The main cost drivers
Page count matters, but not as much as complexity. A site with five carefully planned service pages, custom copy, photography, forms and integrations can take more work than a larger information site built from a repeatable layout.
Design and content
Custom interface work, original content, image preparation and brand cleanup all add time. Reusing good existing material can lower the scope, while rebuilding weak copy from scratch increases it.
Functionality
Booking flows, ecommerce, customer accounts, calculators, database-driven listings and third-party integrations move a project beyond a simple informational website.
Migration and SEO preservation
An established website may need URL mapping, redirects, content consolidation and checks for pages that already earn traffic or backlinks. That work is easy to overlook but can be more important than visual redesign.
Why ultra-cheap quotes can become expensive
A low starting price often excludes content, revisions, mobile refinement, accessibility fixes, technical setup or post-launch changes. Compare what is actually included rather than comparing headline prices.
How to get a more accurate quote
Prepare a short list of required pages, examples of sites you like, the main customer actions, any special functionality and whether the current content should be reused. That is usually enough to define a realistic first scope.