Key takeaways
- Most business websites fall into one of four bands — a starter site, an online store, a custom web app or a mobile app — and each has a very different price.
- Features, integrations and content drive the price far more than the number of pages or the look.
- Budget for running costs too — domain, hosting, maintenance and marketing — not just the build.
- Never start without a fixed quote and a written scope; most budget overruns start with a vague brief.
On this page
"How much does a website cost?" is the question we hear most — and the honest answer, "it depends", isn't much help when you're trying to set a budget.
So here's a more useful one. Below you'll find the four price bands most business websites fall into, the things that genuinely move the price up or down, and the running costs to plan for after launch. We've used our own starting prices as reference points, so you're looking at real numbers rather than vague ranges.
The short answer
Most business websites fall into one of four bands:
| Type of project | Corammers starting price | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Starter website (up to 5 pages) | from $400 | Service businesses that need to look professional and win enquiries |
| Online store (up to 20 products) | from $550 | Selling products with payments, shipping and a proper checkout |
| Custom web app (MVP) | from $1,200 | Portals, dashboards, booking systems and internal tools |
| Mobile app (one platform) | from $1,500 | Products your customers use every week |
Across the wider market the spread is enormous — from a few hundred dollars for a lightly customised template to tens of thousands for a large custom platform. Where your project lands depends far less on "how many pages" than on what the site needs to do.
What actually drives the price
1. Features and integrations
This is the biggest lever. A brochure site that shows information is simple. A site that does things costs more, because every feature has to be designed, built and tested:
- Online booking or appointment scheduling
- Quote calculators and multi-step forms
- Payments, subscriptions or memberships
- Connections to your CRM, email platform or accounting software
- Customer logins and portals
If you have a list of "nice to haves", rank them. Launching with the features that bring in money and adding the rest later is almost always cheaper.
2. Content
Who writes the words and supplies the photos? Copy that's ready to go keeps a project moving. If the agency is writing your service pages, sourcing images or producing video, that's real work — and it's often the difference between a site that looks nice and one that sells.
3. Design approach
A well-chosen theme, customised to your brand, is quick and affordable. A fully custom design — wireframes, a design system, bespoke layouts — takes longer and costs more. Both can look excellent; custom design earns its keep when you need to stand out in a crowded market or your user journeys are complex.
4. Platform
WordPress, Shopify, Webflow and custom code all have different costs, both up front and over time. The right platform is the one your team can run comfortably after launch — not the one the agency happens to prefer.
5. Deadline
A rushed timeline usually means more people working in parallel and less room to adjust, which costs more. If you can plan a few weeks ahead, you'll get more for the same budget.
The running costs people forget
The build is a one-off. These are not:
- Domain name — typically $10–$20 a year for a .com.
- Hosting — from a few dollars a month for basic shared hosting to considerably more for fast, managed or cloud hosting. Cheap hosting is often the reason a site feels slow.
- Maintenance and security — plugin, theme and software updates, backups and monitoring.
- Paid apps and plugins — store apps, booking tools, forms and premium plugins often bill monthly.
- Marketing — a website without traffic is a brochure in a drawer. SEO, email and ads are where most of the ongoing return comes from.
A good quote should mention these, even if they aren't part of the build.
Cheap vs expensive: where the difference shows
Two quotes for "a five-page website" can differ by thousands of dollars. The gap usually comes down to what's included:
- Strategy — does anyone think about who your customers are and what they need to see before they get in touch?
- Copy — are the words written to persuade, or is that left to you?
- Speed and mobile — is the site tested on real phones, and does it load fast?
- SEO foundations — titles, structure, schema and a Google Business Profile, or nothing at all?
- Tracking — will you be able to see how many enquiries the site brings in?
- Support — what happens when something breaks the week after launch?
The cheapest quote is only cheap if it covers what you need.
How to get an accurate quote
You'll get a sharper, fairer price if you can share:
- Your goal — more enquiries, online sales, bookings or less admin.
- A rough page list — even a sketch on paper helps.
- Must-have features — and which are nice to have later.
- Two or three sites you like, and what you like about them.
- Where your content stands — ready, half-written or not started.
- Your deadline and budget range — a range lets the agency recommend what's realistic instead of guessing.
Red flags in a website quote
Be careful if you see:
- No written scope — just a price and a promise.
- Hourly billing with no cap or estimate.
- The domain or hosting registered in the agency's name.
- "Unlimited revisions" with no defined process (that usually means slow, not generous).
- No mention of support, training or handover.
How we price projects at Corammers
Every project gets a fixed quote with a written scope and timeline before any work starts, so the price you agree is the price you pay. You can start with just 5% upfront, every build includes 30 days of free priority support after launch, and the domain, code and accounts are always yours.
If you'd like a realistic number for your project, book a free 30-minute call. We'll ask about your goals, suggest the right type of site and give you a ballpark there and then — followed by a fixed quote.
