A small business website costs $0 to $300 if you build it yourself on Squarespace or Wix, $349 to $1,290 for a template-based starter site built for you, and $2,500 to $15,000 for a custom design and build. Most local shops, salons and trades need the middle option.
Website pricing is confusing because 'website' covers a one-page site for a barber and a custom platform for a software company. Here are the three brackets that actually exist.
DIY builder
Starter, built for you
Custom design and build
Ongoing, all options
$0–$300 plus $16–$40/month. You do the work. Genuinely fine if you have the time and patience.
$349–$1,290 once. A proven template adapted to your business, live in about a week.
$2,500–$15,000. Designed from scratch for your brand, with whatever functionality you need.
$0–$50/month depending on the route. Builders include it; a starter site is cheap to host.
$49–$99/month if you want someone else handling updates, backups and small changes.
Usually free if you write and shoot it yourself. $300–$1,500 if you want it done for you.
| DIY builder | Starter site | Custom build | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Upfront cost | $0 – $300 | $349 – $1,290 | $2,500 – $15,000 |
| Your time | 20–60 hours | About 2 hours | 5–15 hours |
| Time to live | Weeks (your pace) | About 1 week | 4–9 weeks |
| Design | Their template | Template adapted to you | Designed for you |
| Looks like others? | Often | Sometimes | No |
| Monthly cost | $16 – $40 | $0 – $99 | $0 – $99 |
| Good for | Tight budget, spare time | Most local businesses | Brand is a differentiator |
Work out what a new customer is worth, and how much of your own time you can genuinely spare.
For a barber charging $35 a cut, a $500 website needs about fifteen new customers to pay for itself. That is usually a few weeks. For a roofer, one job covers it.
You can get a one-page DIY site on a builder for less than that if you do it yourself. For someone to build it for you, $349 is realistically the floor — below that, corners get cut somewhere, usually on ownership or ongoing support.
They are usually quoting a custom design, custom development and a discovery process. That is genuinely more work, and for some businesses it is worth it. For a local shop it often is not, and a starter site does the same job.
For many small businesses, honestly yes. They are decent products. The cost is your time — expect 20 to 60 hours to get a result you are happy with, plus the ongoing monthly fee.
Setting up your Google Business Profile properly, with real photos, correct hours and active review collection. It is free, and for most local businesses it drives more customers than the website does.
Not necessarily. A starter site can be hosted for very little and you can maintain it yourself. A care plan is for people who would rather someone else handled updates, backups and small changes.
Indicative ranges in USD. Every engagement is quoted to a written scope before work starts, so the number you approve is the number you pay.
$349 – $549
About 1 week
Best for: Shops that need to be found and called
$749 – $1,290
1–2 weeks
Best for: Most local businesses
from $2,500
4–9 weeks
Best for: When the brand is the differentiator
Cost guide
A 30-minute call, then a written proposal with scope, price and timeline within two to three working days. No retainer required to get a real number, and no obligation if the answer is that we are not the right fit.