How much does a website cost in Iceland?

“How much does a website cost?” is probably the question web studios hear most, and “it depends” is probably the most annoying answer. But it isn’t a dodge. Two sites that look alike on screen can be completely different projects underneath: one is five pages of text, the other takes orders, sends invoices to the accounting system and runs in two languages.

We won’t give you a price list here. Instead we’ll walk through what really drives the cost, so you can read a quote with confidence, compare quotes like for like and ask the right questions.

Why the answer is always “it depends”

The price of a website almost always comes down to time: how many days designers, developers and writers need to deliver what you ask for. And that time depends on how many different problems the site has to solve, not on the number of pages alone.

That’s why “what does the website need to do for the business?” is a better question than “how much does a website cost?”. When the goals are clear, the work can be priced accurately. When they aren’t, the quote ends up either too high, because the supplier is pricing in the uncertainty, or too low, with the difference arriving later as change requests.

Seven things that drive the price

1. Scope and the number of page types

The number of pages matters less than the number of distinct page types (often called templates). Twenty service pages that share a layout are less work than five pages that are each designed from scratch. So ask: how many different kinds of page does the site need? Home, service, case study, article, contact: each one is designed, built and tested once, then reused.

2. Content: copy, images and migration

Content is the cost people forget most often. Someone has to write the copy, choose or shoot the photography and move existing material to the new site. If you supply finished copy, the job gets smaller. If copywriting, a photo shoot or migrating hundreds of old posts is part of the job, the quote should say so. Good copy is also what gets a site found in search, so this isn’t the place to cut corners.

3. Integrations with other systems

When the site has to talk to other systems, such as accounting, a payment gateway, a booking tool or a mailing list, there’s work you never see on screen. Every integration has to cope with errors, retries and changes on the other side. An off-the-shelf plugin may be enough; a custom integration may be needed if your processes are unusual. We cover this in more depth in our article on connecting WooCommerce to Icelandic accounting systems.

4. Depth of design

Design can mean adapting an existing theme to your colours and logo, or developing a visual system from scratch: type scale, colours, components and the rules that keep the site consistent for years. Both are legitimate, but they aren’t the same job. Ask whether the quote includes prototypes you can try, and how many rounds of feedback are included.

5. More than one language

A bilingual site doesn’t cost twice as much, but it’s more than a translation. Each language needs its own URLs, its own search metadata, links between the versions and copy written for the reader rather than translated word for word. If you sell to tourists or to international companies operating in Iceland, the English version often matters as much as the Icelandic one.

6. Accessibility, speed and search

A site everyone can use, including people on screen readers or keyboards, isn’t an extra. The international standard, WCAG 2.2, sets out what that takes. The same goes for speed: Google measures user experience with Core Web Vitals, and it affects visibility. These things are cheapest when they’re part of the build from day one and most expensive when they’re fixed afterwards. Ask how the supplier tests accessibility and performance, and whether the results come with the handover.

7. Running and caring for the site after launch

A website is never quite finished. It needs hosting, backups, security updates and someone to respond when something breaks. The domain has to be renewed every year; .is domains are registered with ISNIC, which publishes its annual fee. We host and look after sites ourselves, under our Gagnaver brand, but wherever you host, know the monthly or annual running cost up front.

How to compare quotes

Two quotes for “a new website” are rarely quotes for the same job. Before you compare the numbers, compare what’s in them:

• What exactly is included? Number of page types, copywriting, images, content migration, languages and integrations.
• Is the price with or without VAT? Business quotes are often given before VAT. Most goods and services carry the standard VAT rate of 24% (Skatturinn). That normally applies to web development too, but check with your bookkeeper or accountant if you’re unsure.
• Who holds the rights to the site and the code? Does the contract say clearly whether you can move the site elsewhere and have someone else develop it, and whose company ID is the domain registered to?
• How are changes handled? What happens if you want to add a page or feature mid-project?
• What happens after launch? Is maintenance included, a separate agreement or not offered at all?
• How is quality assured? Are accessibility, speed and mobile behaviour tested, and do you get the results?

A quote that doesn’t answer these questions isn’t necessarily a bad quote, but you don’t know what you’re buying. Ask for the answers in writing.

Total cost of ownership

The build is only part of the cost. To compare real costs, look at the site’s whole life, say three to five years, and include:

• Up-front cost: design, build, content and setup.
• Fixed running costs: hosting, domain, licence fees for plugins or services, and security updates.
• Changes: new pages, new products, new languages. How easily can you make them yourself, and what do they cost if you need help?
• Staff time: a site connected to your accounting saves manual work every week. A site that has to be updated by hand costs time that never shows up on an invoice.

A cheap site can turn expensive if it has to be rebuilt in two years. An expensive site can be overkill if the business only needs a simple brochure site. The right answer is the site that does the most for the business relative to what it costs over its whole life.

How to get an accurate price for your project

The fastest route to a realistic price is a short conversation about goals. Before you get in touch, it helps to have rough answers to these questions:

1. What should the site deliver: enquiries, sales, bookings or information?
2. Who are the users, and in which languages?
3. Which systems does the site need to talk to?
4. Who writes the content, and who updates it after launch?
5. Is there a date that matters?

With those answers, any studio can give you a quote you can compare. To see how we approach the work, read about our web design service and the process from first meeting to launch. If you’re not sure whether a bespoke build or a website subscription is the better fit, read our guide to the difference.