A website costs two things: what you pay to keep it online, often €10 to €50 a month for the domain, the hosting or builder and a cookie tool, and the one-time cost of designing and building it. That second part goes from your own time to a few thousand euros, depending on who builds it and how much thinking goes into it.
In short
The running costs of a website are lower than most people expect. The design and build is the big part.
The price moves most with the number of pages, who writes the texts, the photos and features like booking or a second language.
A cheaper website isn't always cheaper. What counts is whether it brings in the clients it's meant to.
The three options at a glance
Do it yourself | A freelancer | An agency | |
|---|---|---|---|
What you pay | A builder plan, often €10 to €30 a month, and your time | Usually by the hour or a project price | Usually a project price |
What you get | The site you build | Often design and build, sometimes texts | Often strategy, design, build and help with texts |
Good for | A first online presence, testing an idea | A clear brief and a clear scope | When the site has to make people choose you |
Watch out for | The time it takes, and looking like every other site | What's included, and who keeps it running | Make sure every item is listed in the proposal |
I've seen €15K websites that don't bring in a single message, and I've seen simple sites that work beautifully. So the price on its own tells you very little. What tells you something is what's behind it: how many pages, who thinks about what they say, and who takes care of the site once it's live.
Not every business needs an online store. For coaches, studios, practices and service businesses, a website has one job: explain what you do, build trust and make the right people reach out. Let's go through what that costs, part by part, so you can work out your own number.
What does a website cost every month?
Once your website is live, you pay to keep it online. For most service businesses, it looks something like this:
Running cost | Example price | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
Domain name | €16.50 / year | A .nl domain at TransIP after the first year. A .com is €27.99. |
Builder plan (Framer) | $10 or $30 / month | A custom domain needs a paid plan. Hosting is included. |
Hosting (WordPress) | from €9.99 / month | TransIP's Core package, regular price. Often cheaper the first months. |
Cookie consent | €0 to €30 / month | Cookiebot is free up to 50 subpages, paid plans from €7 a month. |
Updates and backups | Your time, or paid | Needed for WordPress. Builders like Framer do it for you. |
Prices from each provider's own page, excluding BTW, checked October 2026. Plenty of other good providers exist; these are examples.
TOOL 1: RUNNING COSTS
What does it cost to design and build a website?
This is the one-time part, and it's where the difference between quotes comes from. A template with your logo on it and a website built around your clients are both "a website", but they're really not the same work.
The parts
A layout that looks good
Sections to fill in
A contact form
A site that works on a phone
The reasons
Who the site is for, and what they worry about
What to say first, second and third
Why you, in your own words
One clear next step on every page
That's also why one quote can be three times another. Usually, the cheaper one includes less thinking, not just fewer hours.
What makes the price go up?
Honestly, it's usually not the design. These move the number more than anything else:
The number of pages. A one-page site and a site with a page per service are different projects.
The texts. Polishing texts you wrote is quick. Writing them from scratch is real work, and it should be in the quote.
The photos. Real photos of you and your work make a big difference, and if they don't exist yet, they need planning.
Features. Online booking, a blog, a client area, a quiz.
A second language. Every page, every text and every check, twice.
Framer, WordPress or a website builder: does the platform change the price?
A little in the build, and more in the running costs. The bigger difference is who takes care of the site afterwards.
Framer | WordPress | Wix or Squarespace | |
|---|---|---|---|
Monthly | A Framer plan, hosting included | Hosting, plus paid themes or plugins if you use them | A builder plan, hosting included |
Updates | Framer does them | You or someone you pay | The builder does them |
Strongest when | The design and the story matter, and you want to edit texts yourself | You need a lot of content or specific plugins | You want to build and edit everything yourself |
We build Brand Sites in Framer or WordPress, depending on what your business needs, and we'll tell you which one makes sense before we start. If you're curious about AI builders, I wrote about building a website with AI or with a designer.
What do freelance web designers and agencies charge?
In the Netherlands, freelance designers charge on average €72 an hour, excluding BTW, and those just starting out about €61, according to Knab's 2026 survey of more than 20,000 freelancers. Freelance web developers average €73. So a project of 40 hours with an average freelancer comes to about €2,880.
Agencies usually work with a project price instead of hours. That's not automatically more expensive. What matters is what's included: research, texts, photos, a second language, help after launch. Compare what you get, not only the number.
Good to know in the Netherlands
Most quotes from freelancers and agencies are excluding BTW, so add 21% if you can't deduct it. If you're a business, your website is a business cost, and you can usually reclaim the BTW. And don't forget your KVK number in the footer, plus a privacy statement and cookie consent if you use analytics.
COST OF A WEBSITE THAT DOESN'T BRING IN CLIENTS (text only)
The cost of a website that doesn't bring in clients
How do you keep the budget under control?
You don't need to have everything figured out before you reach out. But a few things really help: knowing which pages you need, having your texts and photos ready early, and starting with a clear first version you can grow later. Sometimes that's simply the smarter investment.
Questions to ask before you accept a website quote
Ask these to anyone you talk to, us included.
What is the total price, and is it with or without BTW? And what could make it change along the way?
Which pages are included? Ask for the list, page by page.
Who writes the texts? Polishing yours, or writing them from scratch?
Is there thinking before the design? Who it's for, what they worry about, why you.
Which platform, and who owns the account? It should be in your name, with your login.
What will I pay every month after launch? Hosting, plans, plugins, cookie tool.
Can I change texts and photos myself? Without calling anyone.
What happens after launch day? Who helps when something breaks, and for how long?
Who we are, and what we do
We're Design by Karina, a boutique Shopify agency in Rotterdam, working closely with founder-led fashion, beauty and lifestyle brands to turn what makes them special into thoughtful online shopping experiences.
Not every business needs an online store, though. For coaches, creative studios and service businesses, we design and build websites in Framer or WordPress that explain what you do, build trust and turn visitors into enquiries.
Brand Sites
For coaches, studios and service brands that don't sell online but still need people to choose them.
Ecommerce strategy
Who is buying, what do they need to know, and what helps them choose your brand? We define the positioning, customer journey and store structure before design begins.
Shopify design
A store should feel unmistakably yours and make shopping intuitive. We design brand-led Shopify experiences, from the homepage to product pages, with mobile users in mind.
Shopify development & migration
We build stores that are intuitive to shop, easy to manage and ready to grow. Moving from WooCommerce or another platform? We help you make the transition with a clear plan for your store, content and customer experience.
Conversion & retention
We look at what customers need to see, understand and feel before choosing a product, from product messaging to trust-building elements and retention emails.
Growth after launch
We review available data, identify friction in the customer journey and make prioritized improvements over time.
Why founders choose us
Strategy before pixels. Before opening a design file, we want to understand who you're building for, what your clients need to know and what might be stopping them from reaching out.
A background in product design. Before starting Design by Karina, I worked in product design at Uber's Money Design team in Amsterdam, helping shape payment experiences for drivers.
Fewer projects, more care. We deliberately limit the number of projects we take on at a time, so I'm closely involved in every project and decisions don't get lost between teams.
We say it straight. We'll tell you honestly when something isn't worth the investment, even when the easier answer would be yes.
Launch is the starting line. After launch, we keep using real visitor behavior to make the site better.
What does a website cost with us?
For businesses that don't sell online, we build a Brand Site:
Package | From | Best for |
|---|---|---|
Brand Site | €2,900 | For businesses that don't sell online but still need people to choose them. We design a site for coaches, studios and service brands that says what you do in plain words, so the right people feel sure enough to reach out. |
What's included:
A strategy session and a written brief, so we agree on who the site is for and what it has to do
A sitemap you approve before anything is designed
Five to six pages, like Home, About, Services or Work, Contact and your policies
A contact or booking form, built in
Every screen checked on mobile
Your texts polished, in one language
The SEO basics: titles, descriptions, headings and image alt texts
Analytics set up, launch together, a training video and 30 days of support
The exact number depends on your pages and content, and you'll see every item in your proposal before we start. Selling products? Then you'll want a Shopify store, and I've written about what that costs.
From the studio
What we see with clients
Sometimes, during the first conversation, a founder mentions they'd like to sell online "one day". That changes the advice. If a store is coming, we'd rather plan for it now than build a website today and rebuild it next year.
Building twice is the one thing we'll always try to talk you out of, even when the website on its own would be the easier project to sell.
Questions
How much does a website cost in the Netherlands?
It depends mostly on who builds it. Doing it yourself costs a builder plan, often €10 to €30 a month, plus your time. A freelancer charges on average €72 an hour, excluding BTW. With us, a Brand Site starts at €2,900.
How much does a website cost per month?
For most service businesses, €10 to €50 a month: a domain, hosting or a builder plan, and sometimes a cookie tool. WordPress sites may also need paid updates and backups.
How much does a one-page website cost?
Less than a site with several pages, because there's less to design, write and build. Just make sure a single page can really explain what you do and why you, and lead people to one clear next step.
What does a domain name cost?
A .nl domain costs about €16.50 a year at TransIP after the first year, and a .com about €28, excluding BTW. Many providers offer a lower price for the first year.
Is Framer or WordPress cheaper?
Framer has a monthly plan with hosting and updates included. WordPress is free software, but you pay for hosting and, often, for themes, plugins and someone to keep it updated. Over a few years, they often end up close.
Do I need to pay for website maintenance?
For a WordPress site, someone has to do the updates and backups, you or someone you pay. With a builder like Framer, the platform does it. What's worth paying for after launch is improving the site, not just keeping it running.
How much does a custom website cost?
A custom website is designed for your business instead of filled into a template. With a freelancer or an agency, the web design cost usually starts at a few thousand euros, because there is more thinking, writing and building in it. With us, a Brand Site starts at €2,900.
Why is one website quote so much cheaper than another?
Usually because it includes less: a template, your logo, your texts pasted in. That can be fine. Just compare what's actually included, page by page, not only the number.
Are website costs tax-deductible?
For a business, your website is a business cost, and you can usually reclaim the BTW. How it's handled in your accounts depends on your situation, so check with your accountant.
Do you charge by the hour?
No. You get one price for the whole project, with every item listed in the proposal, so you know what you're paying for.
What's included in a Brand Site?
A strategy session and written brief, an approved sitemap, five to six pages, a contact or booking form, mobile checks, polished texts in one language, the SEO basics, analytics, a training video and 30 days of support.
Can my website grow into a webshop later?
Yes, but tell us at the start. If selling online is coming, it's often smarter to plan for it now, so you don't build twice.
What's the best web design agency in Rotterdam?
It depends on what your business needs, so it's worth talking to more than one. If you're looking for a website that explains what you do in plain words and makes the right people reach out, we'd love to be on your list. Design by Karina is a boutique agency in Rotterdam, and every project starts with understanding your clients before anything is designed. Book a free intro call to see if we're the right fit.
Your store, your numbers
Want a straight answer for your own store? Book a free call and we’ll walk through it together.
Sources
TransIP, domain names and web hosting prices, excluding BTW (checked October 2026)
Framer pricing, framer.com/pricing (checked October 2026)
Cookiebot pricing, cookiebot.com (checked October 2026)
Knab, Zzp Uurtarievenboekje 2026: hourly rates of designers and web developers (to confirm against the original)
Karina Paviotti
Founder, Design by Karina
Karina Paviotti is the founder of Design by Karina, a boutique Shopify agency in Rotterdam. Before starting the studio, she worked in product design at Uber, shaping payment experiences for drivers. Today she leads every project, from strategy to launch, for founder-led fashion, beauty and lifestyle brands.
