How much does a small business website cost? (Real numbers)

The two parts of the price

Every website has a one-time cost (writing, design and building the pages) and running costs (the domain, hosting, maintenance and, if you want it, help with Google). Quotes that look cheap often move money from the first part to the second: a low build price, then monthly fees, paid add-ons or a domain you can’t take with you.

So the useful number is the total over two or three years. A $500 site with a $60 monthly plan costs $2,660 over three years; a $1,500 site with $20 a month of running costs comes to $2,220.

What decides the one-time price

For most local businesses, a good site is five to eight pages: home, services, about, reviews or recent work, contact, and sometimes service areas or booking. The build price depends mostly on:

• How many pages, and how much writing you need. Writing is often the slowest part.
• Photos: your own, a photographer, or carefully chosen stock images.
• Features such as online booking, payments, an online store or a members area.
• How custom the design is, compared with a lightly edited template.
• Whether setting up and filling in your Google Business Profile is included.

What it costs to keep it running

The recurring costs are smaller, but they add up:

• Domain (your web address): about $15 a year for a typical .com, paid to the company where you register it. ICANN says the person who registers a domain is responsible for it, so register it in your own account.
• Hosting, security and backups: cheap or even free if you manage it yourself, a monthly fee if someone manages it for you.
• Business email at your own domain (you@yourbusiness.com): Google Workspace Business Starter lists $7 per user per month on an annual plan (checked October 2026).
• Your Google Business Profile: free to create.
• Changes after launch: included in some care plans, billed by the hour in others.

A real example: our prices

To make this concrete, here is what we charge at Venant Studio, as published on our pricing page: $700 to write, design and build a 5–8 page website, ready in 7 days once we have your details, then $100 a month for hosting, security, backups and unlimited small changes. If you would rather run it yourself, the site is $1,000 one time and handed over to you. Your domain, website files and Google listing stay in your name.

Over three years, $700 plus $100 a month comes to $4,300, with the changes included. Help with Google (weekly posts, review requests and replies, new monthly content) is a separate $249.99 a month plan that replaces the $100 one.

Doing it yourself with a website builder

Website builders let you make a site yourself for a monthly subscription, usually the cheapest option in cash. You pay in time instead: writing every page, choosing photos, connecting the domain and email, and keeping it all up to date. For some owners that works well; for others the site never quite gets finished.

If you go this way, check the builder’s current pricing page and look at the renewal price, not only the first-year offer.

Red flags in a quote

Whatever the price, be careful when:

• The domain will be registered in the designer’s name or account.
• You can’t get a copy of your site, or leaving means losing it.
• The offer promises “page one” or a #1 ranking. Google says no one can guarantee a #1 ranking on Google.
• There is no written list of what is included and what costs extra.
• A basic site comes with a long contract and cancellation fees.

Is a website worth it for a small business?

Your Google Business Profile is free and brings calls, and some businesses start with only that. A website is where people check you out before choosing: what you do, your prices or typical ranges, your service area, your reviews and how to book. You also control it, while listings and social pages follow someone else’s rules.

For many local businesses, one or two extra jobs a month would cover the monthly cost. Ask new customers how they found you, so you know whether it does.

A message that gets you comparable quotes

Send the same message to every designer you are considering, so the quotes can be compared line by line.