plan, plugins, connected services and licensed assets. Some charges are annual, others monthly or usage-based. Record the renewal price and account owner rather than relying only on an introductory discount. A domain registration and a website platform subscription are different services, even if one provider sells them in the same checkout.
- Updates and operational support
- Budget separately for keeping the site usable as the business changes. That may include content edits, dependency or plugin updates, backups and checks after an integration changes. WordPress documentation recommends backing up before updating plugins. A hosted platform manages some infrastructure responsibilities, but the business still needs someone to maintain its content, account access and connected services. Decide which tasks are handled internally and which require support.
- A calculation you can compare
- For illustration, a €1,000 build with €25 a month of services and a €20 annual domain totals €1,320 in the first year before maintenance, additional work and applicable taxes. Those service amounts are hypothetical, not a provider quote. Replace them with the actual plan and licence prices. Comparing this full calculation is more informative than comparing the build fee alone.
Check what you can edit, export and move
Ask who controls the domain, hosting or platform, analytics and form delivery. The business should know how to recover access and invite another supplier. An editor login is not necessarily full administrative control. Test a normal content change during handover and identify any parts that require development. The right arrangement depends on how often the team expects to update the site.
Exportability varies by platform and feature. Webflow documents that its code export does not include a working copy of its CMS, ecommerce database or hosted form handling. Moving an exported design can therefore require rebuilding some functions. This does not make the platform unsuitable; it means a future move should be described accurately instead of promising that every site can be transferred unchanged.
Ownership needs a practical exit check
Ask an exit question before choosing the platform: if we change supplier, what accounts, content and working functions can the next team use? Then ask what changes if we also change platform. These are different situations. A clear handover and realistic migration expectations reduce dependence more effectively than an undefined promise that you own everything.
Reduce the first scope without losing the business purpose
Keep the main customer journey
Keep the offer, evidence, essential service information and a reliable contact or purchase route in the first release. These support the reason for building the site. An elaborate animation or secondary language may be deferred if it does not serve the initial audience. The priority should come from the buyer's task rather than whichever feature is easiest to remove from a spreadsheet.
Postpone genuinely optional work
Write postponed work as a separate list with its dependencies. A future store, customer area or second market can influence the content model now without being built immediately. Ask whether the chosen first version leaves a practical path to that addition. Avoid paying for speculative complexity, but also avoid an initial choice that directly conflicts with an already confirmed operating requirement.
Prepare what depends on the team
Content, account access and review decisions affect delivery as much as coding. Prepare the offer, approved assets, example projects and responsible reviewers before requesting a launch date. The schedule should state these dependencies. A template or AI-assisted build can speed some production work, but it cannot decide missing business terms or provide permission to use somebody else's images.
Use published work and a clear brief to make the final choice
A brief that supports a meaningful estimate
We need a site for this audience and this primary action. It will contain these services or products, in these languages. These materials are ready; these need to be created. Our team must edit these parts. These systems need to connect. This is the preferred launch window and the person who approves the work. Attach the current site and a few references with reasons.
Use published projects to understand the type of work a supplier can show. HeadPills examples include ASKI, Rozmarin and Lokalizacja; their case pages let you inspect different website requirements. They are examples of delivered work, not a disclosure of the prices paid by those clients. A project with a similar appearance may still have a very different content and integration scope.
Compare the replies against the same brief: included work, assumptions, responsibilities, running costs, acceptance and handover. Ask about omissions before choosing. The best-fit quote is the one that makes the required outcome and operating arrangement clear at a budget you can support. A website still needs a credible offer, promotion and follow-up after launch; the build fee alone does not buy a flow of customers.
How we can help
Our part
HeadPills scopes websites around the offer, editing needs and required functions. The written quote identifies the work and relevant external costs. Review our pricing and published projects, then use the brief to describe your own requirements.
Questions
Questions from readers
How much does a simple website cost at HeadPills?
A focused page built in code starts from €500; a custom website with an editor starts from €1,000. The final quote depends on content, functions and the agreed scope.
Are these average website prices in Europe?
No. They are HeadPills starting prices. Comparing providers requires the same brief and a clear account of what each quote includes.
Does the build price include every running cost?
No. Identify the domain, platform or hosting, licences, connected services and any maintenance separately. The relevant combination depends on the project.
Price the website your business actually needs.
Send the audience, main action and required functions. We can turn them into a clear scope.