The cost of a premium website is set by scope, not by page count. Seven things move the number most: how much strategy and discovery is involved, whether the design is custom, who produces the content, what the site has to connect to, the platform, how many distinct page types it needs, and whether an existing site has to be migrated without losing search traffic. Two quotes for "a ten page website" can differ several times over because they describe different projects.
We do not publish prices, and this article does not either. What it does is explain what you are paying for, so you can brief studios clearly and compare their quotes fairly.
The seven cost drivers
| Driver | Lower effort | Higher effort | Why it costs more |
|---|---|---|---|
| Discovery and strategy | You arrive with a clear brief and sitemap | Workshops, competitor review, user research, defining the offer | Thinking time from senior people is the most valuable part of a project and the first thing cheap quotes cut |
| Design | Adapted from an existing theme or template | Designed from scratch around your brand, with a component system | Custom design means more concepts, more revisions and a design system the site is built from |
| Content | You supply final text and images | Copywriting, photography, video, translated versions | Content is often the slowest part of a project and the most underestimated |
| Functionality and integrations | Contact forms and a newsletter sign-up | Bookings, payments, CRM, ERP, memberships, client portals | Every integration has to be built, tested and kept working when the other system changes |
| Platform | Standard WordPress setup | Structured CMS modelling, headless builds with Next.js, custom features | More engineering up front, usually in return for speed, flexibility or easier editing |
| Number of page types | A handful of templates reused across pages | Many distinct layouts: services, case studies, locations, resources, landing pages | Each template is designed, built and tested separately. Twenty pages on two templates are cheaper than ten pages on ten |
| Migration and SEO protection | New domain, nothing to preserve | Existing site with rankings, hundreds of URLs, content to move | Redirect mapping, content migration and post-launch checks protect traffic you already earn |
Two further factors raise the standard rather than the scope: accessibility (designing and testing to WCAG 2.2 level AA rather than fixing problems later) and performance targets (building to pass Core Web Vitals on mobile, not just on a fast office connection). Both take deliberate work and both should be in a premium quote.
What a premium scope should include
If you are paying for a premium website, the proposal should say how each of these will be handled. If it is silent, ask.
- Discovery: what you sell, who buys it, what the site needs to do for the business
- Information architecture: sitemap and page types agreed before design starts
- Custom design: for desktop and mobile, with agreed rounds of revisions
- Content plan: who writes what, by when, and who signs it off
- Build: on a platform chosen for how your team will use it, with editing tested by your team
- Accessibility and performance: targets stated, and tested before launch
- SEO foundations: page titles, metadata, structured data, redirects from any old URLs, analytics and Search Console set up
- Legal basics: privacy policy, cookie consent that matches the tracking actually used
- Launch and aftercare: a defined period of fixes after launch, and a clear offer for ongoing support
- Ownership: you own the domain, hosting account, code and content
Why quotes for the "same" website vary so much
When quotes are far apart, it is rarely because one studio is greedy and another generous. Usually they have priced different projects. Put them side by side against this table before you compare totals.
| Question | Quote A | Quote B |
|---|---|---|
| Is the design custom or based on a theme? | ||
| How many design concepts and revision rounds? | ||
| Who writes the copy? | ||
| Which integrations are included? | ||
| Is the old site's content migrated, and redirects mapped? | ||
| Is accessibility tested, and to what standard? | ||
| What happens after launch, and for how long? | ||
| Who will actually do the work? | ||
| Are prices shown with or without VAT? |
The last two matter more than they look. A low quote from a large agency may be delivered by its most junior people. And a studio that is not VAT registered and one that is will present very different totals for the same work.
Costs that arrive after launch
Budgets often stop at launch day. A website keeps costing money afterwards, and it is better to know that now.
- Hosting: from basic shared hosting to managed or cloud hosting, depending on traffic and needs
- Domain renewal
- Licences: premium plugins, fonts, stock images and some integrations are billed yearly
- Support and maintenance: updates, backups, security and small changes (our WordPress support checklist explains what that should cover)
- Content and improvement: new pages, campaigns and ongoing optimisation
Ask each studio to list these separately in their proposal.
How to get an accurate quote
The more a studio knows, the closer the first quote will be to the final cost. A useful brief covers:
- What the business does and who the website is for
- What the site must achieve: enquiries, bookings, sales, recruitment, credibility
- The pages and features you know you need
- Systems it has to connect to
- Who will provide content
- Your existing site and how much of it must be kept
- Your deadline, and anything fixed about it
- A budget range, even a rough one
The budget range is the one people leave out, and it is the most useful. It lets a studio tell you honestly what is achievable and where to spend first, instead of guessing.
Why we don't publish prices
At MTX Studio, you won’t find a fixed price list, and that’s intentional. Every business we work with is different, with its own goals, challenges and stage of growth. A one-size-fits-all price simply wouldn’t do justice to that.
We see our clients as partners, not transactions. When you work with us, you become part of the MTX Studio community, and we want every project to be built around what genuinely serves you. That’s why we always start by getting to know you: your needs, your goals, and where you want your business to go.
Once we have a clear picture, we’ll put together a quote that’s tailored to you, so you only pay for what truly adds value. Get in touch and let’s start the conversation.
Questions
How long does a premium website take to build?
It depends on the same factors as cost. Content readiness and the speed of feedback usually affect the timeline more than the build itself. Any studio should give you a timeline with milestones in the proposal.
Is a template website ever the right choice?
Yes. If your needs are simple and budget is tight, a well-chosen template set up properly can serve you well. A premium build makes sense when the website has a real commercial job to do and needs to stand out from competitors.
Should I choose WordPress or a custom build?
That depends on how your team will edit the site and what it needs to do. We build with both WordPress and Next.js, and can talk you through the trade-offs for your project.
Do I need to pay for ongoing support?
You do not have to, but someone has to keep the site updated, backed up and secure. If it is not a studio, it will be someone on your team.
Why are agency websites more expensive than freelancers?
Not always. Price follows the people, the process and the scope. Compare what is included and who will do the work, rather than the type of supplier.
