Let's cut to the chase. It's the first question every single potential client has, whether they say it out loud or not: "So, how much is this going to cost?"
You're a savvy founder or manager in Brussels. You need a number for your budget, a figure for your financial forecast. You just want a straight answer.
Here it is: it depends.
Wait! Don't click away. That isn't a cop-out. It's the start of the only honest conversation you can have about building a meaningful digital asset. Anyone who gives you a flat price for a "website" over the phone without knowing your business, your goals, or your audience isn't selling you a solution. They're selling you a used car, sight unseen.
Asking "how much for a website?" is like asking "how much for a vehicle?". Are you looking for a second-hand scooter to nip around Flagey, or a custom-built lorry to haul goods across Europe? Both are vehicles, but they are not the same thing.
So, let's pop the bonnet and look at what you're really paying for. This is the no-jargon, brutally honest guide to website prices in Brussels.
The "It Depends" Spectrum: What Are You Actually Paying For?
When you buy a website, you're not buying a single product. You're investing in a blend of distinct professional skills: strategy, design, development, copywriting, and project management. The price is determined by how much of each of those skills you need.
Here’s how it generally breaks down in the Belgian market.
The DIY Daredevil: Squarespace, Wix, etc.
- Estimated Cost: €15 - €50 per month, plus your soul.
- Who it's for: Hobbyists, artists showcasing a portfolio, pre-launch startups wanting a simple "coming soon" page, or businesses with infinitely more time than money.
- The Brutal Truth: The price tag is an illusion. The real cost is your time: dozens, if not hundreds, of hours. You are the strategist, the designer, the coder, the writer, and the SEO specialist. These platforms are incredible tools, but they are just that: tools. A hammer doesn't make you a carpenter. The result is often a generic-looking site that creaks under the strain as soon as your business starts to grow. It’s a digital tent, not the foundation for an office building.
The Freelancer Friend
- Estimated Cost: €2,500 - €8,000
- Who it's for: Small local businesses (your favourite corner café or bookshop), solopreneurs, or startups on a very tight budget who have a crystal-clear vision and the capacity to manage the project themselves.
- The Brutal Truth: The quality spectrum for freelancers is wider than the Grand Place. You might find a hidden gem who delivers incredible work. Or you might find someone who builds something with code held together by tape and hope, only to disappear when it breaks. A brilliant developer is rarely a brilliant brand strategist. A stunning designer might know nothing about conversion optimisation or SEO. When you hire a freelancer, you're hiring a specific skill. You are the project manager, the strategist, and the one responsible for glueing it all together.
The Small, Strategic Agency (That's Us)
- Estimated Cost: €8,000 - €25,000+
- Who it's for: Ambitious startups ready to launch properly, established businesses that are sick of being embarrassed by their outdated website, and organisations that understand their digital presence is their single most important marketing asset.
- The Brutal Truth (Which Is Actually a Positive): Yes, the investment is bigger. Because you're not just buying a website. You're buying a result. You're paying for a dedicated team: a strategist, a designer, a developer, and a project manager, all focused on one thing: your business goals. You're investing in a discovery process that uncovers what you actually need, not just what you think you want. This is where you move beyond a digital brochure and build your flagship, a custom-designed, high-performance machine built for growth.
The 'No-Headache' Subscription Model (A Modern Alternative - Us also)
- Estimated Cost: €150 - €200+ per month.
- Who it's for: Businesses that prefer a predictable monthly cost (OpEx) over a large upfront investment (CapEx). This is ideal for startups wanting to conserve cash or any company that values an all-in-one package including design, build, hosting, maintenance, and ongoing support.
- The Brutal Truth: This model, sometimes called "Website as a Service," is a fantastic way to get a high-end agency website without the initial five-figure price tag. You get the expertise of a full team for a manageable monthly fee. The trade-off is that it's a service agreement; you might not "own" the site outright in the same way you would with a project build but you get total peace of mind, continuous improvements, and a partner who is invested in your long-term success, not just a one-off launch.
The Big Corporate Agency
- Estimated Cost: €30,000 - €100,000+
- Who it's for: Multinationals, EU institutions, banks, and large corporations with complex stakeholder needs and budgets to match.
- The Brutal Truth: You're paying for their beautiful offices on Avenue Louise and their multi-layered account teams. The work can be excellent, but it's often slower, less personal, and comes with significant overheads. For 95% of businesses, it's like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut.
So, What Factors Actually Change the Price Tag?
When an agency like ours puts together a proposal, these are the dials that turn the price up or down:
- Custom Design vs. Template: Is every pixel being designed from scratch to tell your unique brand story? Or are we customising a pre-built theme? The former takes more time and skill, but the result is a website that is undeniably yours.
- Strategic Depth: Does the project kick off with in-depth workshops, user research, and competitor analysis? Or is it just "build this sketch I drew on a napkin"? A solid strategy is the foundation for everything.
- E-commerce: Do you need to sell products online? Integrating payment gateways, managing inventory, shipping, and security is a complex beast. A simple Shopify store is one thing; a custom e-commerce platform is another entirely.
- Custom Features & Integrations: Need your site to sync with Salesforce? A members-only login area? A multi-language setup that actually works for SEO? An interactive map? Custom functionality requires custom development.
- Copywriting & Content Creation: Are you providing meticulously crafted, SEO-optimised text and professional photography? Or do you need a team to craft your message and tell your story in a way that connects and converts? (Hint: Most people need this).
An Investment, Not an Expense: Shifting Your Mindset
Here's the final, most important point. Asking "how much does a website cost?" is the wrong question.
The right questions are:
- "What is the cost of a bad first impression?"
- "How much is one new, qualified lead worth to my business?"
- "What is the value of being seen as a credible, professional leader in my field?"
- "What is the cost of being ignored?"
A €3,000 website that brings in zero business is infinitely more expensive than a €15,000 website that becomes your most powerful engine for growth.
Your website isn't an IT expense to be minimised. It is a core marketing and sales asset, and it should be invested in accordingly.
Ready for a Real Conversation?
If you're done with guesswork and ready to talk about the value a strategic website can bring to your business, then let's talk. We'll give you a detailed proposal with a fixed price, based on your ambitions, not our assumptions.
→ Start the Blueprint
