How Much Does a Company Website Cost? The Factors That Decide the Price

When you look for a company to build your website, you may receive quotes that are miles apart: some for a few million rupiah, others for tens of millions. Both can be perfectly reasonable. The difference lies in what is included, and in how much you still have to pay once the website is finished.

This article covers the factors that decide what a company website costs, the running costs that are often forgotten, and how to compare quotations fairly.

1. The number and type of pages

A simple company profile website usually has a handful of pages: home, about us, services and contact. A product catalogue website is much larger, because every product, category or industry can have its own page.

The more pages and types of content, the more design, development and content work is involved. So before asking for a quote, prepare a rough estimate: how many main pages you need and how many products will be shown.

2. Custom design or a template

A ready-made template is cheaper and faster, but your website may look like many others. A custom design is built around your brand identity, so it looks more professional and stands apart from your competitors.

Custom design takes more time and money because it goes through design, revision and refinement. For companies that sell to business customers, a professional look is often the first impression that decides whether a prospect gets in touch.

3. A CMS: managing it yourself or not

A website with a CMS (Content Management System) lets your team change products, articles and pages themselves without a developer. Building a CMS that is easy to use takes extra work, but over time it usually saves money because you don't pay every time you need a small change.

See also: What is a CMS and why does a company website need one.

4. Extra features

Some features that affect the cost:

• A request-for-quote form that notifies your team
• A website in more than one language
• Ad tracking integration (Google, Meta, TikTok)
• A blog or articles section
• An online shop and payments

Make sure you only pay for the features your business actually needs now. A well-built website can be extended in stages, so other features can be added when they are genuinely needed.

5. Content entry

Who puts the text, photos and product data into the website? This work is often underestimated, yet for a catalogue with dozens of products it can take days. Some quotes include the initial content entry and some don't. Ask clearly, including any limit on the number of products or pages that will be entered.

Up-front costs and running costs

The price of building a website is only the up-front cost. Some costs come back every month or every year:

• Hosting: where your website runs so it is available around the clock
• Domain name: renewed every year
• Maintenance: security updates, fixes when something goes wrong, and small changes

A quote that looks cheap at the start can become expensive if the running costs are high. On the other hand, a quote that already includes hosting and maintenance can work out cheaper overall. The fairest way to compare is to add up the total cost for the first one or two years, not just the up-front price.

Examples of different needs

To make this easier to picture, here are three common needs and the work they usually involve:

Company profile website

A few pages about the company, its services and how to get in touch, with a clean design and a simple form. Suits service companies that want to look professional when prospective customers look them up. If all you need is one page for an ad, read landing page or company website.

Product catalogue website with a CMS

Product, category and industry pages that your team can update themselves, often in more than one language. There is more work involved because it covers the catalogue structure, the CMS and entering product data.

Online shop

On top of the catalogue, there is a shopping basket, payments and shipping. This is the most complex need and usually requires more intensive maintenance.

Common mistakes

• Comparing only the up-front price: the following years turn out to cost far more than expected.
• The domain registered in the provider's name: when you want to switch providers, it turns out the website address isn't yours.
• No CMS: every small change has to wait and is billed separately, so the website is rarely updated.
• An unclear scope of work: the number of pages, revisions and content entry aren't written down, so extra costs appear halfway through. See what a website contract must cover.

Tips for comparing quotations

1. Ask for a breakdown of the work, not just a total price.
2. Ask about the cost for the second year and beyond.
3. Make sure the domain name is registered in your company's name.
4. Ask how many design revisions are included and the estimated timeline.
5. Ask what maintenance includes, and what work outside it costs.
6. Ask whether initial content entry is included, and what the limit is.

When does a website need updating or rebuilding?

A website is not a once-in-a-lifetime purchase. Technology, the way people search for information and your business needs all keep changing. A well-built website that is maintained regularly can last for years with just content updates and small adjustments.

There are, however, signs that a website needs rebuilding: it looks broken on mobile, it is very slow to load, it is hard to update, or it no longer reflects your business today. If you see several of these signs, rebuilding on the right foundations is often cheaper than continuing to patch up the old website.

Frequently asked questions

Is it cheaper to build a website yourself?

There are website builders you can use yourself for a monthly fee. They suit simple needs. But for a company website with a catalogue, several languages and a look that fits your brand, the time your team spends often costs more than a professional service.

Can I pay in instalments?

Many providers use staged payments tied to the stages of the work. Ask about the payment schedule early on so it fits your company's budget.

Is advertising included?

Usually not. Advertising on Google, Meta or TikTok is paid directly to those platforms. What a website provider can set up is the tracking, so the results of your ads can be measured.

The best quote isn't the cheapest one but the clearest one: you know exactly what you get, what it costs now and what it will cost next year.

If you are comparing quotations, also read how to choose a web design company.