How Much Does a Small Business Website Cost?
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
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
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
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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