I have the images and some text, I can pay 250€

It's great that you've gathered images and are thinking about what you want your effective website design to be. You found links to designs you like and are excited. I want you to keep that momentum; it helps us, as website designers, create a site that you really enjoy, but...

Stop thinking you did all the work for the designer, and you can pay only $250 for the project.

That’s not how it works.

Having images and copy is like having ingredients ready for a meal. But design, layout, mobile responsiveness, accessibility, SEO, integrations, and user experience still need to be prepared and strategically. You’re not buying a plug-and-play template. You’re investing in a functioning, professional digital presence.

Here’s what €250 doesn’t cover and why your website deserves more.

Effective Website Design Templates Still Take Days to Develop, Not Hours

Even if you're using Wix Studio or WordPress templates, getting the site up and running takes time. Templates are a great starting point, even if you’re already working with one that looks fully designed. But let’s be clear: that template was built for someone else’s business, not yours. Your website needs to reflect your goals, your clients, and your brand.

Templates should act as a foundation, not a one-size-fits-all solution. You still need to individualize the layout, visuals, content structure, and user flow to make it your own.

Templates need to be:

• Customized to match your brand fonts, colors, and tone

• Structured to support your specific goals

• Edited for layout, spacing, and tablet and mobile responsiveness

• Adjusted for SEO and accessibility

A good template provides a solid foundation. Turning it into your website still requires design, testing, and experience.

CMS Content (Portfolios, Projects, E-commerce) Takes Real Input

Let's face it, if you have ever done any type of data entry, this is that, but more so, because you are creating the links and plugs that enable it to function on the site. If you’re asking for image galleries, a project portfolio, or even a small shop, that means building out a content management system for each item (image, product, or post)

CMS has to be:

• Uploaded at the right size and resolution

• Properly categorized or tagged

• Integrated into the design layout

• Tested for consistency and functionality

This isn’t just “adding content.” It’s structured, scalable, and intentional development—usually the most time-consuming part of a site.

Mobile Responsiveness Is Essential

More than 90% of your audience is visiting your site from a mobile device. If your website layout doesn’t adjust to mobile, users will bounce within seconds. While most platforms claim to offer responsive design, the reality is more complex, especially when you’re working with animations, layered sections, or interactions beyond the typical text-and-image blocks.

Templates may appear mobile-friendly at first glance, but many require significant manual tweaking to function properly across devices. Testing, adjusting, and optimizing for mobile isn’t just a checkbox — it’s a necessary part of the build process. Skipping it means your content may be unreadable or your layout may break entirely on smaller screens.

A professional understands how to evaluate and resolve these issues before launch, ensuring a seamless experience regardless of where your site is viewed.

That means every section has to:

• Be restructured for smaller screens

• Maintain readability and spacing

• Avoid broken layouts or oversized images

• Ensure fast loading and smooth navigation

Mobile responsiveness isn’t a bonus feature; it's a must-have. It’s a baseline expectation, and it takes time and skill to get it right.

You're Not Just Paying for Assembly—You're Paying for Strategy

There’s so much more going on behind the scenes than what you see on the screen. A professional website isn’t just a collection of pages—it’s a structured experience that draws in your ideal clients, builds trust, and encourages them to take action. From the moment someone lands on your site, every interaction should be intentional.

A real website build involves:

• Strategic design and visual flow

• UX layout that guides the visitor

• SEO structure and keyword formatting

• Mobile-first responsiveness

• Cookie banners, accessibility basics, and GDPR compliance

• Testing across devices and final optimization

Even for a small site, you’re looking at multiple days of focused work, not a quick plug-in session.

So What Should a Website Cost?

The truth is, pricing isn't one-size-fits-all. The cost of a website depends on your goals, the content you provide, the features you require, and the level of customization needed. While some template-based setups may fall within the lower ranges, fully custom, strategic builds are a category entirely.

But here's what I can say with confidence: a properly designed, responsive, brand-aligned website will definitely cost more than €250. Anyone telling you they can build you a full, professional website for that amount is either cutting corners, doesn't have the passion of a true website designer, or doesn’t understand what a working website actually requires. At that price, you won't be getting a site that functions properly for you or your clients. That figure might cover a single landing page with very limited functionality, but not a comprehensive website that reflects your brand, engages your audience, and performs seamlessly across devices.

What matters more than the number is understanding what you're getting: strategic design, UX thinking, responsive layout, accessibility, mobile optimization, and a site built to support your business. That takes time, knowledge, and experience.

If you're focused solely on price, you may end up with something that looks okay but doesn't actually work for your audience. When your site is built around your brand and your users, that's where the real value lies.

At Creavanzi we design responsive, user-friendly websites in Wix Studio and WordPress, backed by branding, SEO, and UX strategy.

Let’s build something that works, for your audience and your business.