"Website kitna ka banega?" is usually the first question a business owner asks, and it is a fair one. The trouble is that the honest answer is "it depends", which sounds like a dodge. Two websites that look similar on a phone screen can differ in price by ten times, and both quotes can be reasonable.
This guide explains what you are actually paying for, so that when you get three quotes from three developers you can tell which one is cheap, which one is fair and which one is padded. We will not throw around "average prices in India", because those numbers are mostly guesses. Instead, you will be able to work out what your website should involve, and judge any quote against that.
First, decide what kind of website you need
Most small business websites fall into one of four types. Knowing which one you need does more to control cost than any negotiation.
1. A simple business website (5 to 8 pages). Home, about, services or products, a gallery, contact, and perhaps a page for each branch. This is enough for most shops, clinics, coaching centres, manufacturers and service businesses. Its job is to look credible, show up when people search your name, and make it easy to call or WhatsApp you.
2. A content website. A business website plus a blog, location pages or detailed service pages, built to rank on Google for searches like "physiotherapy in Ghaziabad" or "packaging supplier Meerut". The build is not much harder; the ongoing writing is where the cost sits.
3. An online store. Product pages, cart, payments, shipping, GST invoices, stock and order management. This is a different level of work, because every product needs photos and descriptions, and every payment and delivery flow has to be tested.
4. A custom web application. Booking systems, customer portals, dashboards, calculators or anything with logins and custom logic. These are software projects and are priced as such.
If you are not sure, start with type 1. You can add a blog or a store later if the business needs it.
What you are paying for
A quote is really a bundle of separate pieces of work. Ask your developer to show them separately.
Design
Someone has to decide how the site looks on a phone and a laptop: layout, colours, fonts, spacing and how each page leads to a call or enquiry. A ready-made theme with your colours and logo costs less; a design made from scratch for your brand costs more. Neither is wrong. What matters is that it looks like your business, not like a template everyone else in town is using.
Development
Building the pages, making them fast, making forms work, connecting WhatsApp and call buttons, setting up the contact form so it actually reaches your inbox, and testing on real phones. On WordPress or Shopify much of this is configuration; on a custom build it is code.
Content
This is the part people forget to budget for. Words for every page, product descriptions, photos of your shop, your team and your work. A developer can build a beautiful empty website in a week, and then it sits for two months waiting for "the content". If you want the developer to write the text or arrange a photo shoot, expect that to be a separate line in the quote.
Basic SEO setup
Page titles, descriptions, headings, a sitemap, structured data for your business, Google Search Console and Analytics, and a link to your Google Business Profile. This should be part of any professional build. If a quote lists "SEO" as a large monthly add-on but does not include these basics in the build, ask why.
Domain, hosting and platform fees
These are running costs, paid every year or every month:
- Domain name (yourbusiness.in or .com): a yearly fee to a registrar. It is usually a small amount, but renewal prices can be higher than first-year offers, so check both.
- Hosting: where the website lives. Cheap shared hosting is fine for a small brochure site; a busy store needs better hosting.
- Platform fees: Shopify charges a monthly plan fee, and many themes and plugins charge yearly licences.
- Business email on your domain, if you want it.
Insist that the domain and hosting are registered in your name, with your email address, and that you receive all logins. Businesses lose their websites surprisingly often because the person who registered the domain moved on or stopped answering calls.
Maintenance
Websites are not "done" on launch day. WordPress, themes and plugins need updates, backups need to run, forms need checking, and offers and prices change. Some owners handle this themselves; others pay a monthly or yearly maintenance fee. Skipping maintenance is how sites get hacked; see what to do if your WordPress site is hacked.
Why two quotes can differ so much
Say you send the same brief to three people.
The first quotes very low. Usually that means a pre-built theme with demo content swapped for yours, no content writing, no testing on phones, cheap hosting registered in their name, and no maintenance. It may be perfectly fine for a tight budget, as long as you know that is what you are buying.
The second quotes in the middle. Typically a theme customised properly to your brand, a few rounds of changes, basic SEO setup, a contact form that works, and some training so you can update it.
The third quotes high. That might include custom design, professional copywriting, a photo shoot, detailed service and location pages, speed optimisation, and a year of maintenance. Or it might be padding. The only way to tell is to ask for a breakdown.
Questions to ask before you pay anything
- How many pages are included, and what happens if I need more later?
- Who writes the content, and who provides the photos?
- Which platform will you use, and why that one for my business?
- Will the domain, hosting and all logins be in my name?
- How many rounds of changes are included?
- Is basic SEO (titles, descriptions, sitemap, Search Console) part of the build?
- What are the yearly running costs after launch?
- What does maintenance cost, and what does it cover?
- Can I see two or three websites you built that are live now?
A developer who answers all of these clearly, in writing, is usually one you can work with.
Ways to keep the cost down without cutting corners
- Prepare your content first. Write rough text for each page and collect your photos before the project starts. It shortens the project and avoids paying for waiting time.
- Start smaller. Launch with the five pages that matter and add more later.
- Use a good theme rather than a fully custom design if your budget is limited. A well-chosen theme, properly customised, can look professional.
- Avoid plugins you do not need. Each one adds cost, slows the site and needs updates.
- Choose the platform that fits. Not every shop needs an online store, and not every store needs a custom build. Our WooCommerce to Shopify guide compares two common options for selling online.
What a website should earn back
The real question is not only "what does it cost?" but "what will it bring in?" A good small business website pays for itself through calls, WhatsApp messages, enquiry forms, direction requests and customers who trusted you because they found a professional site. Before you build, decide how you will measure that: a call tracking number, enquiry forms that tell you which page they came from, or simply asking new customers how they found you.
How we price websites at ArcBig
We do not publish a fixed website price, because a five-page clinic site and a 300-product store are not the same job. We send a written, itemised quote after a short call, listing pages, platform, content, running costs and maintenance separately, and the domain and hosting are always in your name. You can see the full cost before any work starts. See website development for what every build includes, or talk to us if you are in Modinagar, Ghaziabad or Meerut and want to meet in person. If you are choosing between developers, our guide on how to choose a website developer may help.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a basic website cost in India?
It depends on the number of pages, design, content and platform. A simple 5 to 8 page business website on a good theme costs far less than a custom design or an online store. Ask for an itemised quote so you can compare like with like.
Are there yearly costs after the website is built?
Yes. Domain renewal, hosting, any platform or plugin licences, business email and maintenance are ongoing costs. Ask for the yearly running cost in writing before you start.
Should the domain be registered in my name?
Always. The domain, hosting and all admin logins should be in your name and under your email address, so you keep control of your website whoever builds it.
Is WordPress cheaper than Shopify?
For a simple business website, WordPress is often cheaper. For an online store, Shopify's monthly fees can be worth it because hosting, security and checkout are handled for you. Compare the total cost over two or three years, not just the build price.
How long does it take to build a small business website?
Usually two to four weeks for a simple site, with most delays coming from content and approvals. Online stores take longer.