Short answer

In 2026 a professionally built small business website usually costs between $2,000 and $15,000: roughly $2,000 to $7,600 with a freelancer and $5,000 to $15,000 with an agency. Building it yourself on a website builder costs a few hundred dollars a year. Whichever route you take, budget for running costs every year after launch.

What does a business website cost in 2026?

The price depends first on who builds it. These are the published ranges for a typical small business site of five to ten pages:

  • Do it yourself, on a website builder: about $17 to $159 a month on Wix and $23 to $120 a month on Squarespace, with hosting included. You pay with your own time instead of a fee.
  • Do it yourself, on WordPress: about $95 to $180 to get started, for the domain, a year of hosting and a premium theme.
  • A freelance developer: $50 to $95 an hour. A small business site takes 40 to 80 hours, which puts most projects between $2,000 and $7,600.
  • An agency: $5,000 to $15,000 for a complete site with strategy, design, development and content.

Online stores and sites with custom features go beyond these ranges, because every product, payment rule and integration adds work.

The figures come from WebsiteSetup’s 2026 small business website cost guide. Treat them as a starting point: rates differ by country and by the experience of the person you hire.

What actually changes the number on a quote?

Two quotes for “a website” can be thousands of dollars apart and both be fair. The difference is nearly always in the scope:

  • Number of pages. A page per service and per location is good for search, and each one has to be planned, written and built.
  • Who writes the content. Professional copywriting runs about $30 to $65 an hour. If you supply the text and photos, the quote drops; if the builder does, it rises.
  • Template or custom design. A premium theme costs $30 to $100. A design made for your business by a UX and UI designer costs $3,500 to $15,000.
  • Features. Online booking, payments, a customer area or a link to your CRM each add build and testing time.
  • Search setup. Page titles, structured data, redirects from an old site and a Google Business Profile check take real hours. Cheap quotes often leave them out.
  • The deadline. A rush job costs more because it pushes other work aside.

How much should your type of business expect to pay?

Use the ranges above and place yourself by what the site has to do:

  • A local service business such as a plumber, cleaner or consultant needs a clear homepage, service pages, proof and a contact path. That sits in the lower half of the freelancer range.
  • A clinic, law firm or other practice usually needs more pages, team profiles, booking and stricter content review. Expect the upper freelancer range or an agency quote.
  • An online store is priced by the number of products, payment and shipping rules, and integrations. It starts where the brochure site ranges end.

What does a website cost to keep running?

The build is a one-time cost. These come back every year:

  • Domain name: $12 to $25 a year for a standard .com. Renewals can cost more than the first year.
  • Hosting: $40 to $150 a year for shared hosting and $60 to $250 for managed WordPress hosting. Website builders include hosting in the subscription.
  • Updates and care: software updates, backups, security and small content changes. You can do this yourself or pay for a care plan.

Ask for these numbers in writing before you sign. A low build price with a high monthly fee can cost more over three years than a higher one-time price.

How do you get an accurate quote?

Write down what the site has to do before you ask for prices: the pages you need, who provides the text and photos, the features, and the date you need it by. Send the same list to everyone you ask, so you compare like with like.

If you don’t have that list yet, the website planning tools help you build one, and you can send me your project for a written scope, a price and a delivery date.

Frequently asked questions

Why do website quotes vary so much?

Because the scope varies. One quote may cover five template pages with your own text; another may include custom design, copywriting, search setup and a year of care. Ask each provider to list what is included.

Is a cheap website worth it?

It can be, if the business is new and the site only has to confirm that you exist. It stops being cheap when it has to be rebuilt a year later because it can’t be edited, found in search or extended.

Is it better to pay once or monthly?

Compare the total over three years. A monthly plan spreads the cost and usually includes hosting and updates. A one-time build costs more upfront, and you then pay only for the domain, hosting and any care you choose.

Do I own the website when it is finished?

You should. Before you sign, check that the domain is registered in your name, and that you get full access to the site and its content, including when you stop paying a monthly fee.