How much does a small business website cost? If you build it yourself, a few hundred dollars a year. If you hire someone, usually a few thousand up front.
I'm a web designer in Louisville, Kentucky. Below are my published prices, what my 2026 projects really cost and what the DIY builders charge today. You can see the work I can show publicly on my client work page.
The Short Answer
For a typical small business website (up to 5 pages, custom design, mobile-friendly), this is my published Pro price:
That adds up to $7,288 for the first year ($2,500 plus 12 months at $399). Every year after that is $4,788.
Want the site, hosting, support, Google Business Profile work, local SEO and reporting handled together? Compare the current Pro and Custom website packages. Still deciding between DIY and hiring someone? The website platform comparison is the next stop.
What My 2026 Projects Really Cost
Pro is the published package. Most of the clients I signed in 2026 aren't on it. They needed something more specific, so I scoped and priced the job for them.
- Up front: my 2026 projects ran from $500 to $12,500.
- Monthly: from $200 a month for basic support to $2,500 when Google Ads and ongoing SEO are part of it.
The low end was a small setup for a business that already had most of what it needed. The high end was a full online store rebuild. Monthly cost follows the work. Hosting and edits cost less than running ads and writing new pages every month.
Option 1: Hire a Local Web Designer
This is what I do. A local web designer builds your site, handles the technical side and stays on for the upkeep.
What You Get:
- Custom design that matches your brand (not a template that looks like everyone else's)
- A mobile-friendly layout that works on phones and tablets
- SEO basics built in so Google can understand your site
- A call button and contact options that work
- Someone to call when something breaks
What It Costs:
- Pro small business site: $2,500 setup + $399/month
- Custom build: Starting at $7,500 for online stores, booking systems, member portals or sites past 10 pages
The setup covers design, build and launch. The monthly plan covers hosting, SSL, support, Google Business Profile work, local SEO, content edits and a monthly report. If I register your domain, its renewal is included too.
Why the range is so wide: Cost follows complexity. A 5-page site for a plumber costs less than a 50-page site for a law firm with custom intake forms and appointment scheduling. More features mean more work, and more work means a higher price.
Option 2: DIY Website Builders
Squarespace, Wix and GoDaddy let you build your own website without knowing code. The subscription is cheap. The work is all yours.
What It Costs:
As of October 2026, Squarespace's pricing page lists these website plans:
- Basic: $19/month billed yearly, $25 billed monthly
- Core: $29/month billed yearly, $39 billed monthly
- Plus: $49/month billed yearly, $65 billed monthly
- Advanced: $99/month billed yearly, $139 billed monthly
So a Squarespace site runs about $228 to $1,188 a year before your time. Wix prices change by country, so check its plans page for your price. Free plans put the builder's name in your web address and its ads on your page. Customers notice that.
The Hidden Cost: Your Time
The pricing page doesn't show the hours. Building a website takes a lot of them.
By my estimate, a DIY site takes dozens of hours to get live. I break down where that time goes in how long it takes to build a website. If those hours could have gone into jobs, customers or sales, the cheaper tool may not be cheaper.
Some people enjoy this and have an eye for design. Most don't. Be honest with yourself about which camp you're in. For a deeper look, read my comparison of website builders vs a custom site.
Option 3: Agencies
I'm not going to put a number on agencies. Their prices swing too much to give you a fair one, so ask for a written quote.
What you're paying for is more people: account managers, project managers, designers and developers. That makes sense for a big company with a lot of moving parts. For a local contractor, restaurant or service business, it's usually more meetings and handoffs than the job needs.
I came up on the agency side. The process was good. The layers were the expensive part.
Want a Quote for Your Site?
Call or text me. I'll tell you what your website would cost.
The Ongoing Costs Most People Forget
Building the website is step one. Keeping it running is step two. These bills come around after launch.
Hosting
Your website has to live somewhere. Cheap shared hosting can mean slow pages and weak security. Better hosting is part of what a monthly plan pays for.
Domain Name
Your web address, like mybusiness.com, renews every year. If you already own your domain, it stays in your name and you keep renewing it. I'll set up the DNS at no extra charge.
If I register a new one for you, it's in your name from day one, and the renewal is included while you're on a plan.
SSL Certificate
The "https" and padlock show your site is secure. It's included in Pro.
Maintenance and Updates
Websites need updates. Hours, staff and services change.
On WordPress, plugins and security need regular attention too. That's a big part of why I weigh WordPress against a custom site for most small businesses.
You can handle the upkeep yourself or pay someone to do it. My website maintenance checklist shows what that upkeep involves.
Not ready for a new build? My monthly plans start at Care, $250/month.
What Drives the Price Up?
Not every website is the same job. These make the price climb:
- Number of pages: A 5-page site costs less than a 20-page site.
- Custom design: Tweaking a template is cheap. Designing from scratch costs more.
- E-commerce: Selling online adds payments, inventory and shipping.
- Booking and scheduling: Appointment systems, calendars and integrations add cost.
- Custom forms: Complex intake forms, quote calculators or multi-step workflows.
- Copywriting: If someone has to write all your content, that's extra.
- Photography: Professional photos of your work, team or location.
When you compare quotes, ask which of these each one includes.
How to Not Get Ripped Off
People overpay for websites when they don't know what to ask. Ask these:
- Get a few quotes. Talk to at least 3 providers. Prices vary a lot.
- Ask what's included. Does it cover hosting, maintenance and updates? A year from now, who do you call?
- Ask to see work. Any web designer should show you sites they've built and explain them.
- Ask who owns what. The domain, the content and the design should end up in your name.
- Watch out for vague discovery fees. Paid planning can make sense for complex projects. It should produce something useful, not another sales call.
- Be careful with lowball quotes. If a quote sounds impossible, ask what's missing: copy, mobile work, SEO setup, support, hosting or ownership.
My guide to choosing a web designer has the full list of questions to ask.
Red flag: A web designer who won't talk price until late in the process. My prices are on this page and on my packages page.
Is a Website Worth It?
Start with one number. How much is one new customer worth to you?
If you're a plumber and one good repair call is worth more than a month of website support, the site doesn't need to work miracles. It needs to help the right people find you and call.
If you run a restaurant, the site needs to make your menu, hours, location and ordering easy to find. If you run a salon, it needs to show your work and make booking obvious.
Most of my clients this year found me on Google and then texted me. That's the job a small business site has to do.
What I Charge
- Pro website setup: $2,500
- Pro monthly plan: $399/month
- Custom builds: Starting at $7,500, quoted per project
- Website Rescue diagnostic: $250, credited toward a Rescue Sprint or rebuild booked within 30 days
- Google Business Profile setup: $399 on its own, included in Pro
- SEO audit: $595 for a small business site
- Google Ads setup: $600
Pro is month to month. You own your domain and content from day one, and the design is yours once the build is paid.
So What Should You Budget?
- DIY: about $228 to $1,188 a year on Squarespace, plus your hours.
- Pro with me: $7,288 the first year, then $4,788 a year.
- Custom work: my 2026 projects ran $500 to $12,500 up front, depending on scope.
If a quote is higher than these, ask what the extra pays for. Whether you're in Louisville or out of state, call or text me and I'll price your site. You can also review the website packages or start with real client work.
