What a website really costs: agency, builder, DIY
A plain-English breakdown of what a website actually costs across agency, builder and alternative routes, plus the hidden ongoing bills.
The price you're quoted for a website is rarely the price you pay over a few years. The build is a one-off; the running costs, the tweaks, the "can you just add a page" jobs — those keep coming. So before you compare options, separate two things: what it costs to get the site live, and what it costs to keep it alive. Once you see both columns, the right choice for your business usually becomes obvious.
The three routes, and who each one suits
There are broadly three ways to get a website, and they suit very different people.
- An agency or freelancer builds it for you. You explain your business, they design and build, you review, it goes live. Best if you have no time, want it to look properly professional, or your site needs to do something specific (online booking, a shop, a members' area).
- A website builder you use yourself. Tools like Wix, Squarespace or WordPress-with-a-page-builder. You pick a template and fill in your own text and photos. Best if you have a few spare evenings, a clear idea of what you want, and a limited budget.
- The alternative: a simpler, faster route. A one-page site, a done-for-you template service, or a lightweight tool that gets you a clean, working page without the full agency process. Best if you mostly need to be found, look legitimate, and give people your details.
A two-van electrician who just needs to show up in local searches and take calls has very different needs from a restaurant taking table bookings. Match the route to the job, not to what sounds impressive.
The costs nobody puts on the quote
Whichever route you pick, some costs are easy to forget. Write them down so nothing surprises you later.
- Domain name. Your web address, renewed every year. Small, but ongoing — and it should be registered in your name, not buried in someone else's account.
- Hosting. Where the site actually lives. With a builder this is often bundled into the monthly fee. With an agency-built WordPress site you may pay for it separately.
- Email. A proper you@yourbusiness address is usually a separate subscription. Worth it — a Gmail address on your van looks less established.
- Changes and maintenance. New photos, updated opening hours, a fresh price list. With a builder you do these yourself for free. With an agency, ask up front what a small change costs and how quickly they turn it around.
- Photos and text. Good photos of your actual work and clear, honest text take time or money. This cost hits every route equally, and it's the part people most often underestimate.
How to compare quotes without getting lost
When you talk to an agency or freelancer, don't just ask "how much?" Ask these instead, and you'll get answers that are actually comparable:
- What's the one-off build price, and what's included? Number of pages, contact form, and whether text and photos are your job or theirs.
- What will I pay every month or year after launch? Get the ongoing figure in writing, separate from the build.
- Who owns the domain and the site? You should. Make sure you'll have the logins.
- What does a small change cost after launch? If updating your phone number is a paid job with a wait, that adds up.
- Can I edit anything myself? Even basic self-service for opening hours and news saves you money and hassle.
For a builder, the questions are simpler: what's the real monthly cost once you're past any intro offer, and does it include your domain and email or not?
A practical way to decide
Start from what the site genuinely needs to do. A local club that wants a noticeboard and a contact page does not need an agency project. A bakery that wants to show its cakes and its opening hours can do that on a builder in a weekend. A restaurant taking bookings, or a shop selling online, has real complexity — that's where paying someone often pays off.
Cheapest to build isn't always cheapest to own. A DIY site you never update, or an agency site you can't touch without paying, both cost you in the end.
Be honest about your own time and patience. If you'll enjoy tinkering, a builder saves real money. If touching a website makes you break out in a cold sweat, paying someone is money well spent — just make sure you own your domain and can get your content out if you ever move on.
For very simple needs, it's worth looking at a lightweight option before committing to a big build. That's the gap Foliovo aims to fill — but the questions above matter whichever route you choose.
