Website Creation Costs: What Marketing Leads Need to Budget

The costs for a professional website in Austria range from € 1,000 for a simple presence to over € 30,000 for a complex e-commerce platform. The final price depends on scope, design, and technical features. With a clear requirements profile you stay in control. A pragmatic CMS can drastically shorten the time to publish new content and enable your team to run campaigns without developers.

TL;DR: What you can do right away

• Define requirements: Create an internal briefing with all "must-have" features to establish budget clarity.
• Plan ongoing costs: Budget 15–20 % of the initial creation costs per year for maintenance, licenses, and security.
• Measure ROI: Define 3 core KPIs (e.g., Conversion Rate, organic traffic, load time) to prove the investment’s success.
• Choose the right partner: Decide between builder, freelancer, or agency based on complexity and strategic needs.
• Focus on efficiency: Use a technical solution that lets your marketing team publish content quickly and independently.

Problem → Desired Outcome

As a Marketing Lead you know the problem: Budgeting for a new website feels like looking into a crystal ball. Unclear costs for website creation paralyze planning and tie up resources. Your goal is to make informed decisions based on realistic figures that deliver real value. A clear framework helps you steer investments and empowers your team to publish content quickly and measurably boost company performance.

In 5 Steps to a Transparent Website Budget

1. Define requirements (Who: Marketing Lead): Create an internal requirements document. List all "Must-have" and "Nice-to-have" features. Due: End of this week.
2. Determine ongoing costs (Who: Project Lead): Create a checklist for hosting, maintenance, and licenses. Have potential vendors fill it out to understand annual total costs. Due: Before partner selection.
3. Set KPIs (Who: Marketing Team): Define 3–4 measurable goals (e.g., conversion rate +20 %, load time < 1.8s). Set up a Google Analytics 4 dashboard. Due: Before project kickoff.
4. Evaluate partners (Who: CMO/Marketing Lead): Request proposals from freelancers and agencies. Compare not only price but also strategic approach and references. Due: Within 2 weeks.
5. Establish Change-Request process (Who: Project Lead): Define a clear process with the chosen partner. Each new requirement must be evaluated and approved in writing. Due: At kickoff meeting.

Real-World Example: Lead Generation in B2B

A mid-sized technology company faced the challenge that its website was outdated and generated few qualified leads.

• Before: The load time (LCP) was 4.2 seconds. The demo-request conversion rate hovered at 0.8%. The marketing team needed on average 5 days to publish a new landing page.
• The investment: A relaunch focused on performance and a flexible CMS for € 18,000.
• After: The LCP improved to 1.5 seconds. The demo-request conversion rate rose to 1.5 % (+88 %) within 3 months. Time to publish landing pages dropped to under 2 hours, drastically increasing campaign agility.

Checklist: Your Requirements Document (Template)

Copy this template and adapt it for your internal briefing.

# Website Requirements Document: [Your Project Name]

**1. Goals (What do we want to achieve?)**
- Primary goal: [e.g., increase lead generation by 25%]
- Secondary goal: [e.g., increase brand awareness in target group X]

**2. Target Audience (Who are we addressing?)**
- Primary audience: [e.g., technical buyers in manufacturing]
- Secondary audience: [e.g., HR managers for recruiting]

**3. Must-Have Features (Essential)**
- [ ] Multilingualism (DE/EN)
- [ ] GDPR-compliant contact form with CRM integration (HubSpot)
- [ ] Blog / News section
- [ ] [...]

**4. Nice-to-Have Features (Desirable)**
- [ ] Customer login area
- [ ] Event calendar
- [ ] [...]

**5. Technical Requirements**
- CMS: Must allow Marketing team independent content management
- Hosting: EU/Austria location
- Performance: Core Web Vitals in the green

**6. Budget & Timeline**
- Creation budget: [e.g., € 15,000 - € 20,000]
- Ongoing costs budget: [e.g., € 3,000 / year]
- Desired go-live: [e.g., Q3 2024]

KPIs & Measurement

Measure the success of your investment to prove ROI.

• Conversion Rate (Leads/Requests): Track the number of completed goals (e.g., form submissions) divided by visitors. Where: Google Analytics 4.
• Cost per Lead (CPL): Divide total website costs (including ongoing costs) by the number of generated leads in a given period. Where: CRM / Excel sheet.
• Time-to-Publish: Measure the average time from content idea to publication. Where: Internal project management tool.
• Largest Contentful Paint (LCP): Monitor load time to ensure user experience. Where: Google Search Console.

Pitfalls & Quick Fixes

• Problem: Unplanned additional costs due to new requirements.
  • Fix: Define a clear "Change Request" process. Each change is evaluated and approved separately.
• Problem: The marketing team is dependent on IT.
  • Fix: Prioritize a CMS like JET-CMS that caters to marketing teams and provides independence.
• Problem: Ongoing costs are forgotten in the budget.
  • Fix: Create a list of all potential ongoing costs (hosting, maintenance, licenses) and have providers confirm them.
• Problem: The new website does not yield better results.
  • Fix: Define clear, measurable KPIs before project start and monitor them monthly.
• Problem: Proposals are not comparable.
  • Fix: Use your internal requirements document as a single basis for all requests.

GDPR Note

When choosing tools and hosting providers, ensure GDPR compliance. A professional cookie consent management and a hosting location within the EU (ideally the DACH region) are required to minimize legal risks.

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What Your Website Really Costs: The Key Cost Drivers

Whoever wants to control the costs of website creation must know the main cost drivers: design, features, content, and technical implementation. A clear definition of these points prevents financial surprises.

Design and User Experience (UX)

You can choose between a ready-made template and a custom design.

• A template is cost-effective and quick. The downside is limited flexibility.
• A custom UX/UI design is a higher upfront investment but pays off with a better user experience and higher conversion rates.

Technical Functionality

Each additional function increases complexity and cost. Clarify the need for:

• Complex contact forms
• Interfaces (APIs) to CRM or ERP systems
• User logins or customer areas
• Multilingualism
• GDPR-compliant consent management

Content and CMS

High-quality content is a direct investment in SEO and lead generation and in sustainable business success. The costs for creation are often underestimated. A modern Content Management System enables your team to publish content quickly and without IT support, reducing ongoing costs.

The Technology Choice

The technical base influences performance, scalability, and maintenance. A rigid platform later requires expensive adjustments. A scalable architecture is pricier upfront but saves costs long-term and enables growth.

The Right Choice: Builder, Freelancer, or Agency?

Deciding who implements your website determines quality, timeline, and strategic impact. Each option has its own advantages and drawbacks.

Criterion	Builder (DIY)	Freelancer	Agency
Costs	Very low (from about €15 / month)	Moderate (hourly rates about €80–€120)	High (projects from about €10,000)
Internal Time Required	Very high	Moderate (coordination & briefing)	Low (strategic alignment)
Expertise	Limited to user	Specialized in 1–2 areas	Comprehensive (team of experts)
Strategic Advisory	None	Limited	Core part of the offering
Scalability	Highly limited	Depends on person & technology	Very high, designed for growth

• Builder: Good for small businesses with a minimal budget. Once special features are needed, you hit hard limits.
• Freelancer: Ideal for clearly defined projects. You get specialized knowledge, but strategic overall responsibility remains with you.
• Agency: The right partner for mid-sized companies seeking a strategic, holistic solution. You receive an expert team and a scalable platform. While initial website creation costs are higher, you benefit from professional project management and better business results.

Hidden and Ongoing Costs Not to Overlook

The investment does not end at go-live. Ongoing expenses burden the budget long-term and must be planned from the start.

• Technical operating costs: Plan annual costs for hosting (from € 10/month), domain (€ 15–50/year) and SSL certificate (up to € 100/year).
• Maintenance & licenses: Budget annually 15–20 % of the creation costs for security updates, backups, and support. License fees for premium plugins may also apply.
• Legal requirements (GDPR): Professional cookie consent tools often cost € 30–50 per month. Updates to imprint and privacy policy are also necessary.