Website creation costs: A guide for CMOs

A new website for your business costs between 600 € for a simple campaign page and over 10,000 € for a tailored solution with CRM integration. The final Website creation costs depend on the chosen technology and the implementation partner. What matters is how quickly your marketing team can publish content autonomously.

TL;DR: What you as a CMO should know

• Cost range: Plan for a professional SME website in Austria with an initial investment of 1,900 € to 15,000 €. Ongoing costs for hosting, maintenance and licenses amount to about 5–15 % of the development costs per year.
• Problem → Solution: Long waits for IT or agencies block campaigns. A flexible CMS gives your marketing team control back and reduces the Time-to-Publish from days to hours.
• Technology choice: Website builders are inexpensive but limit branding and scalability. Agencies deliver craftsmanship but create dependencies. Headless systems like JET-CMS offer an agile middle path.
• Measurable success: A relaunch to a flexible system can increase the number of published campaign pages by +300 %, since operational hurdles disappear.
• Next step: Use our checklist to define your requirements. This creates a clear basis for proposals and prevents costly rework.

The problem: Slow processes slow down marketing

Your marketing team has a brilliant campaign idea, but implementation fails due to technical hurdles. Setting up a simple landing page takes days because it must go through external service providers or the overworked IT department. This bottleneck costs not only time and money but also valuable market opportunities. The goal is clear: you need a digital platform that enables your team to publish content quickly and autonomously to execute campaigns flexibly and boost lead generation.

In 5 steps to efficient website management

Follow this guide to remove operational blockers and regain control over your web content. Each step is designed to deliver quickly actionable results.

1. Define internal requirements (create briefing) Set the top-3 goals for your website (e.g., "20 % more MQLs in 6 months"). Define must-have features like CRM integration or multilingual support. This creates a clear decision basis.

   • Who: Marketing leadership
   • What: Fill out the checklist (see below)
   • Deadline: End of the week

2. Evaluate technology approach Determine which path is right for you: a fast builder, a full-service agency, or a flexible headless CMS. Assess the options based on cost, flexibility, and your team's independence. A system like JET-CMS significantly reduces external dependencies.

   • Who: Marketing leadership & IT lead
   • What: Evaluate pros and cons of the three approaches
   • Deadline: Next week

3. Request and compare proposals Send your detailed briefing to 2–3 potential partners. Pay attention not only to price but ask specifically about the process for content updates and ongoing costs. Compare the "Time-to-Publish" for typical marketing tasks.

   • Who: Marketing leadership
   • What: Request proposals based on the briefing
   • Deadline: Within 2 weeks

4. Implementation with a focus on team autonomy During the rollout, ensure the system is optimized for your marketing team. Demand a simple user interface and comprehensive training. The goal is that everyone on the team can maintain content without programming knowledge.

   • Who: Lead project manager (Marketing)
   • What: Request and document user training
   • Deadline: Before go-live

5. Define KPIs and measure success Define clear metrics to measure success (see section "KPIs & Measurement"). Monitor the Time-to-Publish and the number of implemented campaigns. This makes the ROI of the new solution visible.

   • Who: Marketing analyst / Marketing leadership
   • What: Set up KPI dashboard in Google Analytics
   • Deadline: First week after go-live

Case study: How a relaunch tripled content speed

A medium-sized B2B company suffered from extremely slow processes. Each content update took an average of 72 hours, because it ran through the IT department. This blocked fast execution of marketing campaigns.

After the relaunch with a flexible headless CMS, the marketing team could publish landing pages and content updates themselves in under 2 hours.

• Metric: The number of published campaign landing pages rose in the first quarter after the relaunch from 4 to 12 (+300 %).
• Result: The company could react faster to market opportunities, directly increasing the number of qualified leads.

Note: A website relaunch can boost performance but requires clean SEO planning to maintain rankings. Ensure 301 redirects and metadata transfer.

Checklist: Website budget and partner selection

Copy this template and use it as an agenda for your internal kickoff meeting. A clear briefing is the key to precise proposals and a successful project.

## Website Briefing: [Your Company] ##

**1. Strategic Foundations & Goals:**
- Top-3 project goals (e.g. +20% leads, -15% bounce rate):
- Primary target audience (brief description / persona):
- Core message / Unique Selling Proposition (USP):

**2. Functional & Technical Requirements:**
- Must-have features (e.g. blog, multilingual, event calendar):
- Necessary system integrations (e.g. HubSpot, Salesforce, ERP):
- Content management responsibilities (Who maintains content?):
- Legal requirements (GDPR, accessibility):

**3. Budget & Timeline:**
- Rough initial budget:
- Planned go-live date:

KPIs & Measurement: How to measure success

To prove the ROI of your website, focus on these metrics. They show the direct impact on business goals.

• Time-to-Publish: Measure the time from content idea to live publication. A value under 2 hours is excellent.
  • Where: Internal tracking (e.g., in the project management tool).
• Lead conversion rate: What percentage of visitors fill out a form?
  • Where: Google Analytics (goals) or your CRM.
• Content efficiency: How many new landing pages or blog posts does your team publish per month?
  • Where: Internal tracking.
• Core Web Vitals (LCP, FID, CLS): Technical performance values that affect user experience and SEO.
  • Where: Google Search Console.

Common pitfalls & quick solutions

1. Problem: Unclear requirements lead to budget overruns.
   • Solution: Use the checklist above to create a detailed briefing before requesting proposals.
2. Problem: Ongoing costs for small changes explode due to agencies.
   • Solution: Choose a CMS that enables your team to independently manage 90% of the content. Clarify support-hour costs in advance.
3. Problem: SEO rankings drop after relaunch.
   • Solution: Create a complete URL mapping and set up 301 redirects for all old pages. Plan website relaunch SEO as a fixed project component.
4. Problem: The new website isn’t connected to the CRM; leads must be transferred manually.
   • Solution: Define all necessary integrations (e.g. to Salesforce or HubSpot) in the briefing as "Must-have".
5. Problem: The design isn’t flexible enough for new campaign layouts.
   • Solution: Use a modular builder principle (components) rather than rigid page templates. This offers more flexibility for the future.

Note on GDPR: Ensure compliance with data protection regulations for all integrations and tracking tools. A cookie consent tool is mandatory in the DACH region.

FAQ: Answers to your most pressing questions

What does a professional website cost in Austria really? A simple corporate website starts at around 1,900 €, while extended solutions with SEO and special features begin at 2,700 €. Tailored projects or online shops can easily exceed 10,000 € to 17,000 €. The cost of website development in 2025 depends heavily on the feature set.

Agency, builder, or headless CMS – what is best for us? Builders are ideal for startups with small budgets. Agencies offer full-service but create dependencies. A headless CMS like JET-CMS is often the best middle-ground for agile marketing teams in SMEs, offering flexibility and autonomy. More details are in our Content Management System comparison.

How long does it take to create a website? Estimate 6 to 12 weeks for a professional corporate website. Complex projects with custom development can take 3 to 6 months. The duration depends on complexity and the speed of internal approvals.

Are SEO costs included in the quote? Usually only technical SEO baseline optimization is included. Ongoing activities like content creation and link building are typically separate monthly costs. Always clarify the exact scope in advance. Read more about SEO and website redesign to avoid pitfalls.

Is bespoke development worthwhile? Yes, if you need complex integrations, want to create a unique user experience, or require high scalability for future growth. A bespoke solution is a strategic investment in your digital competitive advantage. Explore the benefits of bespoke development and view our case study.