Creating a website can start from about $2,000. Understanding what factors affect the cost of creating a site is key to effective project planning and implementation. In this article, we share our practical knowledge so that you can effectively plan your project budget.
The price of a website (webpage or e-commerce shop) can vary significantly, depending on the design and technology requirements, including visual, functional or integration requirements. Here are the main components that affect the final price:
The more advanced, extensive and individual the project to be developed, the more time is needed for both its visual design and its subsequent coding, which increases costs. It is therefore worth thinking carefully about what the key features of the website should be so that the developer’s costs do not increase without real need.
The individual design of a website is a key element that most often significantly increases costs. It results in more time-consuming not only in the visual execution phase, but also in the subsequent coding and implementation of the website. Customised design is about creating a unique, attractive and coherent visual image that attracts users and reflects the brand. The individual approach is clearly noticeable and translates directly into the attractiveness of the website. What’s more, it is worth remembering that the individual design of a website is often necessitated by the planned implementation of functionalities for the created website or online shop. In such cases, such a design is crucial for the proper functioning of the website.
The costs associated with coding a site depend on the number and complexity of the functions and interactions on the site. More complex sites, such as online shops or portals with advanced features, require more programming work. Examples of work that can increase the price for a website are:
Good user experience (UX) and user interface (UI) are much needed to ensure ease of site navigation and a positive experience for visitors. UX/UI designers focus on optimising the user experience, which can be time-consuming but is an investment in the future popularity of the site. In practice, UX and UI services are carried out for larger websites and larger companies. The larger the website or e-commerce shop, the greater the rationale for UX and UI design services.
Choosing a domain name and ensuring stable hosting are the fundamentals for any website. Costs can vary depending on the popularity of the domain and the technical requirements of the site. Most often, however, these are small costs, which for most clients range from a dozen to several dozen USD per domain per year and from several dozen to several hundred USD (for larger and more demanding websites and online shops) per month.
It is now almost completely commonplace and obviously essential to ensure the security of user data, especially in e-commerce. It is a basic security measure, without which today, services should not be implemented.
The inclusion of customer relationship management systems or other tools can increase the functionality of a website, but also increase development costs. This is because there is an element of integration of the created website or online shop with other digital environments. Such connections are costly in their implementation and subsequent maintenance due to the not infrequent need for updates or administration/supervision that such a connection is working correctly. Often, with any update for the website or external, digital environment, an update of the integration mechanism is needed.
The annual maintenance of the website, including server, domain and additional features, requires a regular financial outlay. The website itself is the ‘living’ element of the Investor’s company, which needs support to break through the competition. Therefore, for the best effects of its operation and visibility on the Internet, it requires expansion of content, functionality, a multitude of languages, etc. Thanks to this, a company with such a website or e-commerce shop systematically increases its online competitiveness among local and global competitors.
It is worth noting that the prices below are averages, examples. Depending on the complexity of the work, the actual amounts may easily exceed the upper limits of the values in the table below.
| Page type | Price range |
| Business card | 1000$ – 2500$ |
| One page | 1400$ – 3400$ |
| Landing page | 1400$ – 4000$ |
| Simple company website, max a few pages | 2500$ – 6500$ |
| Online store | 4500$ – 20000$ |
| Blog page | 4500$ – 15000$ |
Many companies quote low, often unrealistic amounts in such statements. This article, however, shows the true values from which work on valuable websites, created without the use of so-called ‘builders’, realistically starts.
In Poland, graphic design and programming, including e-commerce functions, cost from a few to tens of thousands of zlotys, while in the USA these prices start at a few thousand dollars and can easily reach tens of thousands USD, with UX/UI projects being several times more expensive there than in Poland. Smaller differences appear in the case of complementary services. Domains and hosting in Poland start at around PLN 20 and PLN 300 per year respectively, and in the US at around USD 15 and USD 100 per year respectively. An SSL certificate costs about PLN 100 per year in Poland and about USD 25 in the USA. Annually, the basic administration and maintenance of a website in Poland amounts from several hundred to several thousand zlotys. In the USA, the figures are similar, but expressed in dollars.
Preparing the initial functionalities of the website is a key stage of the project pricing. It is important to define your needs as an administrator or owner. Here are the key points to consider:
Generating leads: If the site is to attract customers from Google, a detailed SEO audit and content strategy will be essential.
Frequent updates: For sites that require regular updates, a CMS such as WordPress is the best option, making it easy to manage content. (We encourage you to read the article titled” How much does a website on WordPress cost“)
Sales tool: Sites for real estate developers, hotels or restaurants should have intuitive user paths that effectively direct users to the offer – this requires a thorough business workshop.
Business card page: Its purpose is to clearly present the company and its offerings, often being the first point of contact with customers.
Complex functionalities:
When planning to build a website, it is important to consider additional costs that can significantly affect the overall project budget. Here is an overview of the most common add-ons to consider:
Often necessary to extend the functionality of a website, such as contact forms or newsletter subscriptions. Plugins are available in both free and paid versions. However, an excess of plug-ins can slow down the site, negatively affecting SEO and user experience. Therefore, it is not uncommon for functionalities to be coded for the website individually, without the use of additional plug-ins.
For larger websites, it may be necessary to hire a webmaster or content manager to manage and update the site. Costs can range from a few hours of work per month to full-time employment.
The key to achieving a high position in search results may require hiring an SEO specialist or relying on external providers of such services. The SEO specialist will develop a strategy based on relevant keywords and provide regular reports on the effectiveness of the activities. These activities, in the year 2025 and such high online competition, are already basically essential and necessary to be carried out continuously in order for the created website to build its visibility among the competition.
Conceptual website graphics and, later, a complete graphic design is essential to create a visually appealing website. Although you can use free resources, from image banks, unique images taken by professionals or individual graphic material drawn by a suitable specialist will make your site stand out from the competition.
The cost of creating a website for a small business depends on a number of factors, including, again, the complexity of the design, functionality and technologies used. The elements that influence the cost basically do not change regardless of the size of the client’s business. A simple business card website can cost between one and a half thousand USD and a few thousand USD, while more advanced websites with a CMS or an online shop start at several thousand USD, with the upper limit depending solely on the client requirements, needs and imagination. Additional costs may include hosting, domain, SEO and ongoing maintenance and updates. It is worth taking these into account at the start of budget planning to avoid downtime and unnecessary inconvenience.
The cost of creating a website with a store for a small or medium-sized business is generally more than the price of a regular website. The prices of online stores start at around $4,500, but more advanced solutions, with custom design, integrations and non-standard functionality, can cost $20,000 or more.
In summary, the price of a website depends on many factors, from the complexity of the project to technologies and additional services. The key is to define expectations and needs, which will help accurately estimate costs. Preparing and planning a budget taking into account all possible expenses will allow you to manage the project effectively and economically. This will help avoid unexpected costs and ensure that the final website meets both business expectations and user needs.
A very important and often overlooked element in cooperation and in the search for a contractor is the role of the company that is to create the website or online store. This element is the consulting function. Each company specializes in its own, selected and often narrow subject matter. It is the responsibility of the company creating the website to – leaving, of course, the final choice to the client – suggest which path is the best and most effective, so that the client can effectively use the budget dedicated to the work on the website or e-commerce site. Often, the solutions expected by the client can be realized more efficiently and cheaply. Sometimes it also happens that it is worth giving up some expectations in favor of realizing other areas missing in the planned site. Such knowledge lies with the contracting company, which should show initiative by suggesting appropriate ideas to its client.
The cost of a business card website starts at around $1000 and can increase depending on design and functionality.
Monthly costs for basic website maintenance average from tens to hundreds of USD, depending on the hosting, domain and technical support chosen.
Annual costs for basic website maintenance can range from several hundred to several thousand USD, taking into account hosting, domain renewal and ongoing updates.
Hiring someone to create a website can cost anywhere from a dozen to tens of thousands of USD per month.
Simple business card or information website: Such websites can usually be completed within a dozen days. They require a simple design and have a severely limited number of subpages.
Small business website: A website with a few additional functionalities, such as contact forms, a photo gallery or a blog, can be ready in about 2 to 4 weeks.
Online store or website with advanced features: Creating an online store, or a site with more complex interactions such as integrations with external systems, advanced content management systems (CMS) can take from a few weeks to a few months.
Large corporate projects or customized web applications: They can last from a few months to as long as a year, and in practice, work on them continues on an ongoing basis due to their subsequent continuous development.
