Website Design Cost in 2025: What You Should Budget
If you need a realistic number to budget for a new website, here’s the short version: most small business websites land between $3,000 and $15,000, while custom or e-commerce builds can range from $10,000 to $50,000+. Enterprise or highly complex platforms can exceed $100,000. Your total cost depends on scope, features, platform, content, integrations, and the team you hire, plus monthly ownership costs like hosting and maintenance. For direct cost drivers and typical build ranges, see how much it costs to develop a website.
At-a-glance pricing ranges
- Simple brochure site (1–5 pages) — $1,500 to $5,000
- 10-page small business website — $3,000 to $15,000
- 20-page corporate website — $8,000 to $30,000
- E-commerce website — $5,000 to $50,000+ depending on SKUs and integrations
- Website redesign — $3,000 to $25,000 depending on strategy and scope
- Freelancer rates — $50 to $150 per hour
- Agency rates — $100 to $200+ per hour
What drives website design cost
Cost is a function of complexity and process. The main drivers are number of pages and templates, UX and visual complexity, CMS choice (WordPress, Shopify, custom, headless), e-commerce features, content creation, integrations and APIs, accessibility and performance standards, SEO requirements, security and compliance, timelines, and the team’s seniority and location. Add in post-launch needs like maintenance, analytics, and growth experiments, and your total budget becomes a mix of one-time build and ongoing ownership costs. Clarifying web design vs web development helps scope your project and separate design costs from build effort.
Website design cost by website type
Landing page
Best for single offers or campaigns. Expect $800 to $3,000 with a freelancer for a solid, conversion-focused page, and $2,500 to $8,000 with an agency when strategy, copy, and testing are included. Add marketing automation or A/B testing to increase cost.
Blog or content website
Editorial structure, categories, authors, and SEO features drive scope. Typical range is $2,000 to $8,000 for a clean WordPress setup with custom styling, rising to $10,000+ when you need a design system, custom blocks, or headless setup.
Small business website
Usually 8 to 20 pages with services, about, case studies, and lead capture. Budget $3,000 to $15,000 depending on custom design, animations, and CMS needs. Add $1,000 to $3,000 for strategic copywriting and photography.
E-commerce store
Pricing varies with products, variants, shipping, tax, and integrations. Shopify or WooCommerce builds often range from $5,000 to $30,000 for small to mid catalogs, with custom features or ERP/CRM integrations pushing budgets to $50,000+.
Corporate or complex site
Multiple templates, multi-language, advanced search, gated content, or portals. Expect $15,000 to $60,000+ depending on governance, content migration, integrations, and performance/accessibility targets.
DIY website builder vs hiring a pro
DIY builders like Wix, Squarespace, and Shopify can be cost-effective if you have time and a simple scope. Hiring a freelancer or agency costs more upfront but typically delivers stronger UX, performance, SEO foundations, and long-term maintainability. If you want a proposal based on your goals and scope, explore our web design services.
| Option | Typical cost | Timeline | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| DIY builder (Wix, Squarespace, Shopify) | $0 to $500 setup + $16 to $65 per month | Days to 2 weeks | Very simple sites, early validation |
| Freelancer | $1,500 to $15,000 project-based | 2 to 8 weeks | SMBs with defined scope |
| Design and development agency | $5,000 to $50,000+ | 4 to 16+ weeks | Custom UX, integrations, scale |
One-time design and build costs explained
Templates and themes
Quality templates can accelerate delivery. Expect $0 to $350 for marketplace themes, plus $500 to $4,000 for customization. Ensure mobile responsiveness, accessibility, and performance are up to standard.
Custom design and UX
When brand differentiation, conversion, or complex flows matter, custom design pays off. Typical ranges are $3,000 to $20,000+ depending on discovery, wireframes, design systems, and interaction design. For a breakdown of typical deliverables like discovery, wireframes, and prototypes, see our UI/UX design services.
Graphics, photography, and content
Stock assets can work, but original visuals and professional copy convert better. Plan $500 to $5,000 for content and imagery depending on scope, licensing, and the need for custom illustrations or animation.
Monthly website cost breakdown
Ownership costs vary by platform and traffic. Here is a practical range you can plan for each month.
| Item | Typical monthly cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Domain | $1 to $3 | $10 to $30 per year |
| Hosting | $10 to $50 | Shared or basic cloud |
| Managed WordPress hosting | $30 to $200 | Performance and backups |
| SSL | $0 to $25 | Many hosts include free SSL |
| Business email | $6 to $15 per user | Google Workspace or Microsoft 365 |
| Apps and plugins | $10 to $200 | Forms, search, subscriptions, etc. |
| Maintenance and support | $50 to $500+ | Updates, security, monitoring |
E-commerce-specific costs
Beyond core design and development, plan for payment processing fees, shipping and tax automation, inventory sync, product search and filtering, and marketing apps. Payment processors often charge around 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction. E-commerce apps can add $20 to $300 per month depending on subscriptions, bundles, or loyalty features. Complex catalogs, B2B pricing, or headless commerce increase both initial build and monthly spend.
Location and hourly rate impact
Rates vary widely by region and seniority. Use these ranges as a directional guide. For U.S.-specific pricing context and benchmarks, review website development cost in the US.
| Region | Freelancer | Agency |
|---|---|---|
| North America | $60 to $150 per hour | $120 to $200+ per hour |
| Western Europe | $50 to $130 per hour | $100 to $180 per hour |
| Eastern Europe | $30 to $90 per hour | $70 to $140 per hour |
| South Asia | $20 to $70 per hour | $50 to $120 per hour |
Hidden and often overlooked costs
- Content creation and migration
- Accessibility audits and fixes
- Performance optimization and CDN
- Privacy and legal pages
- Quality assurance and device testing
- Team training and documentation
- Analytics, heatmaps, and A/B testing tools
How to save money without sacrificing quality
- Start with a focused MVP scope and ship in phases
- Use a solid theme or design system, then customize what matters
- Pick the right CMS for your team to reduce long-term maintenance
- Prioritize core templates over many one-off page designs
- Consolidate apps and negotiate annual licenses
- Invest in discovery — clear requirements reduce costly rework
- Bundle build + maintenance for predictable total cost of ownership
What Digital Present includes and how that affects cost
Digital Present designs and builds custom websites and products across WordPress, headless, and e-commerce stacks. We handle strategy, UI/UX, development, third-party integrations and APIs, and ongoing maintenance and support. That end-to-end approach reduces handover risks, improves performance and accessibility, and gives you a single partner for growth. Every project is scoped to your goals and workflows, so you pay for what you need rather than generic website packages pricing. Want a tailored estimate for your custom website design cost?
FAQs
What is the average cost of website design for a small business?
Most small business websites fall between $3,000 and $15,000 depending on pages, features, design complexity, and content. DIY builder routes can be under $1,000 to launch, while highly customized builds or advanced SEO needs push the budget higher.
How much should a full website design cost?
A full, custom website with discovery, UX/UI, development, QA, and launch support often ranges from $8,000 to $40,000 for small to mid-sized needs. Complex e-commerce or multi-language sites can exceed $50,000.
How much does it cost to get someone to design a website?
Freelancers typically charge $50 to $150 per hour or $1,500 to $15,000 per project. Agencies generally price $5,000 to $50,000+ depending on strategy, design systems, integrations, and content migration.
How much does a 10-page website cost?
Expect $3,000 to $15,000 based on custom design, copywriting, and CMS features. Costs rise if you need advanced animations, gated content, or custom integrations.
How much is a 20-page website?
Typical ranges are $8,000 to $30,000. The spread reflects the number of unique templates, custom components, content creation, performance targets, and accessibility requirements.
Next steps
Define your goals, prioritize features, and decide how you will maintain the site post-launch. With a clear scope, you will get tighter estimates and a better result. If you’re comparing partners, here’s what to look for when evaluating design agencies. If you want an expert partner to scope and build it right, talk to Digital Present.
Author
