“How much does a website cost?” is the first question most Kenyan businesses ask, and the honest answer is that it depends on what the website has to do. A five-page company site, a real estate development site and an online shop with M-Pesa are different projects with different costs. This guide explains what drives the price, what you pay once and what you pay every year, and how to compare quotes so you budget accurately.

One-off costs and yearly costs

Website costs come in two kinds, and many budgets only plan for the first.

  • One-off: planning, design, development, content entry, payment integration, testing and launch.
  • Every year: your domain name renewal, hosting, any paid plugins or licences, business email, and maintenance or support after the free period ends.

When you compare quotes, ask each developer to show both, so you know what the website costs over two or three years, not just in the first month.

What decides the price of a website

Number of pages and content

Each page needs design, content and testing. Most small businesses need five to eight pages: Home, About, Services, Projects or Portfolio, and Contact. Who writes the content matters too; if the developer writes or edits it, that’s extra work.

Design complexity

A clean, well-structured layout costs less than a fully custom design with illustrations, animation and many unique page types. Both can look professional; the question is what your brand and customers need.

Features and integrations

Forms, WhatsApp chat and Google Maps are standard. Property search, booking flows, calculators, member portals, CRM connections and dashboards add development time. Payment integration adds setup and testing: M-Pesa needs a Paybill or Till number and Safaricom’s approval to go live.

E-commerce

For an online shop, cost depends on the number of products and variants, delivery rules, payment methods and how orders and stock are managed. Loading hundreds of products is real work, so ask who does it.

Content management

If your team will update pages, listings or products, the site needs a content management system set up and a short training session. It costs a little more up front and saves you paying for every small change later.

SEO and performance

Basic SEO setup (page titles, descriptions, a sitemap and Search Console) should be included. Keyword research, writing content for search and ongoing SEO are separate pieces of work.

Typical project types

  • Small business website: five to eight pages with a contact form, WhatsApp and Google Maps. The lowest-cost option and enough for many SMEs.
  • Corporate website: more sections, several editors, news, careers and downloads. See corporate website development.
  • Real estate website: a single development site costs less than a listing platform with search and a dashboard. See real estate website development.
  • E-commerce website: driven by products, payments and delivery. See e-commerce website development.
  • Custom web application: portals, CRMs and internal systems, usually scoped as a first version and built in stages. See custom web application development.

How to compare website quotes fairly

Put every quote side by side and check that each one says:

  • How many pages and which features are included
  • Whether the domain, hosting and SSL are included, and for how long
  • Who writes and uploads the content
  • Whether payment integration, such as M-Pesa, is included and tested
  • What SEO setup is included
  • How long free support lasts and what maintenance costs afterwards
  • That the domain is registered in your business’s name and you get the logins

A quote that looks cheaper because it leaves out hosting, content or support often ends up costing more. Our checklist on how to choose a website development company goes further.

Ways to keep the cost down

  • Have your content ready: text, logo and photos ready before design starts saves time on both sides.
  • Start with what matters most: launch the pages and features that bring enquiries first, and add the rest later.
  • Use proven structures: a well-designed standard layout is faster to build than a page type nobody has tried before.
  • Plan for maintenance: regular updates cost less than repairing a hacked or broken site.

What Ndovubase charges

We quote every project on its scope, starting from three packages: Basic (five pages), Business Website (five to eight pages, with hosting and a domain for a year) and E-commerce & Real Estate (an online shop or property site with M-Pesa and card payments). Each includes free support after launch. See what each package includes on our website development pricing page, or send us your requirements for a written quote.