How Much Does a Photography Website Cost? A Buyer's Guide

You’re hiring a web developer for your photography site. You’ve collected quotes ranging from $500 to $15,000 and you can’t tell why they’re so different. What are you actually paying for? What’s a fair price? And how do you know if a developer is right for the job?

This guide answers all of that.

The problem

Most photographers walk into the hiring process without knowing what a website is made of. Developers know this. Some are honest and scope the project fairly. Others pad the quote with features you don’t need, skip the ones you do, or charge a premium for work that should be standard.

Without a framework for evaluating quotes, you’re guessing. And guessing with $3,000 to $15,000 on the line is expensive.

What this guide gives you

Most of the information in this guide exists online — scattered across dozens of articles, forums, and blog posts. The value here is that it’s organized into a decision-making framework for someone who doesn’t know what questions to ask. Six pages. One read. You walk into your next developer conversation knowing exactly what to say.

1. Template vs. Custom — the biggest cost driver, with pros, cons, and price ranges for each
2. What You’re Paying For — galleries, design implementation, CMS, e-commerce, SEO, hosting, and maintenance broken down by complexity
3. What Should It All Cost? — three pricing tiers from $500 to $20,000+ so you know where you fit
4. Services Worth Using Instead of Building — third-party tools that are cheaper and better than custom work
5. Evaluating a Quote — what a good quote includes, questions to ask, red flags, and green flags
6. The Process — a step-by-step approach from requirements to launch
7. Glossary — plain-English definitions for CMS, CDN, SEO, and every other term developers throw around

Who this is for

You’re ready to hire a web developer but you don’t know what’s reasonable. This guide gives you the language and the framework to evaluate any quote, ask the right questions, and avoid overpaying for things you don’t need. Written with photographers in mind, but applicable to anyone commissioning a portfolio or small business site.