Website costs in Switzerland: scope, budget and ongoing costs
To estimate the cost of a website in Switzerland, define what the supplier must deliver, then add the build cost, recurring fees and your team's time. Page count alone is insufficient: a bilingual site with booking and CRM integration involves different work from a company website with a simple contact form.
This guide covers company and SME websites. It includes a quote checklist and a fictional three-year budget. The example amounts explain the calculation; they are neither EWM prices nor Swiss market averages.
Define the website before requesting a price
Start with what visitors need to do: understand your services, explore a project, request a quote or book an appointment. For each task, specify the information they need and who will handle the enquiry.
In your brief, include:
your audiences, languages and main website objective;
the number of pages to publish and the templates needed, such as service, project and news pages;
existing content, content to produce and the person responsible;
functions: forms, search, booking, private areas or connections to other tools;
data and URLs to transfer from an existing site;
the people who will edit the website after launch;
your preferred launch date, available budget and internal approvals.
Distinguish pages from templates. You can publish twenty projects using one template. Five pages with distinct layouts and interactions may require more design work. Ask the supplier to price both volumes.
What a website quote should itemise
Planning and user journeys
Deliverable to specify — Site structure, requirements, priority journeys
Question to ask — Who approves the scope, and when?
UI/UX design
Deliverable to specify — Designs, components, mobile layouts
Question to ask — How many templates and revision rounds are included?
Development and CMS
Deliverable to specify — Implemented templates, editing tools, functions
Question to ask — What can your team change without development work?
Content
Deliverable to specify — Writing, translation, images, content entry
Question to ask — Who supplies, reviews and enters each piece of content?
Integrations
Deliverable to specify — Forms, CRM, booking or other services
Question to ask — Who tests data exchanges and handles failures?
Migration
Deliverable to specify — Content imports, old-to-new URL mapping
Question to ask — Who prepares and checks redirects?
Testing and launch
Deliverable to specify — Agreed checks, fixes, deployment
Question to ask — Which criteria determine whether you accept delivery?
Handover
Deliverable to specify — Training, documentation, access
Question to ask — What will you receive to operate the site or move to another supplier?
Ask suppliers to list exclusions: photography, image purchases, writing, translation, extra page entry, licences and external subscriptions. A total without these details will not let you compare offers.
Configured CMS, extensions or custom development
Ask for a demonstration of your team's tasks: publishing a project in French and English, editing a service or adding a team member. Compare solutions on those tasks, integrations and maintenance needs.
A supplier may configure an existing CMS, develop extensions or build custom functions. Ask them to identify what they reuse, what they develop and what will need ongoing support. More complex architecture should address a defined requirement, such as sharing content across several applications. A technology's name alone does not justify its cost.
Budget for French and English
Adding English involves content production and management as well as technical configuration. Assign the work in the quote: writing the French, translating, checking industry terminology, entering content in the CMS and reviewing both versions.
Include less visible content: form labels, confirmation and error messages, SEO titles, descriptions, image alternatives and downloadable documents. Specify whether every page will have a translation at launch and who will maintain the relationships between them.
Writers can use the same page templates, but each translation needs review. If your team supplies the English, budget its time and agree a delivery date. For technical annotations, see our guide to hreflang and canonical URLs.
Budget for migrating an existing website
For a redesign, inventory useful content, forms, integrations and current URLs. Identify pages that generate enquiries or receive links before deciding to remove them.
If URLs change, budget for an old-to-new URL map, redirects and post-launch checks. Google describes these steps in its site migration documentation. Ask who will update internal links, canonical URLs, language annotations and the sitemap, then monitor errors in Search Console. A redirect or redesign does not guarantee that rankings will remain unchanged.
The quote should also state who exports content, cleans data and checks the transfer. Count documents and images as well as visible pages.
Calculate the cost over three years
Separate launch expenses, recurring invoices and internal time. Use the same period to compare offers.
Three-year external budget = build cost + 36 × monthly fees + 3 × annual fees + other planned expenses during the period.
Record each subscription in just one category. Then add your team's time, valued using an assumption you choose, to estimate the total economic cost. This time does not necessarily create an additional invoice.
Fictional example: an SME website in French and English
Assume twelve pages per language, four templates, a simple contact form and a CMS. The supplier enters the French and English copy provided by the SME. The scope excludes a shop, private area and CRM integration. This example does not include migration from an existing website.
Planning and site structure
Assumed cost in CHF — 1,200
Design and mobile layouts
Assumed cost in CHF — 2,400
Development and CMS configuration
Assumed cost in CHF — 3,800
Entry of supplied French and English content
Assumed cost in CHF — 1,200
Testing, training and launch
Assumed cost in CHF — 1,400
Initial total
Assumed cost in CHF — 10,000
Hosting and domain name
Per year in CHF — 600
Over three years in CHF — 1,800
Technical maintenance defined in the contract
Per year in CHF — 1,800
Over three years in CHF — 5,400
Licences and third-party services
Per year in CHF — 600
Over three years in CHF — 1,800
Recurring total
Per year in CHF — 3,000
Over three years in CHF — 9,000
The external budget is CHF 19,000 over three years. Add 80 internal hours at CHF 75, or CHF 6,000, across the whole period to prepare and review both languages, approve designs and handle the planned editorial updates. This scenario's total economic cost is CHF 25,000.
These assumptions exclude new functions, marketing campaigns and additional services. The 80 hours exclude technical work already charged under the maintenance contract. If you outsource writing or translation, add the invoice and adjust the corresponding internal time. Also set aside a budget reserve based on your project's uncertainties for changes in scope.
The amounts exclude any applicable VAT. The Federal Tax Administration lists a standard rate of 8.1%. Check the treatment your supplier specifies and compare quotes on the same basis, either excluding or including tax.
Your budget worksheet
Copy the example rows and add an “included / excluded / to confirm” column. For each subscription, record the price, billing frequency, renewal date and account holder. For internal time, list tasks, expected hours and your chosen hourly cost. Separate committed expenses, options and the reserve.
Clarify maintenance and access
Ask what maintenance covers: updates, backups, restore checks, monitoring, incident fixes and support. Specify the frequency, support hours and package limits. A response time and a resolution time are different commitments.
Separate technical maintenance from enhancements and content publishing. If you want the supplier to publish news, ask them to price that service. Also ask how they estimate and obtain approval for work outside the package, including the applicable rate or fixed fee.
To prepare for a future move to another supplier, check the contract for:
domain, hosting and subscription account holders;
your administrator access and credentials to hand over;
content and data export options;
rights to use code and design, licences and restrictions;
terms for handing over code, documentation and assistance when you leave.
These are contractual questions to agree. They do not mean that you automatically own all code or licences.
Compare offers and accept delivery
Send suppliers the same brief and request comparable breakdowns. Check template count, languages, content volumes, integrations, testing, training and exclusions. Compare the three-year total too. An offer including bilingual writing and maintenance covers different work from the delivery of templates alone.
Agree observable acceptance criteria:
1. Your team can edit and publish the agreed content in both languages.
2. Visitors can complete the priority journeys on mobile and desktop.
3. The form sends enquiries to the right person and displays the expected messages.
4. The supplier checks relevant old URLs, links and metadata.
5. You receive the agreed access, documentation and support information.
Add accessibility checks to the scope: keyboard navigation, form labels or how users read errors, for example. Define the expected tests and fixes. W3C explains why accessibility evaluation combines different checks. An automated tool result alone does not establish website conformance.
Reduce the budget while accounting for necessary work
Prepare text, images and approvals before content entry. Reuse templates where requirements are similar. Defer functions whose use you have yet to confirm, recording their estimated costs and dependencies.
For example, launch service pages and a simple form before a client portal. Ask what adding it later would require: a new data structure, development, content migration or a subscription change. Keep the testing, handover and redirects needed for your launch scope.
Frequently asked questions
How much does an SME brochure website cost in Switzerland?
Ask suppliers to price a defined scope: templates, content, languages, functions and testing. Request build costs and recurring fees separately. This guide's scenario explains the calculation; it does not set a market price.
Does a bilingual website cost twice as much?
Teams can reuse templates and some development work. They still need to produce or enter translations, configure language versions and check them. Ask for a breakdown and budget for managing both languages after launch.
Is maintenance included in the initial price?
Check the offer. It may include a period of post-launch support followed by a separate contract. Specify dates, tasks, exclusions and renewal terms. Also clarify how the supplier handles defects identified during acceptance.
Does the website need hosting in Switzerland?
Review the data processed, subcontractors, client requirements and applicable obligations with the appropriate specialists. Hosting location is one selection criterion; it does not establish website compliance on its own.
How long should you allow for building the website?
Request a schedule that includes content production, approvals and testing. Assign each decision and delivery date. A deadline quoted without these dependencies will not let you plan the launch.
How can you assess the value of the investment?
Choose measures linked to the website objective: relevant enquiries, bookings or time spent processing forms. Record the situation before launch and the cost of tracking results. Traffic alone does not establish a return on investment.
Planning a new site or redesign? See our approach to websites. To prepare a discussion, gather your current site, required functions, languages, available content and timeline.