"How much does a website cost?" is usually the first question a business asks, and it is also the one where answers online help the least. You find ranges from a few hundred to several tens of thousands, rarely sourced, often written to sell one specific offer.
This article does the opposite. It only gives market figures when they come from a source you can check, and above all it explains what pushes the price up or down, so you can estimate your own budget and read a quote without getting caught out. I don't give my own rates here: at Lionea, the price is fixed before work starts, after a free 30-minute call and the demo of a free mockup built around your needs.
What are the market price benchmarks in 2026?
The most detailed figures I found come from France: the website pricing barometer by La Fabrique du Net (July 2026 edition, page updated in October 2026, accessed on October 13, 2026). It is based on 1,312 real project budgets reported by 175 agencies listed on the platform. The figures are medians: half of the projects cost less, the other half more. They are in euros and describe the French market.
| Project type | Median | Typical range (25th to 75th percentile) |
|---|---|---|
| Brochure website | €3,500 | €2,000 to €8,000 |
| E-commerce website | €10,000 | €3,000 to €40,000 |
| Custom or web application | €18,000 | €6,000 to €45,000 |
The same barometer gives a median of €4,000 for very small businesses (fewer than 10 employees, "TPE" in France) and €6,000 for SMEs, and finds that a redesign costs about 40% more than a new build (€7,000 versus €5,000 in median), because the existing site has to be taken over.
How to read these figures. They are budgets reported on a French matchmaking platform, for projects handled by agencies only (the barometer publishes no median for freelancers). They give an order of magnitude, not a fair price for your project. Two "brochure" sites can differ in cost by a factor of four depending on what they contain. Outside France, the amounts move with local day rates, but the structure below stays the same: the drivers of cost are identical wherever you are.
What drives the cost of a business website?
The price of a website is working time. Anything that adds time adds cost. Here are the drivers, from heaviest to lightest in most small business projects:
- The type of site. A brochure site presents the company and brings in inquiries. An online store handles products, stock, payments and shipping. A custom site does something specific: a client portal, a product configurator, complex booking.
- The features. Appointment booking, payments, member area, several languages, advanced search: each one needs design, development and testing.
- The integrations. Connecting the site to your point-of-sale system, your CRM or your invoicing tool can take longer than the site itself.
- The design. An existing theme adapted to your colors costs less than a layout designed for you. The difference shows, and it matters when trust is won or lost on the home page.
- The content. Who writes the copy? Who provides the photos? A site delivered with empty pages often waits months before going live.
- Search engine basics. Page structure, tags, speed, a Google Business Profile: the minimum should be included, but keyword research and optimized copywriting are a separate line item.
Two typical examples to make this concrete. A bakery that wants to show its products, opening hours and address needs a few pages and a good Google Business Profile: that is the low end of the brochure range. If it wants to take cake orders online with payment and a pickup slot, it moves to another category: it needs a catalog, payments and preparation rules.
What are the line items in a website quote?
A serious quote breaks down these items. If it gives one total with no detail, ask for the breakdown: it is the only way to compare.
| Line item | What it covers | Question to ask |
|---|---|---|
| Scoping | Goals, list of pages, visitor path through the site | Do I approve the site structure before design starts? |
| Design | Desktop and mobile mockups | How many rounds of revisions are planned? |
| Development | Building the pages, features, forms | Which technology, and could I switch providers later? |
| Content | Copywriting, photos, formatting | Who writes the copy, and is it included? |
| Basic SEO | Titles, descriptions, speed, structured data | What is done for Google from launch day? |
| Launch and training | Domain, hosting, access, handover | Are the access and the domain in my name? |
How much does a website cost per year after launch?
A website is not a one-time purchase. Some costs come back every year, and they are the ones most often forgotten when comparing quotes.
- The domain name: your address in .com or your country's extension, renewed every year. It is a small amount, but it must be registered in your name.
- Hosting: the server that makes the site available. It is included in the subscription if you use a site builder like Wix or Squarespace.
- Maintenance: security updates, backups, fixes. On a WordPress site with plugins, it is not optional.
- Licenses: premium theme, booking or form plugins, often billed yearly.
In October 2026, La Fabrique du Net collected the public price lists of several French hosting providers in the recurring costs section of its barometer. For example, a .fr domain at OVHcloud is listed at €4.99 excluding VAT for the first year, then €7.79 excluding VAT per year on renewal, and entry-level shared hosting at between a few euros and around ten euros excluding VAT per month depending on the plan. The classic trap: the first-year introductory price, which goes up on renewal. Always check the second-year rate.
Maintenance is the item that really changes the yearly bill. Its price depends on the number of plugins, how often backups run and the response time promised. Have it quoted in the same proposal as the build.
How do you estimate your budget without made-up numbers?
Rather than looking for "the right price", describe your needs precisely enough that two providers quote for the same thing. Here is the method I recommend:
- Set one measurable goal. Get quote requests, sell online, cut down calls about simple questions. Not all three at once.
- List the pages. Home, one page per service, about, contact. For a consulting firm, for example: one page per service line (strategy, operations, training) plus a booking page.
- List the features beyond the contact form: booking, payments, client portal, several languages.
- Say who provides the content and the photos.
- Note the tools to connect: calendar, CRM, point-of-sale system.
- Ask for two or three detailed quotes on that same basis.
With this one-page document, quotes become comparable, and you quickly see who understood your needs. Lionea's free website requirements template covers these points in eight sections to fill in. It is also what I prepare with you during the audit, before any pricing, on my website design and development projects.
How do you compare two website quotes?
For the same amount, two quotes can deliver very different things. Check these points before you sign:
- Ownership. Are the domain, hosting and admin access in your name? Do the site's code or files become yours at delivery, and under what condition (usually full payment)?
- What is not included. Copy, photos, translations, paid plugins, maintenance.
- Changes. How many rounds of revisions on the mockup? What happens if you add a page midway?
- After delivery. Are bug fixes included, and for how long? Is maintenance mandatory?
- Timelines, and what the provider needs from you to meet them.
A very low price often hides one of these points: a mandatory subscription, a domain in the provider's name, or content you have to supply yourself. A very high price should be justified by features or design work you can name. If your project includes automations or a business tool, you quickly cross into custom software, and the budget changes in nature.
Frequently asked questions
What is the median price of a small business website?
According to La Fabrique du Net's 2026 barometer, which covers the French market, the median is €4,000 for very small businesses and €6,000 for SMEs, for projects handled by agencies. It is an order of magnitude: the real price depends on the type of site, the features and the content.
What are the yearly costs of a business website?
Budget for the domain name renewal, hosting, maintenance (updates, backups, fixes) and any plugin licenses. Domain and hosting are the small items; maintenance is the one that varies most.
Is a website redesign cheaper than a new build?
Usually not. La Fabrique du Net's barometer finds a median about 40% higher for a redesign, because the content has to be migrated, existing search rankings preserved and redirects set up.
Who should own the website's domain name?
Your company. The domain, hosting and admin access should be registered in your name, so you can switch providers without losing your address or your site.