What does a custom website cost?

Answer six questions and see a likely range, built from our published prices. It will not replace a real scope, but it shows what moves the number.

Build your estimate.

Six quick choices. The range comes from the packages published on this page and on Pricing, and your written proposal confirms the final number.

1How many pages at launch?
8 pages

Home, about, contact and each service or location page count. Launch with the must-haves; later pages can be phased.

2What does the site need to do?
3Who is writing the copy?
4How much design variation?
5Replacing a current site?
6Anything alongside the build?

Website care after launch

Fast estimate

Start with the problem you are solving.

Three common shapes. Real scope is confirmed once we see the project.

Starter

$1.5k–2.5k

Simple

3-5 pages, standard service structure, clean design, basic SEO, and a contact path.

  • Focused page set
  • Mobile-first design
  • Basic on-page SEO
  • Contact path

Growth

$3k–6k

Most common

6-15 pages, stronger copy, more proof, local SEO structure, and conversion-focused forms.

  • Service-page structure
  • Local SEO baseline
  • Stronger proof and copy
  • Conversion-focused forms

Custom

$7.5k+

Advanced

Multi-location content, e-commerce, booking, portals, dashboards, integrations, or app-like tools.

  • Multi-location content
  • E-commerce or booking
  • Portals and dashboards
  • Integrations

Our perspective

Send rough answers to a few questions and I can usually turn around a fixed-price scope within 48 hours.

Scope questions

The fastest way to a real number.

How many pages do you need now?

A realistic must-have list beats a wish list. We can phase the rest.

Do you have copy, photos, and proof?

Prepared content is the single biggest lever on both cost and timeline.

Do forms need CRM or email automation?

Simple routing is easy; connected pipelines and sequences add scope.

Any e-commerce, booking, payment, or login?

Transactions and accounts change the build from a site into an application.

Do you need local SEO pages or content?

Service-area structure and content programs are worth pricing separately.

Do you want maintenance after launch?

Hosting, updates, and edits can be bundled so the site stays healthy.

Questions

What moves the number.

What usually adds cost?

Custom layouts, copywriting, integrations, large content migrations, multi-location SEO, complex forms, original photography, and approval cycles. None of that is bad; it just needs to be visible before the project starts.

What keeps cost down?

A clear offer, a small first launch, reusable page patterns, prepared content, fast approvals, and a realistic list of must-haves versus later improvements.

Estimate the shape of the project

Count decisions, not just pages.

Ten pages built from two reusable patterns are different from ten pages that each need original research, copy, layout, media, and functionality. Use the factors below to decide whether your project sits near the lower or upper end of a range.

Content readiness

Lower complexity: approved copy, photos, proof, and page list are ready. Higher complexity: interviews, writing, editing, image sourcing, or stakeholder review are required.

Design variation

Lower complexity: a small set of repeatable page patterns. Higher complexity: distinct layouts, interactive storytelling, original illustration, or a new brand system.

Migration and SEO

Lower complexity: a new site with few existing URLs. Higher complexity: a large content inventory, redirects, multi-location pages, or established search traffic that needs careful preservation.

Functionality

Lower complexity: standard contact forms. Higher complexity: booking, payments, products, accounts, portals, dashboards, CRM rules, or third-party integrations.

Turn the estimate into a scope

A range is for planning. A proposal is for buying.

Write down the pages and functions required for the first useful launch, then separate the later ideas. Note who will provide content, who approves it, which systems must connect, and whether an event or contract creates a real deadline. Share the current site and examples of the workflows that are failing.

The ranges on this page are starting guides, not an automatic quote. They do not account for every technical dependency, third-party fee, data problem, licensing requirement, accessibility requirement, or approval delay. A final scope should confirm what is included, what your team provides, and what would trigger a change.

A simple brief you can send

  • We need the website to help us: [primary business outcome].
  • Our most important visitors are: [audience].
  • The first launch must include: [pages and functions].
  • We already have: [copy, photos, proof, brand files, analytics].
  • The site must connect to: [CRM, booking, payments, email, other systems].

Questions

Website cost answers

Why can two websites with the same number of pages cost different amounts?

The pages may require different research, writing, layouts, media, migrations, integrations, testing, and approval effort. Page count is only one scope signal.

Can we launch a smaller site first?

Yes. A focused first launch can cover the pages and functions needed to explain the offer and capture demand, with later phases planned separately.

Does the estimate include ongoing maintenance?

Only when stated. Website care, hosting, licenses, content changes, and future improvements should be priced separately or named clearly in the proposal.

Will a redesign preserve our rankings?

No one can guarantee unchanged rankings. Existing URLs, content, links, metadata, redirects, analytics, and indexing should be reviewed carefully to reduce avoidable migration risk.

Want a real number, not a guess?

hello@qcwebworks.com · (309) 206-5680