# How much does a website cost? By David Dodlek, Founder and CEO Published November 11, 2026 We quote a fixed price once the proposal for your website is ready. The work involved depends mainly on scope, content and features. A website can serve very different purposes for a small business. Perhaps visitors need to find your business hours and call you. Perhaps you want to explain your services and let people book appointments directly. Both are websites, but the work behind them differs considerably. For a useful quote, we’d therefore start with your daily work. We want to establish what the website should do and which content you already have. Who will look after it later matters too. These answers help define the scope, while a figure without this foundation gives you little basis for comparison. ## Scope and languages When considering scope, we’d look at the different page types as well as the number of pages. A homepage needs a different structure from a service page or an events calendar. Several service pages can share the same template, but their content still needs to be added and checked. Each additional language brings more work. Text needs translating, and links must lead to the correct language version. Navigation and contact forms are part of this too. Agree beforehand on who translates and who approves the text, because a second language affects the whole website rather than just the text on the homepage. ## Template or custom design An existing design template can make getting started easier when your structure and content fit its intended sections. Colors and fonts still need adapting. The layout also has to stay easy to use on a phone. A custom design starts with your content and how your business presents itself. This takes more discussion and design work, but you don’t have to squeeze your content into an unsuitable template. I’d ask how many drafts and rounds of revisions the quote includes so that both sides know when the design is settled. ## Prepare text and images Content is a separate part of the project. Existing text can’t always be used unchanged because clear service descriptions or current details are often missing. Before commissioning the work, I’d agree on who will fill these gaps. Your final check that the information is correct should also be agreed on by then. Images involve more than supplying a file. Photos need to suit the content and be prepared for the web, and you should clear usage rights too. A planned photo shoot belongs in the schedule because images that arrive just before launch can mean changing pages you’ve already agreed on. ## Maintain content yourself A CMS is a system in which you edit content. Whether you need one depends on your tasks. If you regularly publish news, you benefit from it. If only a phone number changes occasionally, a maintenance agreement may be enough. Setting up a CMS takes work at the outset because the content fields need to fit your website. Access permissions and training are part of this too. Decide who edits text and who may publish it, and include any CMS fees in your running costs. ## Bookings and other integrations A link to an existing booking system is different from a booking made directly on your website. A contact form needs reliable delivery and useful error messages, while a newsletter needs a proper subscription process. I’d look closely at these details because they often determine the effort more than the visible size of a form. List the services you already use and clarify which data should pass between them. Fees from external providers also belong in your planning. Ask which integration is included and how it’ll be tested before launch. ## Costs after launch After launch, the domain keeps costing money every year, often the hosting too, and work on the website continues. Depending on the technology, updates and security measures are required. Even small changes need someone to make and check them. An inexpensive start tells you little about this ongoing work. I’d ask for these tasks to be listed separately in the quote and clarify who monitors availability and responds to errors. Also clarify what maintenance covers and how extra changes are agreed on. Record whose name the domain and accounts are registered in so that a later handover is easier. ## From a conversation to a fixed quote At Ruxiom, we start every project with a short conversation, followed by a proposal for structure and features. On that basis we give you a fixed price and a timeline. Any assumptions that are still open are stated explicitly in the quote. By preparing well, you can limit the work involved. - Collect current text and usable images in one place. - Decide which features you really need at launch. - Name one contact for questions and approvals. - Make decisions about structure early and consolidate feedback. If you’re planning your website, the [websites](https://ruxiom.de/en/services/websites) page explains more about structure and implementation with Ruxiom. Tell us who you want to reach and what content you already have. This gives the first conversation a concrete starting point. ## More posts ### Website relaunch: process and checklist Published: 2026-11-11 A relaunch without losing visitors or search rankings. This article walks through how we rebuilt our website and ends with a checklist for your project. [Read post](https://ruxiom.de/en/blog/website-relaunch) ### Moving WordPress to EmDash: the costs Published: 2026-11-11 What a WordPress server costs and what EmDash with Astro costs. I show list prices and when the one-time migration pays for itself. [Read post](https://ruxiom.de/en/blog/wordpress-to-emdash) ### Almost four years on: the new Ruxiom Published: 2026-11-11 Ruxiom has a new website. A timeline and a look behind the scenes show how the ASCII look and the technology came together. [Read post](https://ruxiom.de/en/blog/ruxiom-is-new) [All posts](https://ruxiom.de/en/blog) ## What should your software do for you? Describe your project or the problem you want to solve. We’ll work out the next step together. [Discuss your project](https://ruxiom.de/en/contact?topic=websites) --- Source: https://ruxiom.de/en/blog/what-a-website-costs Deutsche Version: https://ruxiom.de/blog/website-kosten