Web design pricing: what are you paying for?
"What does a website cost?" The answer is always the same: it depends. But that's not a very useful answer. Here's a concrete overview of what determines the price, and what you can expect at different price levels.
The 5 biggest price drivers
1. Custom design vs. template
The single biggest factor. A design built from scratch requires research, wireframes, mockups and multiple revision rounds. A template requires color and content customization.
- Template: 5,000-12,000 DKK
- Custom design: 15,000-40,000 DKK
2. Number of pages and content
More pages = more work. But it's not just about the number — the complexity of each page counts too.
- 5 standard pages: Base price
- 10-15 pages with mixed layout: +30-50%
- Content you provide vs. copy we write: Copywriting typically costs 500-1,500 DKK per page
3. Functionality
Simple informational pages are cheaper than pages with advanced functionality:
| Functionality | Price indication |
|---|---|
| Contact form | Included |
| Blog | Included |
| Booking system | 3,000-8,000 DKK |
| Webshop (WooCommerce) | 5,000-20,000 DKK |
| Customer portal/login | 8,000-25,000 DKK |
| Payment integration | 3,000-10,000 DKK |
| Multilingual | 3,000-8,000 DKK |
4. Who you hire
Not all providers cost the same — and there's a reason:
- DIY website builder (Wix, Squarespace): 100-300 DKK/mo, you do everything yourself
- Hobbyist: 3,000-8,000 DKK, limited experience
- Freelancer: 8,000-35,000 DKK, personal service
- Agency: 25,000-100,000 DKK+, team-based
5. Ongoing costs
A website is not a one-time purchase. Budget for:
- Hosting: 500-3,000 DKK/year
- Domain: 100-200 DKK/year
- Maintenance: 300-2,000 DKK/mo
- Plugin licenses: 500-3,000 DKK/year
Pricing examples from reality
Startup package (~8,000 DKK)
WordPress with a customized template, 5 pages, contact form, basic SEO. You provide text and images yourself.
Business site (~20,000 DKK)
Custom design, 8-10 pages, speed and SEO optimization, Independent Analytics/Plausible, responsive design. Copy consultation included.
Webshop (~35,000 DKK)
WooCommerce with product catalog, payment, shipping, customer accounts. Design tailored to your products. Training in administration.
What should you prioritize?
If the budget is tight, prioritize in this order:
- Mobile-friendly design — 60%+ of visitors are on mobile
- Speed — a slow site loses customers
- Clear CTA — visitors need to know what to do
- SEO foundation — otherwise nobody finds your site
Fancy animations, parallax effects and video backgrounds are nice-to-have — not need-to-have.
Want a price estimate?
Contact me with a short project description, and I'll quickly get back to you with a non-binding estimate.
