What a Business Website Really Costs in the UAE (and What Often Gets Left Out of the Quote)

Ask three agencies what a website costs and you will usually get three numbers that cannot be compared. One quote includes hosting and another doesn't. One adds VAT at the bottom, one forgets to mention it. One says "from AED 1,000" for a package almost nobody ends up buying.

That makes it hard to budget, and it is the main reason small business owners feel uneasy when a quote lands in their inbox. So here is a plain look at what a website actually costs in the UAE: what goes into the price, what you will pay in year one, what you will pay in year two, and where the total tends to creep up.

Whatever the provider, the total is built from the same handful of pieces. When you compare quotes, check that each one covers all of them, or says clearly that it doesn't.

• Design and build. The design and build itself. A template-based site, set up with your logo and brand colours, costs far less than a fully custom design. Both are legitimate. They are just different products.
• Domain name. Your web address. A .com is usually cheaper than a .ae, and it is renewed every year.
• Hosting. The server your site lives on. Most packages include the first year, then it renews.
• SSL certificate. The security certificate that puts the padlock in the browser. It should be included, not sold as an extra.
• Business email. A professional address on your own domain, such as hello@yourcompany.ae, rather than a Gmail account.
• Content. The text, photos and logo. If you don't have them ready, someone has to create them, and that is rarely free.
• Support. Help when something breaks or you want a change after launch. Ask how long it lasts and what it covers.
• VAT. 5% VAT on top of the quoted price, unless the quote says it is already included.

To make this concrete, here are three realistic first-year totals using our own published package prices. In each case the package includes hosting for the first year, an SSL certificate, basic SEO setup, one business email account, training on managing the site, and three months of support. The domain is the only separate cost.

All figures are in AED.

The point of the table isn't the exact numbers. It is that the honest total is the package price plus the domain plus VAT, and anything you add on top. If a quote doesn't let you work that out in under a minute, ask for a clearer one.

This is the part most quotes skip. After the first year you pay to keep the site running, and it is much smaller than year one, but it should never be a surprise.

• Hosting renewal. With us, hosting renewal on a standard website is AED 360 a year.
• Domain renewal. Renewed at the registrar's price, which is usually close to what you paid the first time.
• Support. Our packages include three months. After that, agree up front whether you want an ongoing support plan or would rather pay only when you need a change.

So a small business site typically costs a few hundred dirhams a year to keep online. If a provider can't tell you the renewal figure before you sign, treat that as a warning sign.

Most of the gap between the first quote and the final invoice comes from a short list of decisions. None of them is a bad idea. You just want to make them on purpose.

• Custom design. A fully custom design is a different price bracket from a template-based one. For many small businesses a good template, properly branded, does the job well.
• A second language. Arabic pages are a build in their own right, because the layout runs right to left and the text needs proper handling. Budget for it rather than assuming it comes with the site.
• Content you don't have yet. Branding, professional photography and copywriting are separate pieces of work if you don't have them already.
• Extra features. Booking forms, integrations with your accounting or CRM tools, and extra payment options all add time.
• Selling online. If you decide you need an online store rather than a brochure site, you are looking at a different set of packages and a different budget.

• Is hosting, SSL and email included, and for how long?
  • Is VAT included in this figure?
• What will I pay in year two?
• Who owns the domain and the site files, and can I take them elsewhere later?
• How many rounds of changes are included before launch?
• What happens when the support period ends?

The ownership question matters more than most people expect. We offer two routes: the site can sit on our hosting account, with you getting WordPress access and a copy of the site whenever you want one, or it can sit on a hosting account in your own name that we set up for you, which costs more but means you hold the keys. Either way, there is an NDA, and the code and content are handed over at the end of the project, with code ownership passing to you after the final payment.