How Much Does a Website Cost for a Small Business?

“How much for a website?” is one of the hardest questions to get a straight answer to. A website builder ad says it is nearly free. A local agency quotes a number that looks like a used car. Both can be right, because they are pricing very different things.

This guide breaks down what you actually pay for, how each option is priced, real plan prices from major website builders, and the ongoing costs that catch owners out in year 2. Prices change often and vary by location, so treat the figures here as a starting point and confirm on each vendor’s pricing page.

The 3 ways to get a small business website

Almost every small business website is built one of 3 ways:

1. Do it yourself with a hosted website builder or WordPress.
2. Hire a freelancer to design and build it.
3. Hire an agency for design, content, development and sometimes ongoing marketing.

The cost difference comes mostly from labor. The software is relatively cheap. Someone’s time to plan, write, design, build and test is what you pay for.

Key takeaway: The biggest cost of any website is time, either yours or someone else’s. A cheap plan with no clear content is still an expensive website if it never brings in customers.

DIY costs: website builder plans

Hosted builders bundle hosting, security, templates and support into a monthly subscription. Paying yearly is usually cheaper per month than paying monthly. Here is what the major platforms list for US customers at the time of writing (annual billing, per month):

Monthly billing costs more on each platform. Most builders also charge separately for ecommerce features, premium apps, extra storage, email marketing and booking tools above a basic level.

For most service businesses, an entry or mid-level plan is enough. You only need ecommerce tiers if you sell online. If you are choosing between platforms, our comparisons of WordPress vs Wix vs Squarespace and Shopify vs WooCommerce explain the trade-offs.

Self-hosted WordPress

The WordPress software is free and open source, but you pay for hosting, a domain, a premium theme if you want one, and any paid plugins. The bigger cost is upkeep: someone has to apply updates, manage backups and handle security. If you cannot do that yourself, budget for a maintenance plan from a developer or host.

Freelancer and agency costs

Custom work is usually priced in 1 of 3 ways:

• Fixed project fee: one price for an agreed set of pages and features. Easiest to budget.
• Hourly rate: you pay for time spent. Flexible, but costs grow if scope creeps.
• Monthly website subscription: some designers build the site for a low upfront cost and charge a monthly fee that covers hosting, updates and small edits. Check who owns the site if you cancel.

There is no official price list for freelance web design, and quotes vary widely by region, experience and scope. For context, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a median wage of $99,520 a year, or $47.85 an hour, for employed web developers and digital designers in May 2025. Freelancers set their own rates and cover their own taxes, software and overhead, so their hourly rates often run higher than employee wages.

What freelancers and agencies typically differ on

What drives a website quote up

Whoever you hire, these factors move the price most:

1. Number of pages. Each unique page needs content, design and testing.
2. Custom design vs template. A customized template is far cheaper than a design built from scratch.
3. Content. If the designer writes your copy or arranges photography, expect to pay for it.
4. Ecommerce. Product setup, payments, shipping rules and tax settings add significant work. See how much it costs to start an online store.
5. Integrations. Booking systems, CRMs, member logins and custom forms take extra setup.
6. Custom functionality. Anything that behaves like an app is closer to software development. Our guide to custom software development cost covers that pricing.
7. Accessibility and compliance. Building to accessibility standards such as WCAG takes care and testing, but it is cheaper to do at the start than to fix later.
8. Revisions and timeline. Rush jobs and unlimited revision rounds cost more.

The ongoing costs owners forget

The launch price is only part of the bill. Budget for these every year:

Read the renewal terms before you buy. Several builders note that free domains apply only to the first year and only to annual plans, and promotional pricing may not apply at renewal.

How to choose the right budget level

Match your spending to what the website needs to do:

• You mainly need to be found and contacted (plumber, salon, cafe): a DIY builder plan with 5 to 8 well-written pages is usually enough.
• You take bookings or deposits online: a mid-level builder plan plus a booking tool, or a freelancer to set it up properly.
• You sell many products online: an ecommerce platform, with budget for apps, payment fees and product photography.
• You need custom features or a strong brand: a freelancer or agency, with a written scope and a maintenance plan.

How to get an honest quote

Before you talk to any designer, write a 1-page brief:

1. What your business does and who your customers are
2. The 1 main action you want visitors to take
3. The list of pages you need
4. Features: booking, payments, forms, blog, store
5. Who will write content and supply photos
6. 2 or 3 sites you like, and why
7. Your budget range and deadline

Then ask every provider the same questions:

• What exactly is included, page by page?
• How many revision rounds are included?
• Who owns the domain, design files, content and accounts at the end?
• What does hosting and maintenance cost after launch?
• What happens if I want to move the site elsewhere later?

Get the answers in writing and compare them side by side.

Where to start

1. Register your domain in your own name, whatever route you choose.
2. Write your page list and content outline first. It lowers every quote.
3. Try 1 or 2 builders on a free plan or trial to see whether DIY suits you.
4. Get 2 or 3 written quotes if you plan to hire help.
5. Budget for year 2, not just launch day.

Our step-by-step guide to building a small business website walks through the full process.

Conclusion

A small business website can cost very little or a great deal, and both can be the right choice. DIY builders are affordable and capable for most local businesses. Freelancers and agencies make sense when time is short, features are complex or the brand matters a lot. Whatever you choose, own your domain and accounts, get scope in writing and plan for ongoing costs.

Sources

• Wix pricing — premium plan tiers, yearly billing and free domain voucher terms
• Squarespace pricing — plan tiers, free first-year domain on annual plans, transaction fee on Basic
• WordPress.com pricing — Personal through Commerce plan prices
• Shopify pricing — Basic through Advanced plan prices
• US Bureau of Labor Statistics: Web Developers and Digital Designers — median wage of $99,520 a year and $47.85 an hour in May 2025