If you're a small business owner getting quotes for a new website, you've probably heard everything from "I'll build it for $100" to "our agency charges $15,000 minimum." Both can be true, and both can be a rip-off. The real question isn't "what does a website cost." It's "what should your website cost, for what you actually need?"

Here's a transparent breakdown, based on what I charge and what the rest of the industry charges in 2026.

The quick answer

For most small businesses, a good custom-built website costs between $500 and $2,500 one-time, plus about $15 to $25 per month for hosting and a domain name. Ecommerce and larger sites go higher.

Pricing tiers (what you get at each level)

Starter

$500 – $900

One to three pages, usually Home, About, and Contact. Perfect for a solo operator, trade, or service provider who just needs to show up on Google and look legit.

  • Custom design (not a template)
  • Mobile-responsive
  • Basic on-page SEO
  • Contact form and click-to-call
  • Google Business Profile setup

Standard

$1,000 – $1,800

Four to eight pages. Services or menu pages, portfolio or gallery, FAQ, testimonials. The sweet spot for most restaurants, retail shops, contractors, and professional services.

  • Everything in Starter
  • Multiple service or product pages
  • Image gallery or portfolio
  • Social media integration
  • Schema markup for rich Google results

Premium

$2,000 – $2,500+

Ten or more pages with custom features like online booking, simple ecommerce, a member area, custom animations, or advanced lead-capture flows.

  • Everything in Standard
  • Online booking or appointment scheduling
  • Basic ecommerce (a handful of products)
  • Custom interactions and animation
  • Analytics dashboard setup

Ongoing costs you should expect

This is where a lot of business owners get blindsided. After your site is built, you still need:

  • Domain name: about $12–$20 per year
  • Hosting: $0–$25 per month depending on the provider (I use Netlify, which is free for most small business sites)
  • Email: $6–$12 per user per month if you want something like you@yourbusiness.com through Google Workspace
  • Maintenance: optional, but small content updates and tech support average $50–$150 per change, or you can pay a flat monthly retainer

Red flags that signal a bad deal

  • A designer who won't give you a flat price upfront
  • Contracts that lock you into hosting with them (you should always own your domain and hosting)
  • Prices under $200 for a full custom site. It's almost certainly a template with your logo slapped on
  • Prices over $5,000 for a simple 5-page site with no custom functionality
  • No clear timeline or deliverables list

How to get the best deal

Know what you actually need before you ask for a quote. A good designer will help you scope it down, not up. If someone tries to sell you a $3,000 site when a $900 one would do the job, find someone else.

Always ask: "Do I own this when it's done?" The answer should be yes. You own the domain, the files, and the hosting account. Anything else is a leash.

Want a real quote for your specific business?

Tell me a little about what you do and what you want out of a website. I'll send a flat-rate quote. No sales call required, usually same day.

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