How much should a website cost?

Website costs seem to vary so wildly; how do you know how much your WordPress site should cost?

The basics of WordPress website costs are below.

These should be seen as a guide, and what yours will cost you depends on several factors, including:

• The size of the site
• The complexity of your requirements (for example, a simple blog versus an online shop)
• How well-planned the site is before we start
• Your existing branding and how complex the design requirements are
• Your content
• The complexity of the build
• How often you change your mind

Here are some guide costs for WordPress websites.

These website costs are guidelines; I can’t stress this point enough.

Agencies can all have different pricing models, so this all needs to be considered.

It’s important that you understand what you are getting for your investment, so it’s crucial to make sure you ask WordPress agencies the right questions (we’ll cover that below).

Basic WordPress Websites (£750 – £2,500).

Built with a pre-made theme (usually) and minimal customisation (note that all our sites are bespoke builds at Toast – we don’t use pre-made themes for many reasons).

Therefore, whilst you can get a site for around £750 if you use an inexperienced freelancer you find online, we do not recommend it.

Our minimum charge for bespoke WordPress is £2000.

Typically uses plugins for basic functionality (e.g., contact forms, image galleries).

Suitable for small businesses, freelancers, or personal blogs needing an online presence.

Pre-made themes are OK for small sites, but they can become problematic if you plan to grow your site or need more complex functionality, which is why we only build bespoke WordPress sites.

Mid-Range WordPress Websites (£2,500 – £10,000).

Custom sites are built with more flexibility and branded design. These are not pre-made themes where someone drops in your logos and colours things in.

Customised themes with added functionality include booking systems and WooCommerce for small e-commerce, membership areas or more significant amounts of content.

Mid-range sites are for businesses needing a unique look and moderate functionality without too much bespoke functionality.

We typically build these types of websites here at Toast: custom design, a bespoke WP theme, and custom content management.

High-End Custom WordPress Websites (£10,000 – £50,000+).

Completely bespoke design and functionality with custom stuff built from scratch.

Advanced features like complex e-commerce (WooCommerce), custom API integrations, custom-built plugins, and extensive content management options with large amounts of content and SEO.

Best for businesses relying heavily on their website for core operations, sales, or interactive services.

Ongoing Costs for WordPress Sites.

You also have to consider the future costs of your website, which include stuff like:

• Domain & Hosting: £10-£50/year for the domain; £100-£500/year for quality hosting, rising to more depending on your site size and functionality.
• Maintenance & Updates: £50-£300/month for plugin, theme, and security updates.
• SEO & Performance Optimisation: £300-£1,000/month for ongoing SEO, speed optimisations, and marketing support.

So there you have the example costs of a website, but how do you choose what investment to make?

Good question. There is a lot of psychology behind approaching and getting quotes from a WordPress company.

I am going into the nitty-gritty beyond this point, but it’s important to understand why you are being quoted what you are and how some people react to the figures.

People don’t often know what things cost.

If you don’t build websites, you’ll unlikely know what they cost.

I don’t fix cars, so when my engine starts making a knocking sound, I have no idea what it will cost to fix it.

This has led to the old adage of getting three quotes for something and choosing the middle one.

This process may be sound advice for many things, but it doesn’t make sense for WordPress website costs, as the people you are talking to will affect the price as much as what you are asking them to do.

Let’s examine the pain points of getting a quote for a new WordPress site.

Uncertainty and avoidance.

Most people do not know what goes into building a website that works, especially a custom one.

This often means that when asked for a budget for the project, they say they don’t have one, preferring the expert agency to provide one.

As they are uncertain what it should ‘cost’, they avoid giving a budget, preferring to rely on three quotes (or more) to get an idea of what it ‘might cost’.

This can often mean they get three widely-ranging proposals and are often none the wiser, leading to the issue below.

Comparison culture.

When someone has their three quotes, we compare the prices alone, but this gives a little frame for quality.

They should not compare a WIX site at £30 per month (a DIY option) with a larger agency quote for a bespoke-built site, and they should not expect larger agency quality at a DIY price.

The other issue with comparing ‘price’ is seemingly getting more for less.

If two quotes come in at £5,000 and £4,000 respectively, with the third priced at £1,000, the other quotes look more expensive.

You cannot compare prices without comparing the agency and their experience:

• The two quotes in the £5K region may have been from large agencies.
• The lower £1,000 quote may have come from a one-man band.
• The lower quote may be from a more prominent agency desperate for work (on the way out)
• The most expensive quote may have been from a designer who will outsource the development work to someone else.
• The lower quote might be from a great agency that loves the project and is keen to do the work.
• The mid-range quote might be a UK-based outfit with a team of poorly paid off-shore workers.

The point is that comparing prices alone does not give a true reflection of quality.

The fear of over-commitment.

For many people, giving a budget for a project can feel like showing their hand in a negotiation.

It’s easy to understand this point of view: if we give the agency a budget, then this is what they will charge us, irrespective of what they might have charged us if we hadn’t.

This is a valid and often challenging to break down, but it usually depends on their circumstances.

There are several main types of clients:

1. People who spending their own money (bootstrapped), such as entrepreneurs and smaller businesses.
2. Marketing departments that are spending a budget they have been given to use (and if they don’t use it, they lose it).
3. Charities of NFPs with grants
4. Funded start-ups
5. And so on…

Some have money to spend, others want the best value for their money, and others are looking for cost-effectiveness.

This means that agencies are used to delivering the same website for very different budgets.

We prefer to have a budget when quoting a project, mainly to ensure that we don’t waste anyone’s time.

If you come to us with a larger budget for a site, we can comfortably deliver within that budget; we’ll tell you what else you can get for your money, such as hosting, support, maintenance, and some SEO work.

Value versus cost.

Many people confuse cost with value. A well-built and effective site will deliver you new business and pay for itself, while a cheaper site may do nothing for your bottom line.

Websites should deliver ROI (return on investment), so ideally, they should be seen as investments. The one thing that holds true with investments is that the more you put in, the more you (should) get out if you choose the right agency for your project.

If you see your site as simply a cost, you are missing out on what it should deliver: the value to your business.

Sticker shock.

If someone really has no idea what a website project costs, the sticker shock phenomenon can kick in, as they had no idea that the price attached to the project would be such.

Sticker shock makes even the most reasonable price seem expensive because the person hasn’t mentally budgeted for a professional, bespoke WordPress site.

This is one of the issues agencies face when talking to clients about projects—everyone has ‘an idea’ of what it should cost. If this figure is significantly below the market rate, the cost will exceed their expectations.

Not wanting to look ‘cheap’.

Some clients I speak to seem often apologetic when outlining their requirements or the budget for their site.

They lead with ‘I am not sure if this is too small a project for you‘ or ‘we might not have enough budget for your services‘.

The truth is that any good WordPress agency should be able to help you regardless of your budget.

As a service business, we are here to help people, and that can often mean a 30-minute Zoom call to explain what we can do for them, not what we can’t.

Websites are not like printed brochures; you don’t have to get everything done at once.

Your website can be built in phases, with an MVP (minimum viable product) to get you started and more investment as the site starts to prove ROI.

Do your due diligence.

While we all fight to rank #1 on Google for various WordPress-related terms, you need to do more than trust the search results when sizing up top agencies to use for your project.

Ranking first does not make an agency the best; it means that Google has decided they are based on its algorithm rather than the quality of its work.

If you have heard of ‘reputation management,’ you’ll also know that reviews are no longer worth the pixels in which they are written.

Brands can now buy ‘professional reviews’ of their products and services to manipulate this once-important measure of how ‘good’ something is/was.

Put in some time to research agencies.

Rather than blindly trusting the search results, a little groundwork can ensure that you are talking to the right agencies for your project before you get down to proposals and pricing.

I recommend doing several things that only take a short amount of time:

1. Check out the company at Companies House, where you can find its annual reports, the number of employees, the directors’ details, and so on. What you are looking for here is when it started, whether it has the same number of employees as it claims to have on its website, and what its financials look like (download them and use AI to explain them if you are not financially minded).
2. Look at their website properly. Check out the team section and the work pages on their site. Are they a good match for you? If they only work with massive brands, are they right for your project? Do they offer other services to help you?
3. Check out the staff on LinkedIn—how long have they been at the company, if they work at the agency, and so on.
4. Read their blogs and social media. Are genuine people passionate about their work, or do they lack personality?
5. Book a Zoom (et al.) meeting. Meet the people who will be doing the work, not a salesperson.
6. Ask to speak (usually via email) to some of their past clients—this will give you far more information than potentially fake reviews.

Doing the above will give you a much more rounded view of who you will be working with, what they have to say, and whether they might be a good fit for you.

When it comes to getting a quote for your project, the information you glean from the above will help you decide whether the team and price you are considering are the right ones and should help you set some expectations around costs.

Ask the right questions.

If you ask the right questions before you get a proposal for your project, both you and the agency will be on the same track.

All WP agencies build sites differently, so it’s essential to understand what you are getting for your money.

Here are some example questions to ask the agency and the answers you want.

How large is your agency?

This will give you some idea about what they will charge you – larger teams cost more, so the websites they create cost more.

Smaller teams can take longer to complete projects, freelancers can only do one at a time and so on, so match team size with project scope, budget and deadline.

How long have you been in business?

This will give you some idea of how established they are and how this can mitigate any risk to the project – the last thing you want is your agency shutting up shop half way through a project.

What is your experience?

You will get a broad range of answers to this one, but you want to get a feel for the sort of projects the agency works on and if they align with your business and objectives.

How long have you been working with WordPress?

You don’t want a team that has just started using WordPress, so ask this question to ensure the people you are working with have the necessary experience.

Do you do everything in-house?

Find out if they outsource the work – this happens a lot more than you might think. You want an agency that does 100% of the work in-house, as it makes everything smoother and gets you a better result.

What will you need from me?

It sounds a bit daft, but if you expect the agency to write all the copy and they expect you to deliver it, you could reach an impasse after the project starts.

You want a clear understanding of what the agency will do and what you will have to do.

Do you use pre-made themes?

Another crucial question. Are you going to be getting a hand-made website that is designed and built around your objectives or some designer who simply colours in a pre-made theme?

Much of our work here at Toast is rebuilding sites for clients that have been delivered a poorly built pre-made theme that cost the developer (if you can call them that) $50 on Theme Forest.

What is your process?

The answer to this should be delivered seamlessly and without any hiccups. If they can’t explain their process concisely and without seeming like they are making it up on the spot, avoid them.

What tools do you use?

Check whether they have invested in project management tools, analysis tools, and other apps to ensure the smooth running of the project.

If they do everything via email, the project will be a mess, and they have not invested in their tools.

These tools should cover project communication, such as Basecamp, design sharing, website feedback, such as Pastel, and post-live tools like SEM RUSH and ahrefs.

Who manages the project?

Ideally, the project management should be baked into the process, and you should have one central point of contact but work with the wider team directly.

Project managers often over-promise and leave their team to under-deliver.

While we do have people here managing projects, they are themselves developers, so they know first-hand what works and what does not.

Will I need to buy any licences?

This happens constantly: you get a site built and then discover the developer has used loads of plugins that need licences, leaving you to pick up the bill.

We use pro plugins on our sites, but our clients use them freely as long as we either host or maintain the website for them – if they move to another agency, we expect that agency to provide the licenses.

When done, do I own the website and all the code?

Another big one: Do you own the site once it’s live and you have paid the bills? Be wary of anyone who says other than an absolute yes to this question.

The last thing you want is to own your website partially. Remember, WordPress is open source – the agency does not own the platform on which they built your site.

How scalable will my website be?

You’ve probably got big plans, so the last thing you need is a tin-pot site that won’t scale well for content and functionality.

Ensure they deliver a platform for growth, not just a solution to today’s objectives.

Will my site be fully GDRP compliant?

Most sites are not, which leaves them open to scams and court claims. Your site needs to be 100% GDPR compliant, which means more than just a ‘this site uses cookies’ button.

Will my site be accessible to all users?

Everyone has the right to visit your website and experience its properties. Make sure you flag any accessibility requirements from the start and ensure your site is accessible to all.

Are there any hidden costs moving forward?

This simple question often reveals additional costs beyond hosting and support.

Where will my site be hosted?

You want your site hosted where your customers are and not on cheap hosting.

Cheap hosting undermines your site, so WP Engine, Kinsta, Cloudways, Siteground, and others are reputable hosts. If you are in the UK, you want a UK-based datacenter.

Will I have admin-level access once live?

Crucial. Anyone who tells you otherwise is lining you up for charging more money.

It’s your site, so Admin-level access is essential. Otherwise, you do not have control over your site – the agency refusing to give you it does.

Do you do SEO?

The people that build your site are the best ones to do your SEO. Do you want a yes to this question as SEO is an integral part of your site and marketing it moving forward.

Do you provide ongoing support and maintenance?

Again, you want a yes to this. Don’t work with an agency that builds your site and then abandons you – ensure they can offer support and maintenance to keep your (and their) site in tip-top condition.

Can I speak to your past clients?

Always ask this, even if you don’t have the time to follow it up. An agency that can’t introduce you to past clients for a reference (usually by email) is probably not very good.

Asking the right questions is an important part of assessing if the agency is a good fit for your project.

I would suggest asking all of these as part of the proposal process, or at the very least when you have shortlisted three agencies. It will help you make a final, informed decision.

What really affects what agencies charge?

If you think how long it takes to complete the project is the main influencer on the price you are charged, think again,

Cost of sales. That’s often the most significant influencer in agency pricing.

If you are talking to a Soho-based agency with 50 staff and a swanky studio, their cost of sale will be 20x that of a 10-person remote team.

What it costs them to run their business directly affects what they charge to build a website for you.

Here are some of the other influencers that affect what your website costs:

1. Size of their business – bigger is more expensive
2. Overheads (cost of sales) – the more cost to run their business, the more charges to you
3. Location – London is more expensive than outside the M25
4. Experience (this can be a double-edged sword)
5. Client management & operations (do they have sales and account managers, or do you work directly with the people who know what they are doing)
6. Demand and availability – the more in-demand they are, the more they can charge
7. Form – if their work has a significant and measurable impact for the better

This effectively means that three agencies will give you quotes for a project significantly influenced by things other than the project.

The above goes for us, too – we’re a 17-strong team with our studio in Oxfordshire, so we’re not a small agency, but our overheads are a lot less than a London-based team of the same size.

There is one other important factor to consider.

Often, agencies can take on projects they want to do for far less than they would typically charge. These projects are often for charities and NFPs, so if this is you and you have a smaller budget, don’t be afraid to approach a larger agency like us.

We even volunteer once a year to build a free bespoke site for a local charity, so we’re open to helping you.