The question comes up on every first call, sometimes before we have even said hello: "Reda, how much does a website cost?" And I get it. Nobody likes asking for a price and hearing "it depends". Yet that is partly the reality, like asking a garage the price of a car without saying which one. My goal here is precisely to turn that fog into clear numbers.

I have been building websites and applications for more than 15 years, mostly for businesses and SMEs in Hannut, Liège, Namur and across Wallonia, increasingly for English-speaking clients too. I have seen every budget go by, from the florist who just wants to exist on Google to the wholesaler selling online in three countries. The price of a website in Belgium is not magic: it depends on what you actually want.

In this article I give you 7 real budgets, with Belgian market ranges, who each formula is for and what is concretely included. I also cover recurring costs, the "free website" trap, and a simple method to set your own budget without getting it wrong. And if your project starts from zero, my complete guide to website creation in Belgium lays all the groundwork before we even talk numbers.

What really makes the price of a website vary

Before the numbers, let's set the basics, because understanding the levers spares you nasty surprises. Two websites that look alike on screen can differ in price by a factor of three. The difference is rarely about "design", and almost always about the amount of invisible work behind the pretty facade.

The first factor is the number of pages and the complexity of the content. A five-page site with a solid structure is not the same project as a forty-page site with detailed product sheets. The second is functionality: a contact form is quick; an online booking system with payment is not.

  • Content: if you provide texts and photos, we save time. If I have to write everything and organise a photo shoot, the quote rises logically.
  • Custom work: a unique design takes more hours than an adapted theme. Both are valid, they just play in different price leagues.
  • Integrations: connecting a calendar, a till system, a CRM, an invoicing tool. Every bridge adds technical work.
  • Multilingual: in Belgium, many need French and Dutch, often English too. Every language means extra content and maintenance.
  • SEO: a website designed for Google from day one is worth its investment, especially for local searches in Wallonia.

Keep these levers in mind while reading the budgets that follow. When a price looks high or suspiciously low, one of them almost always explains the gap. A good provider tells you clearly what is included, and above all what is not.

Blank kraft price tag tied with coral string on a dark desk, fountain pen beside it
A readable quote is worth gold: it says what the price of a website includes, and what it does not.

1. The essential showcase website (from €380)

This is the entry door, and often the best first step. The essential showcase site is a clean, fast, credible online presence with no useless frills. From €380, you get a one-to-three-page website that says clearly who you are, what you offer and how to reach you.

Who is it for? The shop owner or tradesman just starting out, or who has long survived on a Facebook page alone. Think of the hairdresser in Hannut who finally wants to show up on Google, the physiotherapist who wants her hours online, the florist who wants to show his arrangements. The goal is not to impress, but to exist seriously online.

What is generally included in this starter formula:

  • A clear homepage with your offer and a visible call to action.
  • Your contact details, a map, and a contact form that reliably lands in your inbox.
  • A responsive design, readable and pleasant on phone, tablet and desktop.
  • The technical basics of local SEO, so people from your area can find you.
  • The HTTPS certificate and a lightweight structure that loads fast.

If you are still hesitating between a real website and a social profile, I covered the question in website or Facebook page. For a local business built to last, the showcase site remains the safest, most profitable long-term investment.

2. The professional multi-page website

When your business grows, three pages are no longer enough. The professional showcase website is my most requested formula, because it matches the reality of most Belgian SMEs. Count on roughly €800 to €2500, depending on the number of pages and the care put into the design.

Here we are talking about five to a dozen pages: home, a detailed page per service, an "about" page that tells your story, work references, testimonials, an optional blog, contact. It is the website of a garage detailing its services, a restaurant presenting its menu, a local estate agency that needs to inspire trust.

What sets this formula apart from the essential showcase is not just extra pages. It is deeper work on structure, on the visitor's journey and on conversion. We think about what you want people to do, and we build the website around that goal.

What you are really paying for in a professional website

You are not paying for pages, you are paying for a commercial tool. A thought-out structure, texts that speak to your customers, a design that inspires trust and solid SEO. A well-made professional site works for you every day, like a salesperson who never sleeps and never takes holidays.

In this range we often add a blog, because it is an excellent lever for durable visibility. Publishing useful advice regularly, as I do here, helps you appear on Google for dozens of searches. This is also the stage where local SEO gets serious attention, a subject I go deep on in my guide to local SEO in Wallonia.

3. The high-end custom website

Here we change worlds. The high-end custom website is the opposite of the adapted template: everything is designed, coded and thought out specifically for you. Budgets often start around €3000 and can climb well beyond €8000 or €10000, depending on the project's ambition.

Who is it for? Companies whose website is a genuine strategic asset: a brand that wants to stand out visually, a services firm with client areas, a business that needs custom features no standard theme provides. If image and experience matter as much as content, this is the tier.

What is generally included at this level:

  • A fully original design, created from your identity, with no starting template.
  • Polished animations and interactions that make the browsing memorable.
  • Specific features: member areas, configurators, dashboards, business integrations.
  • Deep work on performance, accessibility and technical SEO.
  • A longer engagement, with several validation and adjustment phases.

Let's be honest: not everyone needs this level, and I say so frankly when that is the case. But for those who do, it is an investment that pays, because a truly unique website becomes a real advantage over the competition. The key is aligning the ambition with real business goals.

Three wooden blocks of increasing height lined up on a desk, small coral pennant on the tallest
From essential showcase to full custom: each price tier answers a precise need, not a whim.

4. The e-commerce store (from €890)

Selling online is a different trade from presenting a business. An e-commerce store is not a showcase site with a "buy" button: it is a real machinery of sales, payment, stock management and delivery. That is why it starts from €890, and climbs quickly with scale.

Who is it for? The retailer who wants to sell beyond his street, the artisan with creations to ship, the wholesaler taking orders online. Think of the local-produce shop that wants to deliver across Belgium, or the bike store selling accessories and parts.

What a basic store generally includes:

  • A product catalogue with sheets, photos, variants (size, colour) and stock management.
  • A cart and a smooth checkout funnel, optimised so buyers do not get lost on the way.
  • The payment methods Belgians expect, including Bancontact, card and bank transfer.
  • Delivery cost calculation and carrier connections.
  • An admin area to manage orders, customers and products without being a technician.

The price rises with the number of products, the automations (invoices, follow-up emails, tracking) and accounting integrations. If you are considering the leap, I really recommend my complete guide to the e-commerce website in Belgium, which details the 7 steps to launch serenely, from payments to VAT.

5. The mobile app (from €1490)

Sometimes a website is not enough, and an app makes sense. From €1490 you can build a useful mobile application, but let's be clear about what that budget covers. A simple, focused app, yes; a full social network, no. As with everything else, the price follows the complexity of what you ask the tool to do.

Who is it for? A business with recurring usage: a gym that wants booking and loyalty, a restaurant managing orders and deliveries, a service that needs to push notifications to its customers. An app makes sense when people come back often and want something practical at hand.

What strongly influences the price of an app:

  • One or two platforms: iOS alone, Android alone, or both at once.
  • User accounts, payments, notifications, maps or messaging.
  • Connection to an existing system, such as your till or management software.
  • Publication on the stores and compliance with their rules, which takes care.

My field advice: before paying for an app, ask yourself whether a well-made website, opened in the phone's browser, would not already cover 90% of the need. It often does, and the app can wait until usage is proven. Happy to talk it through via the contact page and decide together.

6. The AI chatbot and automation (setup from €390 + from €49/month)

Here is an area that has genuinely changed in recent years, and now serves even small businesses. An AI chatbot, like "Reda IA" greeting you at the bottom right of this page, answers your visitors' questions at any hour. Setup starts at €390, with a subscription from €49/month covering API costs and monitoring.

Why the monthly fee? Because a smart chatbot runs on artificial-intelligence services that have a usage cost, and it needs monitoring, updating and tuning. It is not a hidden charge, it is the fuel that keeps the tool running reliably, day and night.

Who is it for? Any business that keeps receiving the same questions: opening hours, prices, availability, address, terms. The chatbot answers instantly, qualifies the enquiry and leaves the important conversations to you. Automation goes further still: email follow-ups, appointment booking, WhatsApp replies.

  • Automatic answers to frequent questions, around the clock, even while you sleep.
  • Collection of interested prospects' contact details, delivered straight to you.
  • Connection to your calendar to offer time slots without endless back-and-forth.
  • WhatsApp and email automations so nothing goes unanswered.

If the subject intrigues you, I wrote a dedicated article on the AI chatbot for SMEs and another on WhatsApp automation. Done well, these tools do not replace the human: they spare him the repetitive tasks so he can focus on what really counts, the customer relationship.

7. Recurring costs: domain, hosting, maintenance and updates

This is the part too often forgotten in the launch excitement, and that is a shame, because it conditions your website's lifespan. A website is not a one-off purchase like a sign screwed to the wall. It is more like premises: once installed, there are regular charges to keep it clean and functional.

The recurring items, with prudent Belgian market ranges:

  • The domain name: your address, for example yourbusiness.be. Count roughly €10 to €20 per year for a .be. It is little, but must be renewed without fail, or you lose it.
  • Hosting: where your website lives. Often €5 to €30 per month for a showcase site, more for a store that needs extra resources.
  • Maintenance: security updates, backups, monitoring. Depending on the formula, from a few dozen to a few hundred euros per year.
  • Content updates: changing hours, adding a page, publishing a promotion. Either you do it yourself, or you delegate it to me ad hoc.

Why does maintenance matter so much? Because an abandoned website becomes vulnerable, then slow, then broken. Web security is not a luxury: best practices are extensively documented by Google's search teams, and a hacked website plummets in the results. Better to maintain than to repair in a panic.

The honest three-year calculation

To compare two quotes, do not look only at the starting price. Add the build, then three years of domain, hosting and maintenance. That total cost is what counts. A €380 website with reasonable annual costs can end up cheaper, over time, than an "all-inclusive" offer whose subscription swells year after year.

"Free" versus custom: the real hidden cost

Hard to talk prices without addressing the mirage of free. Platforms everywhere promise a "free" website in a few clicks, Wix and friends, or template marketplaces at ten euros. On paper, tempting. In real life, the calculation is subtler, and free usually has a price.

First, "free" rarely stays free for long. The no-cost version shows ads, imposes an address like yourname.wix.com, and limits features. To get your own domain and remove the ads, you need a paid subscription, month after month, which ends up exceeding the cost of a real website within a few years.

Then there is the hidden cost of your time. Building a site "yourself" takes hours, evenings, weekends. For an independent professional, that time has real value. While you wrestle with an online editor, you are not serving your customers or advancing your trade.

Finally, there is dependency. With a closed platform, you rent a spot where you own neither the walls nor the keys. If prices change, if the service closes, if you want to leave, recovering your work can be an obstacle course. With a custom website, you are at home.

The cheapest at the start is almost never the cheapest at the finish. What counts is the total cost and the freedom you keep over your own tool.

Are these platforms worthless? No. To test an idea over a weekend, they have their place. But as soon as your website has to bring in customers and represent your business seriously, local custom work becomes the healthier option. You get a real contact person, real advice, and a website that truly belongs to you.

How to set your website budget without getting it wrong

Now that you know the ranges, how do you set yours? I always suggest the same simple method that works. Instead of starting from the price, start from the goal. A website is an investment: it must earn more than it costs, otherwise it is just a decorative expense.

Ask yourself three questions, in this order, before even requesting a quote:

  1. What must this website do for me? Build awareness, take appointments, sell products, reassure prospects? The goal determines the formula, not the other way round.
  2. What is a new customer worth to me? If a customer is worth €500 to you, a website that brings a few per month pays for itself quickly, even at €2000.
  3. What is my horizon? A project meant to last three or five years deserves a bit more initial investment than a quick test.

Then be honest about what you can provide. Do you already have texts, a logo, quality photos? If yes, we save money. If not, budget for that work, because a beautiful website with blurry photos is like a lovely shop window badly lit: it hurts more than it helps.

My approach, when we discuss a project, is to start from your reality and your budget, not to sell you the most expensive formula. I would rather have a happy client with a well-made showcase site than an indebted client with an oversized one. You can browse all my services to get a sense of what is possible.

Why the cheapest often costs the most

I will finish with a field truth I have seen repeat itself too often. The lowest quote is rarely the best deal, and I will tell you why without diplomatic varnish. When a price looks abnormally low, something is always missing, and that something ends up costing you, in money or in trouble.

The classic scenario, I know it by heart. A business owner picks the cheapest offer, sometimes abroad, sometimes a resourceful acquaintance. At first all goes well. Then the site crawls, never shows on Google, breaks on mobile, or nobody answers when a bug appears. In the end, everything has to be redone, and he pays twice.

What you pay extra for with a local professional is not free margin, it is peace of mind:

  • A reachable contact person who speaks your language, English or French, and knows the Belgian market.
  • A website designed for Google from day one, not a pretty invisible object.
  • Honest advice, including when it means telling you not to spend.
  • Clean work the next provider can take over without breaking everything.

The same goes for redesigns. Many websites I take over were built too fast and too cheap, then abandoned. If that sounds familiar, my article on website redesign lists the unmistakable signs. And if you are starting out around Hannut, my guide to website creation in Hannut walks through the whole process, step by step.

One last word on trust, valid across Wallonia. Whether you are in Hannut, Waremme or elsewhere, choosing a nearby provider, as for website creation in Huy, means securing human follow-up over time. A good website is a relationship, not a transaction you forget the next day. The right price is the one that keeps that promise.