There isn’t a standard price for having a WordPress website built. You pay for the design, setup, content and work needed to keep it running reliably. The free WordPress software tells you little about the project budget. Compare quotes for the same tasks and include costs after delivery. This guide helps you do that; our custom website guide covers the wider decision.
Why isn’t there a standard price for a WordPress website?
A website with supplied copy and an existing theme involves different work from a new brand identity, two languages and a stock integration. Even the page count isn’t a reliable price measure on its own. A series of news articles can share a layout, while an enquiry form with branching questions may need more investigation than an ordinary contact page.
An agency’s price list is an offer with conditions, not a Dutch market average. Ask what that price buys. Does it include copy, photography, mobile design and migration from the old site? Who makes corrections? Without those agreements, you can’t fairly compare one price with another.
The useful question is what it costs to build, run and later change the site you’ve agreed on. Our comparison of WordPress, custom and headless websites explains why those terms can also overlap.
Which items belong in the build quote?
Ask the developer to describe the result for each part of the work. A line saying ‘website including SEO’ isn’t enough. You need a way to establish whether the work has been done at handover.
| Item | What should the quote specify? | What adds work? |
|---|---|---|
| Design | Adapting an existing theme or designing your own page templates | A new brand identity, separate screens and extra revision rounds |
| Content | Who writes copy, selects images and fills the pages? | Missing copy, translation and moving existing content |
| Features | Which forms, search tools or accounts work at delivery? | Different rules, roles and exceptions |
| Integrations | Which data moves between which systems? | Unclear source data, error handling and missing documentation |
| Migration | Which pages, files and addresses move across? | Cleaning up old content and redirecting changed URLs |
| Testing and handover | Which user tasks are tested and who gets training? | More devices, languages, user roles and teams |
Ask what falls outside the price too. A developer might add a form while somebody else configures the mailbox or CRM. That can be a reasonable division of work, provided somebody takes responsibility for the entire enquiry route.
Make it concrete with an acceptance test. A visitor submits an enquiry, the right colleague receives it and can find where it came from. Ask for a demonstration using the actual setup. A screenshot only proves what the form looks like.
Does choosing a freelancer or agency determine the price?
Compare the responsibility on offer, rather than just the type of supplier. A freelancer may provide design and maintenance; an agency may exclude parts of that work. A higher hourly rate doesn’t prove higher quality, but a lower rate doesn’t tell you how many hours the job will take either.
For a fixed project price, establish which revisions are included and when a change becomes chargeable. For hourly work, ask for an estimate, a spending threshold for further discussion and a record of work completed. Agree who can approve a change before time is spent on it.
Ask for an editing demonstration using your kind of content. Can you change a service page without breaking its layout? Can a colleague prepare a news article without publishing it immediately? That tests the usability you’re buying, beyond the appearance of the design.
Which costs continue after delivery?
Separate recurring costs into hosting and domain, any paid extensions, maintenance and support. Some suppliers bundle these items. Don’t count a service already included in the hosting package again as a separate charge, but check what the bundle covers.
The WordPress software is open source. That doesn’t make a paid theme or maintenance subscription compulsory. There are different ways to set up a site. Somebody does need to take responsibility for keeping it running, even if that person belongs to your own team.
For each paid extension, record its name, subscription period, renewal price and account holder. An introductory rate may differ from the renewal rate. Ask what happens to support and updates if a licence ends and whether any agency licence can transfer to you.
‘Maintenance included’ deserves a separate question. The WordPress update documentation recommends keeping WordPress updated and taking a backup beforehand. Also agree who checks the main user journeys after a change, handles a fault and restores the previous version if needed. That’s an agreement about service, not a guarantee that nothing will ever go wrong.
Hosting, technical maintenance and content changes are different jobs. Adding new copy may fall outside a maintenance contract. So may replacing a plugin that is no longer supported. Ask how such work will be priced before it becomes necessary.
How do you compare total costs over the same period?
Choose one period for every quote and use the relevant renewal prices. Two years, for example, is a useful comparison period, not a prediction of your site’s lifespan. Ask the quote to state whether prices include or exclude VAT.
Total over the chosen period = build and migration + hosting and domain + licences + maintenance and support + agreed changes.
An online shop also has usage-related costs. Include your own work in the decision: supplying copy, entering products and carrying out acceptance tests takes time, even if the developer doesn’t invoice for it.
List unknown costs separately. An integration that hasn’t been investigated shouldn’t quietly appear as included or free in the total. Ask which assumption the developer is using, how it will be checked and what a different outcome means for the price. That keeps the agreed part of the budget visible.
Then compare the same site. If one quote includes migration, editor training and maintenance, you need to add those items to the other before drawing conclusions. A low build price may suit a small assignment. It isn’t proof of hidden defects by itself.
Which extra costs does a WooCommerce shop involve?
WooCommerce is free to download and use; hosting, any paid extensions and the fees for your chosen payment solution are separate. The free core doesn’t make setting up a shop free.
Ask the developer to describe an entire order. Consider product variants, stock, shipping choices, payment, confirmation and refunds. A shop with subscriptions or business customer pricing needs different agreements from one with a straightforward catalogue. Have the developer demonstrate a failed payment and a partial return.
Check your payment provider’s rates for your payment methods and country of establishment. Include currency conversion, refund or disputed-payment charges only where the terms say they apply. Don’t copy an international example rate as a Dutch total.
For a wider inventory of shop work, use our guide to webshop costs. A concrete order process is a better basis for a quote than the number of products alone.
When does saving on the build make sense?
Reduce the scope first. Supplied copy, reusable page templates and a clearly defined first version can make a smaller quote a suitable quote. Defer features you don’t yet need, but record how you want to add them later.
Don’t accidentally cut the handover. You need to know who has access to the domain, hosting, administration and paid services. Record which files, content and documentation you’ll receive if you leave. Our website ownership guide helps you discuss those agreements.
Custom development outside WordPress doesn’t automatically have lower maintenance costs. And needing an integration isn’t a reason to reject WordPress without further investigation. Ask the developer to identify the specific limitation, describe an alternative and explain the costs of both approaches for the same assignment.
How do you actually get started?
Write down your main visitor task and list the pages, content and systems it needs. Mark what you already have and what still needs creating. Send the same overview to every supplier preparing a quote.
Then ask for the build price, recurring costs, exclusions and handover arrangements. Discuss uncertainties before signing. If you’re looking for website development, we can work out which approach fits the assignment. Book a call and bring your requirements or existing quotes.
