"How much for a website?" is the first question we're asked, and most of the industry answers it badly — either with "it depends" (true, but useless) or with a too-good-to-be-true number that grows once you've committed.
Here's the honest version, including our own prices.
The short answer
For an Irish small business in 2026, sensible budgets look roughly like this:
- Starter brochure site (about 5 pages): €950–€2,000
- Custom business site (full design, content management, local SEO): €1,950–€4,500
- Online shop: €2,950 upwards, depending on catalogue size and integrations
Those first figures are our own starting prices, so you can hold us to them. Prices elsewhere range from a few hundred euro (template resellers) to five figures (agencies with account managers) — and the difference isn't always visible on the surface.
What actually drives the cost
Four things move a website quote more than anything else:
1. Custom design vs. template
A template site is cheap because the design decisions were made before you walked in. Custom design costs more because someone sits down with your business — your customers, your services, your town — and designs for that. It's the difference between a suit off the rack and one that fits.
2. Who writes the words
Content is the most underestimated cost in web design. If the quote assumes you'll supply finished text for every page, and you've never written marketing copy, the project will stall — it's the number one cause of website projects that drag on for months. Ask whether copywriting help is included. (In our quotes, it is.)
3. How it's built
Page-builder sites (Wix, heavily-themed WordPress) are faster to produce but carry ongoing weight: plugin licences, security patching, and performance that degrades as things pile up. Hand-coded sites cost more up front and less over their lifetime — they're faster, there's nothing to hack, and they don't need rebuilding when a theme is abandoned.
4. What happens after launch
A website needs hosting, security updates, backups, and someone to make changes. Some providers bury this in the fine print at surprising rates. Ask for the monthly figure up front — ours start at €45/month, cancel any time — and ask what happens if you leave. If the answer to "can I take my website elsewhere?" is fuzzy, walk away.
Questions that protect you
Take these to any web designer, including us:
- Is the quote fixed, in writing, before work starts?
- Who owns the domain and the website when it's paid for? (The only right answer: you.)
- What exactly does the monthly fee cover?
- Will I see the design before it's built?
- What happens if I want to leave in two years?
A good designer answers all five without flinching.
Don't forget the voucher
If your business has fewer than 10 employees and under €2m turnover, the LEO Trading Online Voucher can co-fund 50% of the project up to €2,500 — which puts a properly built custom site within reach of most budgets. Just remember it must be approved before the work starts.
The real question
The price of a website matters less than what it earns. A €2,000 site that brings in two extra jobs a month pays for itself before summer; a €500 site that nobody finds is the most expensive thing you'll ever buy. Judge quotes by what they include — and by whether the person quoting can explain, in plain English, how the site will bring you work.
If you'd like that conversation, we're here — honest advice within a working day, whether or not you build with us.
Talk it through with a designer
Questions about your own website? Send us the details and we'll give you honest advice within one working day — no obligation.