Website in Marbella: what you need and what it costs

First: what do you actually need?

Before talking money, define your goal. A brochure site —where you give information, build trust and get contacted— is not the same as a store where people buy and pay. A hairdresser in San Pedro doesn't need a cart; a fashion shop in Puerto Banús selling to international customers probably does.

• If you sell services or local attention: a clear site explaining what you do, where you are and how to contact you is enough.
• If you sell products remotely: you need a catalogue, a cart and a payment gateway to charge online.
• If you're just starting: better a simple, well-built site now that you can expand later, than an ambitious project that takes months.

What a website includes under the hood

When someone gives you a price, it helps to know what the pieces are. These are the ones that really make a site work:

• Domain. Your address online, like yourbusiness.es. Ideally registered in your name, not the agency's.
• Hosting. The space where the site lives and that keeps it accessible and fast.
• Design. How it looks and navigates, both on desktop and mobile. It should convey what you do.
• Copy. Explaining your business in words both a customer and Google understand.
• Photos. Your own images, well treated. They carry the most weight in a first impression.
• Contact form. So people can write to you without relying only on the phone.
• Mobile version. Nearly all your customers arrive from a phone; it must look perfect there first.

Depending on your case: what suits you

There is no single ideal site for everyone. This table sums up what each profile usually needs:

Prices: what each type of site costs

At Solaris web design is a one-off payment, with no monthly design fees. These are our real plans:

These are one-off prices: you pay once for the design, and what you keep afterwards is the domain and hosting, which are your own costs, in your name.

The costs people forget

The design price is only part of it. These costs appear later and are worth knowing from the start:

• The domain. Around €10-15 per year. It's your address and should be in your name.
• Hosting. From around €5-10 per month on simple plans, depending on traffic and needs.
• Your own photos. If you don't have them, a professional shoot of your business helps; without real photos, the site suffers.
• The copy. Writing well what you do takes time; if you delegate it, it's work on top of the design.
• Maintenance and changes. Adding sections or products later is one-off work, not a fixed cost if you don't need it.

How to choose an agency without getting it wrong

Before saying yes to a quote, check these points. They'll save you headaches:

• Look at their real portfolio. Sites they've built that work, not just pretty mockups.
• Ask for the timeline in writing. For simple sites with the client's copy and images, 5-7 working days is a reasonable timeline.
• Confirm the domain will be yours. Get in writing who the owner is. It should always be you.
• Ask for a fixed price. A clear quote avoids surprises midway through the project.

And afterwards, be found

A beautiful website nobody visits isn't worth much. Once your site is ready, the natural next step is for it to show up when someone searches your service in your area: that's local SEO in Marbella. Aligning your site with your Google Maps listing makes everything point the same way and helps whoever searches for you find you.

Why Solaris

We approach web design differently from most:

• Fixed, published prices. €180, €350 or €450 + VAT, with no "request a quote" and no surprises.
• One-off payment for the design. We don't tie you to a monthly design fee.
• Clear timelines. Simple sites in 5-7 working days if you provide the copy and images.
• We know Marbella. We work with businesses on the Costa del Sol and understand their market and their season.