Getting an e-commerce site built: costs, timeline and smart choices

You want to get an online store built. Sensible choice — it’s where customers pay and technical decisions quickly affect business outcomes.

This guide explains what a webshop typically costs, what drives those costs, and how to start smart with a minimal budget. I give indicative price ranges in euros (projects differ) and a clear checklist you can use right away.

What drives cost

Main cost drivers:

• Platform: SaaS like Shopify vs open-source (WooCommerce) vs fully custom.
• Functionality: number of products, variants, complex pricing or subscription logic.
• Integrations: ERP, PIM, stock, shipping and accounting systems.
• Payments and shipping: ready-made gateways vs custom integrations.
• Design and UX: template vs custom design and conversion work.
• Performance and SEO: load times, Core Web Vitals and indexing.
• Security and privacy compliance: protecting customer data and meeting regulations.
• Ongoing maintenance and support: SLAs, backups, and updates.

A note: investing in performance and SEO is rarely wasted. A fast, crawlable site helps both users and search engines.

Indicative price ranges (per project, varies by scope)

• Small shop (template, <200 products): €2,000–€6,000. Quick start with Shopify or WooCommerce.
• Mid-market shop (custom theme, 200–2,000 products, several integrations): €6,000–€25,000.
• Large or complex shop (ERP integration, advanced logic): €25,000–€100,000+.

Monthly running costs:

• Hosting & CDN: €10–€200+/mo depending on traffic.
• Licenses / SaaS: €20–€500+/mo.
• Maintenance & support: €50–€1,000+/mo depending on SLA.

These are guidelines. Each project is different.

Timeline expectations

• Fast live (template): 4–8 weeks.
• Custom build, medium complexity: 8–16 weeks.
• Complex with integrations: 3–6+ months.

Delays usually come from missing content or unclear API specs. Plan for testing and content creation time.

Platform comparison (table)

Choose based on growth plans: quick revenue vs. full customization.

Performance and SEO: don’t skimp

Slow pages reduce conversions and visibility. Focus on Core Web Vitals (LCP, CLS, INP) and basic SEO fundamentals. Practical optimizations include image compression, CDN caching and server-side rendering or a headless approach if you need scale. See Google’s SEO Starter Guide: https://developers.google.com/search/docs/fundamentals/seo-starter-guide and Core Web Vitals guidance: https://web.dev/articles/vitals.

Security and privacy

Follow the OWASP Top 10 to mitigate common vulnerabilities: https://owasp.org/www-project-top-ten/. Also comply with data protection rules — in the Netherlands that means following AVG obligations. Implement secure credential storage, input validation and routine backups. For platforms like WordPress, follow platform-specific hardening and backup guidance.

How to start smart: step-by-step

• Define business goals and KPIs (conversion rate, AOV, return rate).
• Pick the platform that matches scale and budget.
• Create an MVP scope: must-haves vs nice-to-haves.
• Calculate total cost of ownership for year one and year two.
• Budget for content (photos, descriptions) and testing time.
• Reserve two weeks for integration and user acceptance testing.
• Turn on monitoring for performance and errors from day one.

Pre-launch checklist

• Product catalog imported and validated.
• Payment flows and returns tested.
• Page speed and Core Web Vitals checked.
• SSL and basic security in place.
• Privacy notice and cookie banner visible.
• Backups and rollback plan ready.

What to expect from an agency

A clear proposal should contain scope, milestones, deliverables and maintenance options. If you request quotes, provide a list of required integrations and expected product counts to avoid vague offers. As a senior-led web and app development team, DevCru helps with full builds and technical audits.

Final note

A cheap start can be effective if you plan for growth. But don’t underestimate migration or rebuild costs later. Invest where you get measurable returns first: reliable payments, accurate product data and decent performance.

Want a concrete estimate? Read our page on webshop laten maken and request a quote at request a quote. We can also do a technical scan if you’re not ready for a full build.