A website is an investment, but pricing ranges from 'a friend's kid for €50' to agency numbers exceeding €5,000. In this post, we discuss openly what you are paying for, hidden traps, and how to choose an option that yields real returns.
Three development categories in the market
1. Off-the-shelf WordPress themes (€150 – €500): The most common route. A developer imports a $50 template, swaps the text and logo, and hands it over. The only advantage is price. Major downsides include sluggish performance, excessive code bloat, and a generic appearance. Additionally, updates can easily break the setup.
2. Agency solutions (€750 – €2,500): Agencies provide a structured process with designers and developers. Websites are more stable, but you pay for agency overhead (offices, sales reps). Feedback cycles are often slowed down by multiple tiers of account managers.
3. Custom development & studios (€1,000 – €5,000+): Sites built from scratch using Next.js and React. You invest in performance (loads under 1 second), full design freedom, and high security. Ideal for companies where the website is a primary customer acquisition channel.
Hidden costs to watch out for
Always check what is included. Often, post-launch invoices arrive for domain and hosting renewals, premium plugin licenses, monthly security patches, or copy updates. Professional studios itemize these costs transparently in the initial contract.
Conclusion: What is your budget?
If you are starting out and testing a hypothesis, a €250 WordPress site is fine. But if your business is active and you want to build a premium brand, anything below €750 is a gamble. A fast, custom site pays for itself with the first few clients it generates.