It's often the first question business owners ask: how much does a professional website cost? The honest answer is: it depends. But this vague answer hides a reality that you deserve to know before signing a quote.
Price ranges depending on the type of site
Here are the real market prices in 2026, excluding hosting and domain name fees:
Showcase site (5 to 10 pages)
A presentation site for a service company, a craftsman or a liberal professional. The range goes from €800 to €4,000 depending on the level of customization and the service provider chosen.
- Under €500: Wix or Squarespace type site builder. You do everything yourself. Often generic result, poorly optimized for SEO.
- €800 to €1,500: freelance or small agency with a personalized WordPress theme. Good option to start.
- €1,500 to €4,000: tailor-made design, integrated visual identity, SEO optimization, careful responsive design. This is where the return on investment becomes real.
Online store (e-commerce)
Selling online requires more technical work. Count between €2,000 and €8,000 for a serious store.
- Integration of a secure payment system
- Inventory and order management
- Optimization of product sheets for SEO
- Purchase funnel optimized to reduce cart abandonment
Custom site
For specific functionalities (reservation, customer area, configurator, etc.), custom development generally starts from €4,000 and can exceed €15,000 depending on the complexity.
What really makes the price vary
Two quotes for the same project can range from one to three times. Here's why:
The number of pages and features
A 5 static page site does not require the same work as a 30 page site with a blog, a members area and complex forms. Each additional feature represents hours of development and testing.
Design work
A WordPress theme purchased for €50 does not cost as much as a mockup designed specifically for your brand. Customized design involves a study of your target, your competitors and your positioning before even touching a software.
Integrated SEO optimization
A technically well-constructed site (loading time, HTML structure, tags, structured data) is inseparable from good Google visibility. This upstream work avoids much higher SEO costs later.
Editorial
The texts on your site are part of the project. Either you provide them, or the service provider writes them (which represents a significant part of the budget). A well-written text converts; a sloppy text scares away.
Recurring costs not to forget
Beyond creation, a website generates annual costs:
- Hosting: €5 to €30/month depending on the quality of the server
- Domain name: 10 to 20 €/year
- Maintenance and updates: €50 to €200/month depending on the contract
- SSL (HTTPS): often included, but check
The pitfalls to avoid
Some very low quotes hide hidden costs or questionable practices. Beware of:
- Rental sites that are yours as long as you pay, but you lose if you stop
- Generic themes resold as “tailor-made”
- Contracts that lock ownership of source code
- Lack of skills transfer: you don't know how to update your site yourself
What budget should you plan for your business?
If you are starting out and have a tight budget, a well-made showcase site between €1,000 and €2,000 is a reasonable investment. He will be your best salesperson 24/7.
If you have an established business and your current site shames you or generates no contacts, a redesign of between €2,000 and €5,000 can pay for itself in a few additional contracts.
The real question is not "how much does it cost?" but “how much can it bring me?” A well-designed site is an investment, not an expense.
