Having a website made: costs, checklist & choosing an agency [2026].

Introduction

You've decided to have your website created by a professional. A wise choice, because a well-built website pays for itself. But then it begins: how do you choose the right party? What should it cost? And how do you make sure you get a site that not only looks nice, but also actually brings in customers?

In this article, we'll walk you through the entire process. From budget and party choice to delivery and maintenance. No vague promises, but concrete guidelines from 14 years of experience building business websites.

Still doubting whether to create your website yourself or outsource? Then first read our guide on how to create a website yourself, where we fairly compare the options.

What does it cost to have a website made?

The fairest opening: it depends. But that's no reason to remain vague. Here are three scenarios we encounter most often in practice, with concrete amounts.

Scenario 1: Simple corporate website (3,000 to 5,000 euros)

A professional site with 5 to 10 pages, built on an existing CMS such as WordPress. Includes a custom design, basic SEO setup, contact form and mobile-friendly display.

Suitable for: ZZPs and small businesses that need a solid online business card. Companies that want to be found on their company name and a limited number of search terms.

Note: in this segment, texts and images are often not included. Count on 500 to 1,500 euros extra if you also want the content professionally written and photographed.

Scenario 2: Professional SME website (5,000 to 15,000 euros)

A fully custom designed website with a thoughtful structure, extensive content, SEO strategy and links to external systems (CRM, email marketing, accounting). Often 10 to 30 pages, including a blog environment and landing pages.

Suitable for: growing companies that want to actively attract customers through their website. Companies where online findability is an important part of the growth strategy.

In this segment, you can expect the builder to think about conversion, user experience and the customer journey. You're not just paying for a site, but for strategic advice.

Scenario 3: Custom platform or webshop (15,000 to 50,000+ euros)

A fully custom-built platform with complex functionality: web shops with extensive product catalogs, customer portals, dashboards, API links or multilingual sites. Here, frameworks such as Laravel or headless CMS solutions are often used.

Suitable for: companies where the website is the primary sales channel, or where specific functionality is needed that cannot be realized with standard solutions.

Are you considering a webshop? In our article WooCommerce vs Shopify, we compare the two most popular platforms.

Costs that are often forgotten

In addition to construction costs, there are ongoing costs that you need to factor into your budget:

• Hosting: 10 to 50 euros per month for good business hosting. Don't choose the cheapest option. Read our guide on choosing hosting to understand why this matters.
• Maintenance: 50 to 300 euros per month, depending on complexity. Consider software updates, security monitoring, backups and minor adjustments.
• Content updates: a website that is not updated after launch quickly loses its value. Count on time or budget for regular content updates.
• Domain name: 10 to 15 euros per year. Always register it in your own name, not in the name of your agency.
• SSL certificate: included for free with most hosting parties nowadays via Let's Encrypt. Be sure to check.

Freelancer, agency or platform: which suits you?

Not everyone who has their website made needs an agency. There are three routes, each with its own advantages and disadvantages.

Freelance web designer or developer

An independent specialist who designs and builds your site. Often personal contact, short lines and lower rates than an agency.

• Benefits: personal attention, flexible, often more competitively priced.
• Cons: If the freelancer gets sick or quits, you have a problem. Not all freelancers have knowledge of SEO, conversion optimization or copywriting. You have to direct more yourself.

Suitable for: smaller projects, entrepreneurs who know very well what they want themselves and can manage the project.

Web agency or digital agency

A team of specialists (designer, developer, SEO specialist, copywriter) that takes on the entire process. More structure, broader expertise, but also higher costs.

• Advantages: all disciplines under one roof, continuity, strategic thinking, maintenance and further development after delivery.
• Cons: Higher investment, sometimes longer lead times, less personal contact with larger agencies.

Suitable for: companies that want a website that actively contributes to their growth. Projects where strategy, SEO and conversion are as important as design.

Website builder with guidance

Parties based on a website builder (Wix, Squarespace, Webflow) set up a site for you. Faster and cheaper, but less flexible.

• Benefits: fast live, low entry cost, suitable for simple sites.
• Cons: limited flexibility and scalability, you're tied to the platform, limited SEO capabilities.

Suitable for: entrepreneurs who need a neat site quickly and do not have complex requirements.

Comparison chart

What should you look for when choosing a party?

This is perhaps the most important section of this article. Choosing the wrong party will not only cost you money, but also time and frustration. Use these points as a checklist in your orientation.

Check out the portfolio and ask for references. Not only whether the sites look nice, but also whether they load fast, work well on mobile and are findable in Google. Ask if you can call a reference. A good party has no problem with that.

Ask about CMS and ownership. What system will your site be built on? Can you edit content yourself after delivery? And essential: do you own the code, design and content? Make sure this is contractually defined. You don't want to be dependent on an agency holding the keys to your website.

Make SEO a requirement, not an option. A website that is not findable is an expensive brochure that no one reads. Ask how the party handles technical SEO, URL structure, loading speed and mobile display. If the answer is "we'll add that in later," choose another party.

Ask about the maintenance process after completion. Who does the updates? Who makes backups? What happens if something breaks? Building a site is step one. Keeping it running and secure is an ongoing responsibility.

Check AVG compliance. Your website must comply with privacy laws. Think about a cookie banner set correctly (asking permission for tracking cookies), a privacy statement and processor agreements. A good builder will take care of this by default.

Look beyond price. The cheapest quote is rarely the best choice. A 2,000 euro site that has to be rebuilt after a year is more expensive than a 7,000 euro site that will last five years and structurally generate customers.

Pay attention to communication up front. How quickly does the party respond? Are your questions answered clearly? Do they themselves ask critical questions about your goals and target audience? Cooperation in the preliminary phase is a good predictor of cooperation during the project.

How does the process work? From briefing to launch

Knowing what to expect makes the process smoother, for you and for the builder. Here are the steps a professional process goes through.

Step 1: Briefing and intake

You share your goals, target audience, requirements and boundary conditions. The better your briefing, the better the end result. We previously wrote a comprehensive guide on creating a website brief. Take your time here.

Your time investment: 2 to 4 hours for preparing and discussing the briefing.

Step 2: Quotation and planning

Based on the briefing, you will receive a quote with a clear description of what will be delivered, what it will cost and what the time frame will look like. Compare quotes not only on price, but on what is included.

Tip: always ask what's not included in the quote. Texts, photography, SEO optimization, hosting and maintenance are regularly not included.

Step 3: Design

The visual direction is determined. Usually you will receive a mood board or style direction first, followed by designs for the homepage and one or two inner pages. Give clear feedback at this stage. The more concrete you are ("the color should be darker" instead of "it doesn't feel right"), the faster the process goes.

Your time investment: 2 to 5 hours for reviewing and discussing designs.

Step 4: Development

The design is turned into a working website. The CMS is set up, forms are linked, the site is made mobile-friendly and the technical foundation is laid. At this stage there is often less contact, but do ask for an interim demo.

Your time investment: minimal, unless you provide your own content.

Step 5: placing content

Text, images and possibly video are put on the site. This is a step that clients often underestimate. Writing good content takes time. If you do this yourself, plan well ahead. If you have it written, count on additional costs (see cost section).

Your time investment: 10 to 40+ hours if you write it yourself, depending on the number of pages.

Step 6: Testing and launching

The site is tested on different devices and browsers. Forms are checked, loading speed is optimized, SEO settings are checked. After approval, the site goes live.

Tip: Don't plan the launch on a Friday afternoon. If something goes wrong, you want someone available to fix it.

Your time investment: 2 to 4 hours for going through and approving the site.

Total turnaround time

A simple corporate website can be completed in 4 to 6 weeks. A comprehensive SME website usually takes 8 to 12 weeks. A custom platform can take 3 to 6 months. The biggest delays almost always occur on the client side: late feedback and missing content are the most common causes of overrun.

The 5 mistakes clients make most often

In 14 years, we've guided dozens of website projects. These are the mistakes we encounter on the client side time and time again.

1. Not creating a clear briefing

"Just make something beautiful" is not a brief. The more vague you start, the more rounds of revisions are needed and the more expensive the project becomes. Invest time in clearly formulating your goals, your target audience and your expectations. This will save both parties a lot of time and frustration.

2. Selecting on price alone

The cheapest quote wins, but the bottom line loses. We regularly talk to entrepreneurs who have had a 2,000 euro site built and after a year have to start all over again: the site loads slowly, is not findable in Google, the CMS is clumsy and the builder no longer responds to questions. The double investment could have been avoided by spending a little more at the beginning with a party that does the right things right away.

3. Not including SEO as a requirement

If your website is not built with online findability in mind, you are building on quicksand. The URL structure is wrong, the technical basis is not right, search intent has not been taken into account. Fixing that afterwards often costs as much as the site originally cost. Therefore, make SEO a hard requirement in your briefing, not a "nice to have." Do you doubt the SEO knowledge? Then have an outside specialist look over your site.

4. Giving feedback too late or too vague

The design process is a collaborative one. If you wait two weeks to respond to a design, or just say it "doesn't feel quite right" without naming what could be improved, the project will drag out and the cost will rise. Schedule set times in your calendar for feedback and be as specific as possible.

5. Thinking the site is "finished" after launch

The launch is not the end point, it is the starting point. A website that is not maintained, updated and developed after the launch, quickly becomes obsolete. Software updates are not done, security vulnerabilities arise, content becomes out of date. Agree in advance how maintenance will be arranged and reserve budget for it.

After launch: maintenance, updates and further development

A website is like a business property: it needs regular maintenance. Here's what's on your plate after launch.

• Software updates. WordPress, plugins and themes should be updated regularly. Not updating leads to security risks and compatibility issues. Count on at least monthly updates.
• Security monitoring. Make sure your site is monitored for malware, unauthorized changes and vulnerabilities. A hack can take your site offline for days and damage your reputation.
• Backups. Automatic daily backups are a minimum. Also check that you know how to restore a backup, or that your hosting party or agency will do this for you.
• Content updates. New services, changed opening hours, blog posts, portfolio updates: a live website attracts more visitors and performs better in search engines than a static brochure.
• Performance monitoring. Track your loading speed, visitor numbers and conversions through Google Analytics or a privacy-friendly alternative. You can't optimize without data.
• Ongoing development. After a few months live, you'll know much better what works and what doesn't. Schedule moments to evaluate and further develop your site based on real user data.

Maintenance costs vary. If you do it yourself, count on 2 to 4 hours per month. If you outsource, a maintenance contract typically costs 50 to 300 euros per month, depending on the size and complexity of your site.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does a simple website get made cost?

A professional corporate website with 5 to 10 pages typically costs 3,000 to 5,000 euros. Added to this are ongoing costs for hosting (10 to 50 euros per month) and maintenance (50 to 300 euros per month). Content such as texts and photography is often not included and costs an additional 500 to 1,500 euros.

Can I edit content myself after completion?

With most professionally built websites, yes. Make sure your site is built on a user-friendly CMS like WordPress, so you can edit text, add images and publish blog posts yourself. Ask about this explicitly in advance and have a short training session upon completion.

How long does it take to have a website made?

A simple corporate website can be completed in 4 to 6 weeks. A more elaborate SME website takes 8 to 12 weeks. Custom platforms can take 3 to 6 months. The speed depends largely on how quickly you as the client provide feedback and deliver content.

What if I'm not satisfied with the design?

Most agencies include two to three rounds of revision. Give your feedback as specific as possible: refer to examples, name specifically what you want to change and why. "It doesn't feel right" is hard to work with. "The color is too light and the font should be more businesslike" gives the designer something to work on.

Should I take care of hosting myself?

This varies by party. Some agencies offer hosting as part of their services, including maintenance and monitoring. Other agencies build the site and leave the hosting to you. Both models work, but make sure you know who is responsible for uptime, backups and updates. Always register your domain name in your own name.

What's the difference between a template site and customization?

With a template site, an existing design is adapted to your corporate identity and content. This is faster and cheaper, but less distinctive. With customization, the design and functionality is built completely from scratch, specific to your company and goals. The choice depends on your ambitions: if your website is just a business card, a template will suffice. If your website needs to bring in customers and you want to stand out, customization is the better investment.

Next step

You now know what having a website made costs, how to choose the right agency and what pitfalls you want to avoid. The most important step now is to create a good brief. Start there. In our article on creating a website briefing we explain step by step how to go about it.

Want to spar about what the best approach is for your situation? Feel free to contact us.