"How much does a website cost?" is the first question almost every small business owner asks me, and the honest answer — "it depends" — is also the most useless one. So in this article I'll do better: real 2026 price ranges from Bulgarian and European sources I read this week, what actually pushes a quote up or down, the running costs nobody mentions in the first call, and a short checklist you can use today to compare offers without getting burned.
The short answer: what a small business site costs in 2026
There is no official price index for websites — every quote covers a different scope. But when you put several current price guides side by side, clear bands appear. Treat everything below as indicative: it's what the market publishes, not a promise from any specific provider.
- Bulgaria, one-page / business-card site: roughly €350–800, according to a 2026 Bulgarian pricing guide by Zashev.
- Bulgaria, small business website: roughly €800–1,800 in the same guide; another Bulgarian overview (Max1, citing go2web4you) puts typical site builds at about €945–1,690.
- Bulgaria, corporate site with custom design: around €1,800–4,000, and above €4,000 once custom integrations come in.
- Western Europe: WebArs, an Austrian studio, gives €800–3,000 for a freelancer and €2,500–10,000 for an SME agency project, with shops and booking systems starting around €5,000.
So why does the same "five-page website" get quoted at €400 by one person and €4,000 by another? Because they're not selling the same thing.
What actually drives the price
When I scope a project, the number is built from a handful of decisions. Once you know them, quotes suddenly become comparable.
Template vs. custom design
A purchased theme with your logo dropped in is cheap. A layout designed around your customers, your offer and your brand takes real design hours — and usually converts better.
Number of page types
Ten pages that share one layout cost less than five pages that are all different (home, service, pricing, gallery, contact form with logic).
Functionality
Online booking, a shop, payment, multilingual content, integrations with your invoicing or CRM — each is its own mini-project.
Content
Who writes the texts and who makes the photos? Content is the most underestimated line in any budget and the most common reason launches slip.
SEO, speed and accessibility
Proper headings, fast loading, Google Business Profile setup and accessible forms are either included or quietly skipped. Ask which.
Support after launch
Updates, backups, small edits. Some quotes include a few months, some include nothing.
The costs that come after launch
The build is a one-time cost. The website itself is not. These running costs apply no matter who builds it:
- Domain: about €10–50 per year depending on the extension (Max1 guide).
- Hosting: roughly €3–50 per month — cheap shared hosting at the bottom, managed WordPress or shop hosting at the top.
- Maintenance: plugin and security updates, backups, fixes. WebArs estimates €10–50 per month when a freelancer maintains the site and €20–100 per month with an agency.
- Content and marketing: new photos, offers, ads — not a website cost as such, but the site is useless without it.
DIY builder, freelancer or agency?
There is no universally right answer, only the right fit for your stage.
You're testing an idea, you have time, and you're happy with a template. WebArs lists builders like Wix or Squarespace at around €15–40 per month plus your own hours. The catch: you are the designer, copywriter and SEO person.
The site has to bring in enquiries or sales, you need it to look like a real brand, and you'd rather spend your time running the business. A good freelancer or small studio gives you design, structure and a site that's easy for you to edit.
Agencies make sense for bigger scopes — many integrations, a team of stakeholders, ongoing campaigns. For most local businesses in Bulgaria, a solid independent designer covers everything at a fraction of the agency overhead.
What I charge — and what's included
Since this is my own blog, it would be odd not to be transparent. My website design projects start from €890. That covers a custom design (not a bought theme), a fast, mobile-first build that's set up to be found on Google and ready for GDPR and accessibility rules, and a site you can edit yourself. Most sites go live in 2–5 weeks, and every site comes with 3 months of free care after launch — fixes, small edits and help while you settle in.
If you also need a logo and visual system, brand identity is €690 and takes 2–3 weeks. Small jobs on an existing site start from €90. If you're outside Bulgaria, I work with clients across the EU — see why hire a web designer in Bulgaria.
A cheap website that brings no enquiries is the most expensive website you can buy.— the lesson behind most redesigns I do
How to compare quotes: a checklist for today
Before you sign anything, send every provider the same short brief and ask these questions. You'll be able to compare the answers line by line.
- Is the design custom or based on a purchased template?
- How many pages and page types are included?
- Who writes the texts and who supplies the photos?
- Is the domain registered in my name, and who owns the hosting account?
- What are the yearly running costs (domain, hosting, maintenance) after year one?
- Is basic SEO included — titles, descriptions, Google Business Profile, sitemap?
- Will I be able to edit texts and prices myself?
- How many revision rounds are included, and what is the realistic launch date?
- What happens after launch — is there a support period, and what does it cover?
- Can I see two or three live sites you've built for similar businesses?
Already have a site? Check it before you pay for a new one
Sometimes the right budget is smaller than you think — a slow, outdated site can often be fixed rather than rebuilt. Before you ask anyone for a quote, run the free website check: in about 20 seconds it gives your home page a score out of 100 and a plain-language list of what to fix across speed, Google, mobile, EU accessibility and GDPR. Take that report to any designer, including me, and you'll get a much more precise quote.
And if you'd rather start fresh, have a look at my web design service — send a few lines about your business and I'll reply with a clear, fixed quote.