The four ways to get a website, and what each really costs
Every quote you get in Ireland falls into one of four buckets. The sticker price is only half the story, so each one below has the yearly running cost beside it.
| Route | Upfront | Per year after | Who it suits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Do it yourself on Wix, Squarespace or GoDaddy | €0 | €150–€350 (plan plus domain) | Someone with evenings free and an eye for layout |
| A freelancer or a trade specialist | €400–€1,500 | €40–€120 (domain and hosting) | A trade or a small business that wants it done properly, once |
| A local agency | €2,500–€6,000 | €300–€1,200 (hosting and "maintenance") | A company with several staff and a marketing budget |
| A national agency with a strategy deck | €6,000–€20,000+ | €1,000+ | Not you, if you're reading this |
The middle row is where most tradespeople should be. Below it you spend your weekends fighting a template. Above it you pay for account managers and a "discovery phase" you didn't ask for.
Why the DIY builders end up costing more than they look
Wix and the others advertise from about €10 a month. By the time you've added a custom domain, removed their branding and switched on the plan that lets you connect Google properly, you're closer to €25 to €30 a month. That's €300 to €350 a year, forever, and the site still looks like every other Wix site in your county. Over five years that's €1,500 to €1,750 for a template you built yourself.
The other cost is time. A tradesperson who bills €50 an hour and spends twenty evenings on a site builder has spent €1,000 of their own labour before the site earns a cent.
What the price should include
A fair quote in Ireland for a trade website should include all of the following. If any are missing, ask why.
- A .ie domain registered in your name, not the designer's. You should be able to move it.
- Hosting and an SSL certificate for the first year, so the site shows the padlock.
- A site that works on a phone first, because that is where eight in ten of your visitors are.
- Tap-to-call and WhatsApp buttons. Contact forms alone lose you callouts.
- Your Google Business Profile set up or fixed and linked to the site.
- Your registration badges where they belong: Safe Electric, RGI, CIRI, insurance.
- A page for each service you want more of, not one page listing everything.
- Some edits after launch without a fresh invoice.
The hidden yearly costs, honestly
A domain is about €20 to €40 a year for a .ie. Hosting a fast static site is €0 to €80 a year depending on where it sits. So a properly built site should cost you under €120 a year to keep alive after year one. If someone is charging you €50 a month for "hosting and maintenance" on a five-page site, you're paying €600 a year for what costs them about €30. Ask what the maintenance actually is.
What €400 buys at tradewebsites.ie
For comparison, our One-Pager is €400 once. It includes the domain, hosting and SSL for the first year, the tap-to-call and WhatsApp buttons, the Google Business set-up, your photos and reviews, and it's live within five working days. The Business Site is €900 and adds a page per service and per area you cover, a gallery and a quote form. After the first year the domain and hosting are about €39 a year, or you can move it. There is no VAT to add.
Can a grant cover it?
Possibly. Local Enterprise Offices run the Trading Online Voucher, which co-funds a website for small businesses that have been trading for a period and have under ten employees. The scheme's terms and amounts change, so check your county's LEO page for the current rules before you count on it. If you qualify, it can halve the cost of a site. We'll help with the application.
The short version
If you're a tradesperson in Ireland: budget €500 to €900 once, insist the domain is yours, insist on tap-to-call and a Google Business set-up, and walk away from anything that needs a monthly fee to exist.
Want this done for you by Friday?
Websites for electricians in Ireland: €400 once, free mockup first, live in five working days.
How much does a website cost in Ireland for a small business?
Roughly €400 to €1,500 from a freelancer or specialist, €2,500 to €6,000 from a local agency, or €150 to €350 a year on a DIY builder. A tradesperson's site should sit in the €400 to €900 range, paid once.
What are the ongoing costs of a website in Ireland?
A .ie domain costs about €20 to €40 a year and hosting a simple site €0 to €80 a year. Anything above €120 a year for a small site needs a good explanation.
Is a website tax-deductible for a sole trader in Ireland?
Website costs are generally an allowable business expense for a sole trader, but how they're treated can depend on your situation. Ask your accountant, and keep the invoice.