What does a website cost? What the price is made of

“What does a website cost?” is the question we get most often, and the honest answer is that it depends on the situation. That sounds like a cop-out, but it follows from how websites are built: a one-page site with a contact form and a web shop with links to accounting and stock have almost nothing in common apart from the word “website”. So in this article we deliberately name no amounts. What we do is explain what a price is made of, which costs keep running after launch and what to compare when you put quotes side by side. Then you can judge for yourself whether a price is reasonable, whatever it is.

Why a fixed price list rarely works

A price list works for a standard product. A business website is rarely standard. Two companies in the same industry have different goals, different copy, a different audience and a different amount of existing content. That is why CUBO Agency works with a no-obligation intro call followed by a quote with scope, schedule and price. Why we do it this way is covered in Price on request: why we get to know you first. Below you can read what belongs in such a quote and what pushes the amount up or down.

The six biggest price factors

1. Scope: number and types of pages

The number of pages is the first measure, but not the most important one. More important is the number of different *types* of page: a home page, service pages, a blog, a portfolio and a contact page each need their own design and structure. Ten pages of the same type are cheaper than five pages that all work differently.

2. Design: your own look or a base

A design that suits your brand takes more time than adapting an existing template. It also delivers something different: a site that does not look like hundreds of others. We explain the difference between custom work and a template in AI slop versus custom work. What matters is that you know what you are buying: does the quote say a custom design is made, or that an existing theme is recoloured?

3. Copy, photos and other content

This is the item that is forgotten most often. A site without content is an empty house. Who writes the copy? Who supplies the photos, or do you have them made? If you supply everything yourself it is cheaper, but it also has to arrive on time; delayed content is the most common reason projects overrun. More about preparation in Preparing a website project.

4. Functionality and integrations

A contact form is simple. An appointment planner, a payment module, a customer portal, a link with your accounting package or a multilingual site is not. Every extra feature brings design, build, testing and later maintenance with it. For every feature, ask: what does this deliver, and can it wait?

5. Search basics, speed and accessibility

Many quotes do not mention this, but it belongs in the build and not in a separate round at the end. In its Web Vitals documentation, web.dev describes which experience measurements for loading, interactivity and visual stability matter for a good user experience. It is much cheaper to include this from the first line of code than to repair it afterwards. The same goes for accessibility: the W3C Web Accessibility Initiative advises planning and safeguarding accessibility, rather than treating it as a separate check at the end. For web shops and other digital services for consumers, accessibility is also a legal requirement in the Netherlands; the ACM explains who falls under those rules. We discuss this in Accessible website and the European Accessibility Act.

6. Approach and collaboration

The number of feedback rounds, the speed at which you decide and the number of people involved on your side all affect the time someone spends, and so the price. A clearly agreed number of review rounds is not rigid but fair: it stops the project from growing without limit.

One-off versus ongoing

The build price is one component. A website also has ongoing costs, and these belong in your annual budget:

• Domain name: an annual fee at the registrar.
• Hosting: the place where your website runs. Here too what you get differs: backups, security, support. WordPress.org, for instance, lists as minimum requirements for the host a current PHP version, a recent database and HTTPS support.
• Maintenance: updates, security fixes, testing backups and small changes. An unmaintained site is not a saving but a postponed bill; see Website security for business owners and hosting and maintenance.
• Licences and subscriptions: premium plug-ins, an email tool, a booking system. Ask which are already in the price at launch and which come back every year.
• Content and advertising: new articles, photos and possibly an ad budget. These are not website costs in the strict sense, but your site only pays off if people find it.

VAT and what “inclusive” means

Business quotes often state amounts excluding VAT. The standard VAT rate in the Netherlands is 21%, according to Business.gov.nl, on its page about VAT rates published by the Tax Administration. If you can deduct VAT yourself, it makes a difference for your cash flow; if you cannot (for example with some exempt activities), the price including VAT is the real price. So always check for each amount whether it is inclusive or exclusive of VAT.

What to look at when comparing quotes

Two quotes with the same total can deliver very different things. Put them side by side with these questions:

1. What exactly is included? Pages, features, number of review rounds, copy, photos, training.
2. What is not? The most important things are often in the small print: extra pages, translations, migrating old content.
3. Who owns the result? Under the Dutch Copyright Act (Article 2, paragraph 3), a transfer of copyright or an exclusive licence must be put in writing. If that is not in the quote or the agreement, you cannot be sure what you may do after delivery. More on this in How to brief a web agency well. This is not legal advice; have the contract read if you are unsure.
4. What happens after delivery? Is there a warranty period for errors? Who manages the site? Can you leave without losing your site?
5. How is the schedule agreed? A price without a schedule is half a quote. See How long does it take to have a website made?.

How to keep costs under control

• Start small and expand. A strong core site with your main services, then phases. That is a fairer route than wanting everything at once and cutting corners on quality.
• Deliver content on time and in one go. Delay ends up costing money.
• Decide with few people. One point of contact, one set of feedback per round.
• Choose features based on a goal. If you cannot say what a feature should deliver, it can wait.
• Calculate the total over three years, not just the build. That way you also see what the ongoing costs mean.

Warning signs

Be alert to quotes that are conspicuously vague about scope, to an agency that will not explain what the amount consists of, or to a price so low that the bill comes back elsewhere: in compulsory subscriptions, in fees to get your own content back or in a site nobody can change later. A good quote is boring and concrete.

And what does it cost with us?

We are not the cheapest and not out of reach either. After a free intro call you get a quote with scope, schedule and price, without surprises. You can start small and expand later. Want to know what that means for your situation? Have a look at our packages or book a free intro call.

Sources

Reviewed on 28 October 2026 against the sources below. Rules and guidelines change; this article is general information, not legal or tax advice.

• VAT rates and exemptions in the Netherlands (Business.gov.nl)
• WordPress requirements (WordPress.org)
• Web Vitals (web.dev)
• Planning and Policies Overview (W3C Web Accessibility Initiative)
• Auteurswet (wetten.overheid.nl)
• Toegankelijkheid van e-handelsdiensten en elektronische communicatiediensten (ACM)

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