FAQ: websites, WordPress and local SEO

A professional small-business website with five to seven pages typically costs CHF 1,800 to 4,000 with a freelancer in Switzerland and CHF 5,000 to 10,000 with an agency. With me, a WordPress business website of up to five pages starts at CHF 1,890 and a single landing page at CHF 690. Domain, hosting and maintenance come on top.

What does a website cost in Switzerland?Pricing

My hourly rate as a web developer in Basel is CHF 45, billed in 15-minute increments with no minimum. For comparison, Swiss agencies typically charge CHF 120 to 180 per hour and freelancers CHF 80 to 140. My rate is lower because I work alone, without agency overhead.

Pricing

For clearly defined work I offer fixed prices: landing page from CHF 690, small-business website from CHF 1,890, local SEO setup CHF 890, Google Ads CHF 390 plus CHF 190 per month, maintenance and SEO care from CHF 149 per month, and web app/MVP from CHF 3,900. Individual tickets are CHF 45 per hour. Fixed prices cover the scope described in the quote.

Pricing

For single changes, bug fixes and maintenance the hourly rate is usually cheaper, because you only pay for the actual time in 15-minute increments. For new websites, landing pages or web apps with a clear scope I recommend a fixed price so the budget is predictable. Extra requests outside the quote are billed transparently at CHF 45 per hour.

Pricing

A website has running costs for the domain (a .ch domain about CHF 10 to 25 per year), hosting (about CHF 5 to 40 per month) and possibly theme and plugin licences (often CHF 50 to 300 per year). Without a maintenance contract that is roughly CHF 150 to 600 per year. My maintenance and SEO care starts at CHF 149 per month.

What does a website cost in Switzerland?

Yes, all my prices are final prices. I am currently not VAT-registered, so no VAT is added. What the quote says is what you pay, for example CHF 45 per hour, CHF 1,890 for a business website or CHF 149 per month for maintenance. Only third-party costs such as hosting, domain, licences or the Google ad budget are separate.

Yes, my quotes are always free, non-binding and come before any work starts. For web apps you get the fixed price after a free planning workshop, once the scope is clear. For agency tickets, I solve the first ticket of up to 30 minutes for free so you can see how I work on a real task.

Test ticket

A website project runs in four steps: a short initial call by video or phone about goals and content, a non-binding fixed-price quote, building in WordPress with previews for your feedback, and finally launch with an introduction so you can edit texts and images yourself. The business website package includes design to your brand guidelines, a contact form, imprint/privacy structure and a local SEO foundation.

Pricing

A landing page is usually finished within 5 working days, faster if urgent. For a full website it depends on the scope: a standard website can be done in about one week, provided texts and images are ready and the vision is clear. A web app (MVP) usually takes three to eight weeks.

No. My business is based in Basel, but I work for clients across Switzerland. Collaboration happens mainly via video call, email and phone. Meetings in person in Basel are possible by arrangement. I communicate in Swiss German, German or English and reply within 4 business hours.

I reply to requests within 4 business hours with a first estimate. Small fixes are usually done the same or next business day. Tasks sent in the late afternoon are often ready on staging the next morning.

WordPress support for agencies

After your enquiry you receive a checklist of everything I need to get started. Typically that is your logo and colours, texts and images (or at least key points), and access to your domain and hosting if you already have them. Supplying your own texts saves a lot. Professional copywriting costs roughly CHF 100 to 300 per page.

What does a website cost in Switzerland?

WordPress is usually the better and cheaper choice for content, blogs and marketing, because you can edit texts and images yourself and there are proven extensions for SEO, forms and multilingual sites. A web app only pays off when users log in, edit data or processes need to be automated.

Web app development

Yes. I build WordPress sites so you can change texts, images and blog posts yourself, and the business website package includes an introduction. For bigger changes, or when you lack the time, I handle it at CHF 45 per hour in 15-minute increments or within the maintenance plan (1 hour of support per month included).

Pricing

Yes. I fix mobile display issues, CSS problems in Elementor or Gutenberg, forms including spam protection and email delivery, plugin conflicts, PHP errors after updates and slow loading times. Billing is CHF 45 per hour, and a typical fix takes 15 to 60 minutes. No rebuild needed.

WordPress support for agencies

I optimise every site for fast loading, because Google uses it as a ranking factor (Core Web Vitals) and mobile visitors leave quickly. That means compressed images, caching, removing unnecessary scripts and SVG animations instead of video. For vakeup.ch the site reaches a PageSpeed score above 95.

VakeUp case

Yes. I build multilingual websites in any language, for example German, French and English for clients across Switzerland. You provide the translations, or we organise them together. I take care of the technical side, with a language switcher and correct hreflang tags so Google assigns each language version properly.

Local SEO means optimising a website and Google Business Profile so a business ranks high for searches like “catering Basel” or “hairdresser near me”, in the map pack and the organic results. It pays off for any business with local customers, such as restaurants, trades, practices or service providers in and around Basel.

Local SEO BaselLocal SEO Basel guide

A local SEO setup for WordPress sites costs a fixed CHF 890, including keyword research, Rank Math, schema markup, Google Business Profile and GEO. Ongoing care with a monthly ranking report starts at CHF 149 per month. Rank Math Pro and WP Rocket (about CHF 155 per year, licence paid by the client) are recommended.

Local SEO Basel

First improvements in the Google Business Profile often show within a few weeks. Stable top rankings for competitive terms usually take three to six months, depending on competition, reviews and starting point. No serious provider can guarantee rankings.

Local SEO Basel

GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) makes sure AI assistants such as ChatGPT, Gemini or Perplexity know your business, describe it correctly and recommend it. It needs clear, quotable content, structured data, a well-maintained Google Business Profile and mentions on other websites. GEO builds on the same foundations as SEO.

Generative engine optimization

Yes. For the Basel caterer vakeup.ch I built the WordPress site and run local SEO. “catering basel” and “veganes catering basel” rank in positions 1–5 on Google, and ChatGPT and Google Gemini recommend VakeUp for relevant questions in Basel.

VakeUp case

Setting up a local Google Ads search campaign costs CHF 390, ongoing care CHF 190 per month (one check per month, cancellable monthly). The ad budget you pay directly to Google comes on top and is not included. Additional work is billed at CHF 45 per hour.

Local SEO Basel

SEO brings free visitors in the long run but takes a few months to work. Google Ads gives instant visibility but costs per click while the campaign runs. For local businesses in Basel both often make sense: ads for a quick start, local SEO for lasting visibility.

Local SEO Basel

The revised FADP has applied since 1 September 2023. Almost every website needs a privacy policy that explains which data is processed, for what purpose and who receives it, plus an imprint, HTTPS and up-to-date software. Intentional violations can lead to fines of up to CHF 250,000 against the responsible individuals. I am a web developer, not a lawyer.

Swiss data protection checklist

Not necessarily. Unlike the EU, Swiss law generally does not require prior opt-in for cookies. You must inform visitors about cookies and tracking and point out how to refuse them, usually with a notice linking to the privacy policy. If you target many visitors from the EU, a GDPR banner may still be needed.

Swiss data protection checklist

Yes, on request I handle hosting, domain and technical setup completely, as a convenient all-in-one solution. I mostly use Infomaniak, Cloudflare and Supabase, but I am happy to work with your preferred provider. Hosting for a small-business website costs about CHF 5 to 40 per month, a .ch domain about CHF 10 to 25 per year.

The website, domain and logins belong to you. You receive all logins for the website, hosting and domain and can decide at any time who you work with. For web apps, the source code is also yours after the final invoice, including repository access and documentation.

I try to keep data in Switzerland where possible, for example with hosting at Infomaniak or, for web apps, Supabase in the Zurich region (eu-central-2). Depending on the plugins and tools needed, that is not always fully possible: Cloudflare, for instance, operates globally, and many services are based in the US. Any transfers abroad must be listed in the privacy policy.

Swiss data protection checklistWeb app development

Maintenance and SEO care starts at CHF 149 per month and includes WordPress, theme and plugin updates, backups, uptime monitoring, a monthly ranking report and 1 hour of support. It can be cancelled monthly. Outdated WordPress installs are one of the most common entry points for attacks.

Pricing

Not necessarily, but a WordPress site must be updated regularly. Without updates the risk of being hacked rises, and cleaning up a hacked site quickly costs more than several years of maintenance. Without a contract I can also do updates or fixes on demand at CHF 45 per hour.

What does a website cost in Switzerland?

A web app pays off as soon as users log in, edit data, need roles and permissions or processes should be automated, for example client portals, internal dashboards, booking systems or AI tools. For content and marketing WordPress usually remains the better choice. Often the best solution combines both.

Web app development

A custom web app MVP with login, roles and hosting setup starts at CHF 3,900. In the free planning workshop (1 to 2 hours) we clarify the goal, the users and the core features. You then get a fixed price. An MVP is usually ready in three to eight weeks, depending on scope and how quickly feedback comes.

Web app development

Yes. After the final invoice the source code of your web app is yours. You get access to the repository and documentation so other developers can continue working on it later.

Web app development

Yes. I integrate OpenAI features such as text summaries, document analysis, image recognition or context-aware translation into web apps. The API key stays protected on the server (Supabase Edge Functions), a cache catches duplicate requests and costs stay under control. An AI photo scan in linus-os.ch, for example, costs less than 1 Rappen (CHF 0.01).

Web app developmentWeb app cases

You send me a small, clearly defined task from your backlog, such as a mobile bug, an Elementor issue or a Rank Math setup. The first task of up to 30 minutes is free and without obligation, so you see how I work on real code without a long onboarding.

Test ticket

Yes, I work as a white-label partner for Swiss web and digital agencies. I only appear in front of your clients if you want me to, and I am happy to sign an NDA. I work in your existing WordPress or Git setup, ideally on staging, and hand over every change with a short note.

WordPress support for agencies

For backlog work that comes in waves, usually yes. With a freelancer you only pay for the quarter hours actually worked at CHF 45 per hour, without payroll costs, onboarding or idle time. There is no minimum and no subscription. Agencies with regular tickets can agree on a monthly hour budget.

Outsource a WordPress backlog