Engineering guides
How much does a website cost?
The cost depends on what the site needs to do, how much content it contains and which systems it connects to. Use this guide to make a first estimate and prepare a brief a developer can price.
By Hasnain Qureshi ·
Start with the kind of website
A small campaign landing page, a multi-page company website and a logged-in web application need different work. List the visitor tasks first: read about a service, compare locations, submit an enquiry, sign in, manage records or pay for something.
Count page templates as well as URLs. Twenty locations using one reviewed template may be simpler than five pages with five different interactions.
List the main cost drivers
- Design and content: existing approved copy and assets differ from research, writing and custom design.
- CMS: decide who updates pages, what they can edit and whether preview or approval is required.
- Integrations: forms, CRM, payments, search and external APIs need defined data and failure behavior.
- Migration: include content review, URL mapping, redirects and launch checks when replacing a site.
- Application features: accounts, permissions, dashboards and workflows need their own scope.
For a headless WordPress setup, first decide whether the separate frontend solves a real publishing or product need. It also adds systems to deploy and maintain.
Separate build budget from running costs
Hosting, domain renewal, paid plugins or API usage, maintenance and future content updates are separate from the initial build. Ask which recurring services are required, who owns each account and what ongoing support includes.
For an AI feature, also define expected usage, provider charges, data handling, review steps and the fallback when a model cannot complete a task. Avoid treating AI usage as an unlimited fixed cost.
Make an estimate you can improve
Use the free website cost calculator to compare a planning range for pages, design, CMS, integrations and migration. Its figures are illustrative planning inputs, not a personal quote. Replace them with your actual requirements and supplier rates.
Write down assumptions beside the range: what content exists, what the CMS editor can change, which integrations are in scope and how success will be checked.
Prepare a brief for a developer
- Describe the people who will use the site and their main task.
- Share examples of the content and pages that need to move or be created.
- List required integrations, owners and access needs.
- Set a target date, budget range and what may wait for a later release.
- Agree acceptance checks, launch responsibilities and ongoing ownership.
Use the website brief builder to export a starting brief, or explore website development services.