The short answer
The cost of a website build is driven by how many different page types it needs, who writes the content, what it must connect to, how much is custom rather than off the shelf, and what happens after launch. The number of pages matters less than people expect.
Page types, not page count
A quote often looks like it depends on the number of pages. In practice it depends on the number of different page types. A site with thirty location pages built from one good template can cost less to build than a site with eight pages that each need their own layout.
So the first question to ask is how many distinct kinds of page the site needs: a home page, a service page, a location page, an article, a contact page, perhaps a case study. Each type is designed and built once, then filled.
Content is usually the biggest variable
Someone has to write every word on the site and source every photograph. If the business supplies finished copy and its own images, the build is mostly design and development. If the builder has to research the business, interview the owner and write service pages that will hold up in search, that is a large share of the work, and it should be.
Be wary of a low quote that assumes the client will "provide content". Many projects stall for months at exactly that step. Ask who writes what, and by when, before comparing prices. Our service page writing work exists because this is where most builds slow down.
What the site has to connect to
Each connection adds work and testing. Common ones for a service business include:
- a contact form that sends inquiries to the right inbox and records them
- call tracking, booking tools or a customer system the business already uses
- Google Analytics and Search Console, set up so the numbers can be trusted
- payment, quotes or a client login, where the business needs them
A form that sends an email is simple. A form that creates a record in another system, sends a confirmation and is counted correctly as an inquiry is several jobs.
Custom work and existing tools
A site built on a well-maintained theme with sensible changes costs less than one designed and coded from nothing. Neither is wrong. Custom work makes sense when the business needs something the existing tools cannot do well, or when the site has to stand apart in a crowded market. It is hard to justify when the only reason is that a custom build sounds better.
After launch
A build quote that stops at launch day leaves out real costs: hosting, updates, backups, security, and the small changes every business needs in its first months. Ask what is included, what is charged separately and who owns the site, the domain and the accounts once the work is finished.
When you compare quotes, put them side by side against the same list: page types, content, connections, custom work and aftercare. Differences in price usually make sense once each quote is read that way. Our website design page sets out how we scope these parts.