A professional website in 2026 costs from €500 + VAT for a business site and from €900 + VAT for an e-shop — those are the starting prices at DOT. Across the market you will see huge differences, because every project has different needs and every provider bills differently. This guide covers what actually drives the price, which costs tend to stay hidden, and how to lock in a fixed price with a written delivery date.
What determines the price of a website
There is no single price for everyone. And anyone who gives you a final price before asking what you actually need is leaving something out. The cost mainly depends on five things:
- Number of pages. A five-page site takes less work than a twenty-page one. Every page is designed, built and checked separately.
- Design. A ready-made template with adjustments, or a design from scratch? The second costs more — and it shows in the result.
- Features. Contact forms, bookings, a second language, connections to tools you already use. Every feature adds hours of work.
- Content. If your texts and photos are ready, the price drops. If they need to be created from scratch, it goes up.
- E-shop or business site. An online store means products, payments and shipping. It is always the more complex project.
At DOT, website design and build starts from €500 + VAT, and a typical project is delivered in 2–10 days, depending on its size.
The cost factors at a glance
Before you ask for quotes, see what pushes the price up — and what you should ask:
| Factor | Impact on price | What to ask |
|---|---|---|
| Number of pages | High | ”How many pages does the price include?” |
| Design from scratch | High | ”Template, or a design of my own?” |
| Features (bookings, 2nd language) | Medium to high | ”Which features are written into the quote?” |
| Ready content | Medium | ”How does the price change if I provide the texts?” |
| E-shop instead of a business site | High | ”What does the store setup include?” |
| Deadline | Low to medium | ”Will you give me a delivery date in writing?” |
All of this should be spelled out clearly in the quote — not “clarified” along the way. See how we lay it out in our packages and pricing.
Business site or e-shop?
If you want customers to find you, see what you do and get in touch, you need a business site. It starts from €500 + VAT. If you want to sell online, you need an e-shop. That starts from €900 + VAT, because there is more work involved: adding products, payment methods, shipping options, automatic order emails.
Do not pay for an e-shop if you are not selling products online. And the reverse: do not try to sell through a plain site over phone calls and messages — you will lose orders. If you already have an e-shop that loads slowly, you may not need a new one at all. Look at our e-commerce improvement service before paying for a rebuild from scratch.
WordPress or a custom build?
Most websites are built on WordPress — for good reason. You can change texts and photos yourself, there are thousands of ready-made extensions, and you are not tied to any single builder. For an online store, WooCommerce is the natural next step.
A custom build, with tools like Astro or Next.js, makes sense when the project demands it: when speed is critical, or when you need something that off-the-shelf systems do not handle well. At DOT we recommend the tool that fits your project, not the most expensive one. See our work for n-ergeia as an example.
The hidden costs that inflate the bill
The initial price is only half the story. The trouble usually starts afterwards:
- Marked-up hosting. The builder puts you on their own hosting plan and charges you more every year than it actually costs.
- “Extras” mid-project. The mobile version, the security certificate or the basic Google settings suddenly appear as an additional charge.
- Billing per change. Every text or photo correction is invoiced separately — and the bill keeps running.
- A vague price range. The “from–to” almost always ends up at the “to”.
The only way to protect yourself is a fixed price in writing: what is included, what is not, and when it will be delivered. At DOT, every quote has a fixed price and a written delivery date. If we run late through our own fault, the final milestone of the project is free. Read our guarantee in full.
What you should not pay extra for
Some things are a given in 2026 and should be included in the base price:
- Proper display on phones and tablets.
- A security certificate — the “padlock” next to the address.
- Basic settings so Google can find you.
- Training on how to change the basics yourself.
- Your own website: the domain and the site must be in your name, with your own passwords. If you ever leave, you take them with you.
If someone charges you separately for any of the above, ask why. And if they will not hand over the passwords “for security reasons”, walk away.
The costs after delivery
A website is not a one-off expense. Budget for three recurring costs:
- Domain. Your site’s name renews every year.
- Hosting. The “space” where your site lives. Paid monthly or yearly.
- Maintenance. Updates, backups, security and speed checks.
Maintenance is what most people forget — until something breaks. A neglected site slows down, becomes a target and loses ground on Google. On cookiesmaster.gr we took over a site running 47 plugins and brought it down to 31, added caching for faster loading, and improved its Google speed scores (Core Web Vitals) and security. We do this work systematically through our care plan, at a fixed monthly cost — you know in advance what you pay each month.
Why the cheapest option costs more in the end
A very low price hides its cost somewhere. Usually here:
- A template with zero adaptation to your business.
- A slow site that drives visitors away before they even see what you offer.
- No support after delivery — anything that breaks is billed extra.
- No commitment on delivery time, so “soon” turns into “at some point”.
The result: you pay twice. Once for the cheap site that does not work, and once to have it done properly. Quality work with a fixed price, a written date and a guarantee may cost a little more upfront — but you pay for it once.
If you already have a site and you’re wondering whether to rebuild it or repair it, see the 8 signs that it needs renewing.
Get a clear quote
If you want to know what your website would cost, send us a few lines about what you need. You will hear back within 1 business day with a free, detailed quote: a fixed price, exactly what is included, and a written delivery date. Straight talk, no surprises.