Search what to charge for a website in India and every result answers a different question. GoDaddy, the agency blogs, the cost calculators — all of them are telling a buyer what to expect. That is deliberate: those pages are lead magnets for the agencies that publish them.
This is the other side. How much you should quote, what the market actually pays, and the one distinction that changes the number more than page count ever will.
What the Indian market actually pays
Read off the same published sources that quote these numbers to buyers, so you are anchored to what your prospect has probably already read.
| Type of build | Common range | Who charges it |
|---|---|---|
| Basic static site | ₹5,000–15,000 | Junior freelancer, template-based |
| WordPress business site | ₹10,000–40,000 | Freelancer, 5–10 pages |
| Custom small business site | ₹25,000–80,000 | Experienced freelancer or small studio |
| Ecommerce | ₹30,000–1,50,000 | Studio or agency |
| Hourly — junior | ₹500–1,500 | 0–2 years |
| Hourly — mid | ₹1,500–3,000 | 2–5 years |
| Hourly — senior | ₹3,000–5,000 | 5+ years or specialised |
Bands compiled from Indian pricing guides published for buyers — which is what your prospect has read before speaking to you.
A first website is not priced like a redesign
This is the distinction the guides never make, and it moves the number more than anything else.
A redesign is a comparison. They have a site, they know roughly what the last one cost, and there is an incumbent to beat. You are competing on price against a known figure.
A first website is a decision. There is no anchor, no incumbent, and no prior invoice. What you are selling is not pages — it is the first time this business is findable. Price it against what that is worth to them, not against what a template costs you.
In practice that means a hardware store with 400 reviews and no website should not be quoted ₹8,000 because the build is simple. It is simple *for you*. For them it is the difference between existing online and not.
The question that sets the price
Ask what one new customer is worth to them over a year. A restaurant will say a few thousand rupees. A coaching institute will say thirty thousand. A hardware store supplying contractors may say more than either. That number, not your page count, is what the site is worth — and they told you themselves.
What to quote a business with no website
| Package | Contents | Quote |
|---|---|---|
| Presence | One page: what they do, photos, timings, map, call button | ₹10,000–18,000 |
| Standard | 4–6 pages, gallery, enquiry form, WhatsApp button | ₹20,000–45,000 |
| Standard + local SEO | Above, plus Maps optimisation and basic on-page work | ₹45,000–75,000 |
| Care plan | Hosting, updates, small changes, monthly | ₹1,500–5,000/month |
Vertical shifts these materially — coaching institutes pay near the top of each band, food stalls near the bottom. See the vertical playbooks.
When to say the number
On the first call, when they ask. Deflecting to "it depends on requirements" reads as expensive and evasive, and it costs you the prospects who were only ever going to buy at a certain level — you find that out three meetings later instead of in the first two minutes.
Give a band, anchor the low end, then immediately move to a next step: "₹20,000 to ₹45,000 depending on how many pages. Want me to send two examples in that range?" The price question becomes a step forward rather than an ending.
Taking advance payment
Standard in this market and worth being direct about. Fifty percent up front, fifty on launch is normal and rarely questioned. For a client you have not worked with, do not start on a promise.
Where it gets awkward is the middle: a client who goes quiet after paying the advance, then reappears two months later expecting the same timeline. Put a clause in the quote — content not supplied within thirty days pauses the project — and mention it once, lightly, when they agree the advance. It costs nothing to say up front and is unwinnable to argue later.
Competing against ₹5,000 quotes
You will lose some of these and should. A business that wants a ₹5,000 website wants a template with their name on it, and there is a real supply of people who will do that.
Where you win is on the thing the ₹5,000 quote never includes: someone who answers next year. Say it plainly — "the cheaper option is real, and it usually means the site never gets touched again. If that's fine for you, take it." Prospects rarely hear an agency concede a point, and the ones who then choose you are choosing for the right reason.
Businesses at first-website pricing right now
Live from the same index the product searches — 2,485 businesses in Gurgaon currently have an active Google listing and no website.
Shyam Vihari Food
Sahara Mall
HUDA Market, Sector 14
Galleria Market
Quote the ones who have never bought before.
Businesses with no website and real review counts — where the price is a decision rather than a comparison.
Find leads near youFrequently asked questions
How much should I charge for a small business website in India?
₹10,000–18,000 for a single-page presence site, ₹20,000–45,000 for a standard 4–6 page build, and ₹45,000–75,000 with local SEO. Add ₹1,500–5,000 monthly for a care plan. Vertical matters — coaching institutes pay near the top of each band.
Should I charge hourly or per project?
Per project for local small businesses. They think in a total, not a rate, and an hourly quote invites questions about how long things take. Keep hourly for ongoing or open-ended work where the scope genuinely is not known.
What is the hourly rate for web designers in India?
Roughly ₹500–1,500 for junior, ₹1,500–3,000 for mid-level and ₹3,000–5,000 for senior or specialised work. Agencies quote considerably higher, but they are selling a team rather than a person.
How much advance payment should I take?
Fifty percent up front and fifty on launch is standard in India and rarely questioned. Add a clause that content not supplied within thirty days pauses the project — cheap to say at the start, unwinnable to argue later.
How do I compete with someone quoting ₹5,000?
Often you should not. That price buys a template, and there is real supply for it. Where you win is on someone answering next year — say so plainly, and concede that the cheap option is real. The prospects who then pick you are picking for the right reason.
Related reading
what coaching institutes pay · what restaurants pay · businesses with no website in Gurugram · defending the number without discounting · pricing a redesign instead · choosing the model behind the number · collecting what you quoted · starting from nothing · which verticals support the top band · presenting the number as options · pricing against annual fees · holding the number · the ticket a lead price has to fit · what to charge for the care plan
