THE RANGE IS ENORMOUS
The range is enormous, $200 on Wix to $50,000+ for a custom build. Both might be appropriate depending on what you need. Start with four questions: will your site handle transactions? Are you targeting multiple countries? Self-serve or custom? How often will you update content?
E-COMMERCE CONSIDERATIONS
If it's e-commerce, template platforms can start you off but come with support limitations. Hiring a developer gives you a direct line when things break. If you're serving multiple countries, plan for translation even if you don't need it today. Self-serve platforms are cheaper but time-consuming. Your time as a founder might be better spent elsewhere. And if you update content frequently, a robust CMS is non-negotiable.
PERFORMANCE OVER BEAUTY
The common mistake is prioritising beauty over performance. A site that takes six seconds to load loses 90% of visitors before they see the design. Speed first, aesthetics second. They're not mutually exclusive, but the order matters.
THE FRAMEWORK
Think of website pricing in tiers. A brochure site with five pages and no dynamic content can be built on a template for under $2,000. An e-commerce store with product catalogues, payment processing, and inventory management starts at $5,000 and goes up fast depending on integrations. A custom web application with user accounts, dashboards, and API integrations is $15,000-$50,000+ depending on complexity.
The question isn't "what does a website cost?" The question is "what does my business need this website to do?" Answer that first and the pricing becomes transparent.
Pay for what the site needs to do, not what it needs to look like. Function drives cost. Aesthetics are a layer on top.