How to Choose a Website Development Company in Ahmedabad: A 12-Point Checklist
Hiring a web development company in Ahmedabad? Use this 12-point checklist — portfolio checks, questions to ask, contract terms an...
Read articleQuick answer: In 2026, a professional business website in India typically costs ₹25,000–₹75,000. An ecommerce store costs ₹50,000–₹3,00,000+, and a custom web application starts around ₹1,50,000. Budget another ₹8,000–₹30,000 a year for domain, hosting, email and maintenance. Agencies add 18% GST on top.
"How much does a website cost?" is the first question almost every business owner asks us — and the honest answer is "it depends". That's frustrating to hear, so this guide breaks the price down properly: typical ranges for each type of website, the factors that push the price up or down, the running costs most quotes leave out, and how to compare quotes without getting burnt.
The figures below come from the projects we quote and build every month in Ahmedabad for clients across India. They are realistic market ranges, not the cheapest possible price and not the most expensive.
Website cost in India at a glance
| Type of website | Typical cost (excl. GST) | Timeline | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starter website (5–8 pages, template based) | ₹15,000 – ₹35,000 | 1–2 weeks | New businesses, consultants, local shops |
| Custom business website with CMS and lead capture | ₹40,000 – ₹1,20,000 | 3–6 weeks | Established SMEs that want enquiries from Google |
| Ecommerce store | ₹50,000 – ₹3,00,000+ | 4–10 weeks | Brands selling products online |
| Web portal or custom web application | ₹1,50,000 – ₹10,00,000+ | 2–6 months | Booking systems, dashboards, SaaS, B2B portals |
You will find offers far below these numbers — "website in ₹4,999" deals and DIY builders. They have their place for a temporary page, but they rarely bring in leads, and you often don't own what you paid for. More on that below.
What actually drives the price
Two websites can both be "10 pages" and differ in cost by ₹1 lakh. These are the factors that really move the number.
1. Number of unique designs, not number of pages
A site with 30 service pages that share one layout costs far less than a site with 8 pages that each need a different design. When you request a quote, list the types of pages you need — home, service, about, blog, contact, landing page — rather than a page count.
2. Custom design or a ready-made theme
A good theme customised with your brand colours and photos is the economical route. A fully custom design — wireframes, a Figma prototype and a layout built for your exact customer journey — costs more but converts better and makes your brand look distinct from competitors using the same theme.
3. Content: who writes the words and supplies the photos
Content is the most underestimated cost. If you supply finished text and good photographs, the project moves faster and costs less. If the agency writes SEO copy, sources images or arranges a photo shoot, expect ₹500–₹2,000 per page for writing, more for specialist topics.
4. Features and integrations
Each integration adds design, development and testing time. Common ones and their typical effect on cost:
- Lead forms with CRM / email alerts — small add-on, should be standard on any business site
- WhatsApp chat and click-to-call — small
- Online booking or appointments — medium
- Payment gateway (Razorpay, PayU, Cashfree) — medium
- Multiple languages (English, Hindi, Gujarati) — medium, plus translation
- Member login, dashboards, custom calculators — larger; this is web application territory
5. An admin panel you can actually use
You should be able to edit text, add blog posts, swap photos and see enquiries without calling a developer. A proper CMS or admin panel adds some cost up front but saves money every month after launch.
6. SEO and speed groundwork
A website that doesn't appear on Google is a digital brochure nobody reads. Technical SEO — clean URLs, page titles, schema markup, a sitemap, fast loading and mobile optimisation — should be built in, not sold later as an "SEO package". Ask every agency what they include here.
7. Who you hire
Rates vary a lot between a solo freelancer, a small agency and a large IT company. That's the next section.
Freelancer, agency or DIY builder?
| DIY builder | Freelancer | Agency | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Typical cost | ₹500–₹3,000/month subscription | ₹10,000–₹50,000 | ₹25,000–₹3,00,000+ |
| Strengths | Cheap, quick to start | Affordable, direct contact | Design, development, SEO and support in one team |
| Risks | Your time, limited SEO and features, you rent rather than own | Availability, no backup if they move on | Higher price; quality varies by agency |
A DIY builder makes sense for a side project. A reliable freelancer is fine for a simple site if you can judge their work. If the website is meant to generate business — leads, sales, bookings — an agency with designers, developers and an SEO person usually pays for itself through better results and support after launch.
The running costs nobody mentions
A website is not a one-time purchase. Plan for these yearly costs so there are no surprises:
- Domain name: roughly ₹800–₹1,500 a year for a .in or .com
- Hosting: ₹3,000–₹15,000 a year for good shared or managed hosting; cloud servers for heavy sites cost more
- SSL certificate: usually free (Let's Encrypt) with decent hosting — don't pay extra for it
- Business email: free with some hosting plans, or a per-user fee for Google Workspace or Zoho Mail
- Maintenance: ₹1,000–₹5,000 a month for updates, backups, security monitoring and small edits
- Paid plugins or themes (common with WordPress): annual licence renewals
Insist that the domain and hosting are registered in your company's name, with login details shared with you. It's the single most important protection you have.
How to compare quotes without getting burnt
- Ask for an itemised quote. Design, development, content, integrations and SEO should be listed separately so you can compare like for like.
- Check their live work on your phone. Open two or three sites they built and run them through Google PageSpeed Insights. Slow portfolio sites are a warning sign.
- Clarify revisions. How many rounds of design changes are included?
- Ask who owns the code. You should receive the full source code and admin access at handover.
- Read the support terms. What happens if something breaks a month after launch? Is there a free support period?
- Be wary of "free website" offers tied to expensive yearly packages — you can't take the site with you when you leave.
If you are comparing agencies locally, our 12-point checklist for choosing a web development company goes deeper into questions and red flags.
What we charge at Last Stop Solutions
We publish our prices because we think you should know them before the first call:
- Business Starter — from ₹25,000: a fast, mobile-first website with up to 8 pages, contact and WhatsApp integration, basic SEO and Google Analytics.
- Business Professional — from ₹75,000: a custom design, admin panel, lead management, blog, advanced SEO and integrations.
- Custom projects: portals, ecommerce and web applications are quoted after a free scoping call.
All prices exclude 18% GST and include the source code and full ownership. See the details on our pricing page or our website development service.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a 5-page website cost in India?
A professionally built 5-page business website typically costs ₹15,000–₹40,000 depending on design quality, content and features. Template-based sites sit at the lower end; custom-designed sites with an admin panel and SEO setup at the higher end.
Is GST charged on website development?
Yes. Website development is an IT service and attracts 18% GST when the developer is GST-registered. If your business is registered, you can usually claim it back as input tax credit, so always ask for a proper GST invoice.
How long does it take to build a website?
A starter website takes 1–2 weeks, a custom business website 3–6 weeks, and an ecommerce store 4–10 weeks. The biggest cause of delays is usually content — having your text and photos ready speeds things up considerably.
Do I have to pay every year for my website?
Yes, for the domain and hosting at minimum — roughly ₹4,000–₹15,000 a year for most business sites. Maintenance plans are optional but recommended so updates, backups and security are handled.
Is WordPress cheaper than a custom website?
Usually, for simple sites, yes. WordPress with a good theme is quick to build. For sites with custom features, high traffic or strict security needs, a custom-built site (for example on Laravel) often works out cheaper over a few years because there are fewer plugin licences and less maintenance.
Still unsure what your website should cost? Send us a short brief and we'll reply within 24 hours with an itemised estimate — free and with no obligation.
