Updated November 2026 with our current starting prices.
Why Website Pricing Feels So Confusing
“How much does a website cost?” is one of the first questions I hear from business owners and nonprofit leaders around Houston. It’s a fair question — and the honest answer is that it depends on what the website needs to do.
That answer can feel frustrating, especially when you’ve collected quotes that seem to come from different planets. One company offers a site for a few hundred dollars. Another quotes several thousand. A larger agency comes back with a number that looks more like a car payment for a year.
The difference usually isn’t just the price tag. It’s what’s actually included — and what happens after launch.
Here’s how I’d think about website costs, what drives them up or down, and how to compare quotes so you’re comparing the same thing.
What You’re Actually Paying For
A custom WordPress website isn’t just a design. It’s a combination of strategy, design, development, content, and setup. Most of the cost comes from a handful of decisions:
- How many unique page layouts you need. Ten pages that share three layouts cost less to build than ten pages that each look different.
- Custom functionality. Booking systems, member areas, donation flows, integrations with your CRM, or WooCommerce stores all add development time.
- Content. Writing, editing, and organizing content is real work. If it’s ready to go, the project moves faster. If it needs to be created, that’s part of the scope.
- Design depth. A site built from a simple, clean layout system costs less than one with custom illustrations, animations, and highly unique page designs.
- Migration. Moving content, redirects, and SEO from an old site takes careful planning so you don’t lose what you’ve already built.
What a Website Costs at Good Code Studio
Every project is different, but you shouldn’t have to book a call just to find out if we’re in your budget. Here’s where our pricing starts:
- One-page website: from $1,500. A single scrolling page with up to five sections. A good fit for new businesses, solo professionals, and events.
- Starter website: from $2,500. Up to five pages with a custom design, set up for search, analytics, and a spam-protected contact form, plus training and 30 days of post-launch fixes.
- Larger custom sites: online stores, booking, member areas, and custom integrations are quoted after a free strategy call, so you know the full price before we start.
- Ongoing care: maintenance plans start at $150 a month.
Payment plans are available if you’d rather spread the cost out. Compare our starter website options.
How We Keep Starter Sites Affordable
Starter prices work because the process is focused. Your content comes in before we build, we design one strong direction and make one round of revisions, and the scope is set up front. If you need more, extra revision rounds, additional pages, and copywriting are available as add-ons, priced before we begin.
Not ready for a new site? A Website Audit starts at $299 and gives you a prioritized plan for the site you already have.
Templates vs. Custom: The Real Trade-Off
Template and page-builder websites can be a reasonable starting point, especially for a brand-new business. They’re quick to launch and inexpensive upfront.
The trade-off shows up later. Many template sites rely on heavy themes and stacks of plugins, which can make them slower, harder to update, and more fragile over time. When you outgrow them, the fix is often a rebuild.
A custom WordPress website costs more upfront, but it’s built around how your organization actually works. It loads faster, it’s easier for your team to edit, and it can grow with you instead of holding you back.
How to Compare Quotes Fairly
When you’re looking at proposals side by side, ask each provider the same questions:
- What exactly is included — how many pages, layouts, and revisions?
- Who writes or loads the content?
- Is the site built on a page builder or with native WordPress blocks?
- Is SEO setup included (titles, descriptions, redirects, sitemaps)?
- What happens after launch — who handles updates, security, and backups?
- Do I own the domain, hosting account, and website files?
The last question matters more than most people realize. You should always own your domain, your hosting account, and your content, even if someone else manages them for you.
Fixed Price vs. Hourly
Some developers bill hourly. I prefer fixed-price projects for website builds, because it gives you a clear number upfront and makes the scope easy to understand. You know what you’re getting, and I’m responsible for delivering it.
Hourly billing still makes sense for open-ended work — like ongoing changes, small fixes, or support — where the scope naturally changes month to month.
Don’t Forget the Cost of Ownership
The build is only part of the picture. Every website has ongoing costs:
- Hosting (I usually recommend managed WordPress hosting for business sites)
- Your domain name renewal
- Premium plugin licenses, if any
- Maintenance: updates, security monitoring, backups, and support
Skipping maintenance can make a website cheaper this month and much more expensive later. A WordPress maintenance plan keeps your investment protected so small issues don’t turn into emergency repairs.
Signs a Low Quote Will Cost You More Later
A low price isn’t automatically a bad deal — but watch for these red flags:
- No mention of mobile design, speed, or accessibility
- No plan for redirects if you’re replacing an existing site
- The provider owns your domain or hosting account
- No clear answer about what happens after launch
- Everything depends on a single page builder plugin
Final Thoughts
The right website budget depends on your goals. A small business that needs a clear, fast, professional site has very different needs than an organization that runs programs, events, and donations through its website.
If you’re a small business that needs a professional site without an agency budget, our starter websites are a good place to start. For anything bigger, the best way to get a real number is to talk through what your website needs to do. I’m happy to help you figure out what’s essential now, what can wait, and what will give you the most value for your budget.
Book a free website strategy call or get in touch to talk through your project.
