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Short answer: it depends on what you need the site to do. The price is driven by four things: how many pages you need, the platform it's built on, the features and integrations it needs, and who does the work. Before you pay anyone, get a written, itemized quote that splits one-time costs from monthly and yearly costs and spells out who owns the domain and accounts.

This guide breaks down the costs piece by piece: where the money goes, which costs repeat, how the build options compare and what to ask for in writing. We won't give you an "average cost" figure. Ranges online mix one-page hobby sites with large online stores, so they rarely tell you what your site will cost. A clear scope will.

Where we mention a platform's price, it's the price as listed on that company's pricing page on Nov 10, 2026. Platform prices and other costs in 2026 change often, and some vary by location, billing term or promotion, so check the current page before you decide.

What drives small business website costs

Every quote answers the same few questions, and those answers are why a site can cost anywhere from the price of a builder plan to a sizable project budget. If two quotes look wildly different, they're answering differently.

1. Size: the number of pages

A basic website with your services, hours and a contact form is a different job from a 25-page site with a page for every service, a blog and a team section. Page count affects design, writing and testing time. Count the pages you need now, not the ones you might want someday.

2. Platform

Most small businesses end up on one of two kinds of platform:

  • Hosted builders (SaaS). Squarespace, Wix, Shopify and WordPress.com bundle hosting, security updates and the editor into one plan. You pay a monthly fee or a yearly one, and the platform handles the servers.

  • Self-hosted open-source software. WordPress, downloaded from its official site, is free software you install on hosting you pay for and manage yourself (or hire someone to manage). It's a content management system that's very flexible, but the upkeep is your responsibility.

The platform decision shapes what you'll pay each year more than almost anything else, so we cover it in its own section below.

3. Design: template or custom

A pre-built template gives you a tested layout you fill in with your own content. A custom design is planned and built for your brand from scratch, so it takes longer and costs more. Between the two sits the most common option: a ready-made design adjusted to match your brand.

4. Features, integrations and functionality

Each feature beyond "pages and a contact form" adds time and sometimes a recurring charge: online booking, payments, a product catalog, member logins, a customer portal, CRM or email-marketing connections, multiple languages. Online stores add product setup, shipping and tax settings, and payment processing fees on every sale. For a service business, a booking or quote-request form is often the feature that matters most. Ask what each feature costs to build and to keep running.

5. Content

Someone has to write the words and supply the photos. If you provide finished copy and photos, the project is smaller. If you want writing, photography or a logo done for you, expect separate line items.

6. Who does the work

Your time, a freelancer's time and an agency team's time all cost something. We compare those options below.

One-time costs vs. ongoing costs

The quote is only part of the price tag. Website cost comes in two kinds, and many budgets only plan for the first.

One-time costs

These are paid once, usually at the start:

  • Website design and build: planning, layout, page building and testing

  • Content creation: copywriting, photos, video or a logo

  • Setup and integrations: connecting booking, payments, analytics or your email tool

  • Content migration: moving pages, posts or products from an old site

  • Launch tasks: pointing the domain, setting up redirects from old URLs, and basic search setup

Recurring costs

These repeat every month or every year for as long as the site is live:

  • Domain name. Your address on the web (yourbusiness.com) is registered for a set term and has to be renewed. Several builders include a free domain for the first year with an annual plan, then it renews at the registrar's standard rate.

  • Hosting or a builder subscription. Hosted builders include hosting in the plan. On self-hosted software, you pay a hosting company separately, from basic shared hosting up to managed hosting.

  • SSL certificate. This is what puts "https" and the padlock in the address bar. Google recommends HTTPS for user and site security and says sites on plain HTTP can be marked "not secure" in Chrome. Many hosts and builders include a certificate, and Let's Encrypt issues them for free, so this often costs nothing extra. Check that it does.

  • Apps, plugins and premium themes. Some are free; many charge yearly or monthly.

  • Payment and transaction fees if you sell online.

  • Business email at your domain, which is often billed separately.

  • Website maintenance: updates, backups, security checks, small edits and fixing things when they break.

When you compare options, total year one and year two. Year two shows what the site really costs to run.

How much does a website cost per month?

Monthly costs depend on the platform and plan. As examples of listed prices (checked Nov 10, 2026; your price may differ):

  • Shopify listed its Basic plan at $39 per month billed monthly, or $29 per month billed yearly. Shopify's page also lists card rates from 2.9% + 30¢ on Basic and a 2% third-party transaction fee if you use a payment provider other than Shopify Payments.

  • Squarespace showed its Basic plan at $25 and $19 per month, depending on the billing choice and a promotion shown on the page. Its Basic plan also lists a 2% online store transaction fee. Squarespace says annual plans include one year of free domain registration, after which the domain renews at its standard rate.

  • WordPress.com listed its Business plan between US$17.50 and US$40 per month depending on billing term. It also has a free plan that uses a platform subdomain and shows ads to visitors.

  • Wix offers a free plan and several premium plans. Its pricing page says prices and currency vary by location, so check the price shown for your account.

Those prices cover only the platform. Your real monthly total adds apps, email, transaction fees and any paid maintenance, which should be in writing.

DIY vs. website builder vs. freelancer vs. agency

There's no single right answer. The best choice depends on your budget, your time and how much the site needs to do for your business goals.

DIY on a website builder

Many website builders let you start from a ready-made layout, edit by dragging and dropping, and publish without code. The major builders also advertise AI or guided setup tools. Website building this way costs mostly time.

  • Good for: a simple website, a tight budget, and an owner who has time and enjoys the work

  • Watch for: your own hours, the learning curve, plan limits, transaction fees, and a site that looks like many others if you don't customize it

  • Cost: the plan price plus your time

DIY is a real option for small businesses. Some business owners build a starter site themselves and hire help later.

Hiring a freelancer

A freelancer can be a web designer, a developer or someone who does both.

  • Good for: a clearly defined project with a fixed scope

  • Watch for: availability after launch, whether design, writing and search setup are all covered, and who holds the logins

  • Cost: usually an hourly rate or a flat project fee

Hiring an agency

An agency usually brings several people: design, writing, web development, search and project management.

  • Good for: sites with more pages or features, owners who want one point of contact, or a site that has to connect with marketing and search work

  • Watch for: paying for services you don't need, and long contracts

  • Cost: usually a project fee, sometimes with an optional care or marketing plan

Whichever you choose, hiring a professional should get you a written scope, a timeline and a clear handover. It shouldn't mean giving up control of your domain or accounts.

Hourly vs. flat-rate quotes: a hypothetical comparison

Hypothetical example, made-up numbers for illustration only. These are not market averages and not Twin Rabbit Digital prices. Say you're weighing three options for the same 6-page site:

  • Quote A: $150 per hour, "about 20 to 30 hours," hosting not included

  • Quote B: a flat project fee covering the same pages, plus an optional care plan at $200 per month

  • Option C: build it yourself on a builder plan at $50 per month, plus your own time

Quote A could land anywhere in a 10-hour spread, and you'd still need to buy and manage hosting. Quote B's build price is fixed, but the care plan adds $2,400 a year. Option C costs the least in cash and the most in your hours. None is better by default. What matters is how many hours are realistic, what happens if the scope changes, and whether you need what the care plan covers. Total each for year one and year two before you decide.

Template vs. custom design

A template is the faster, lower-cost route. A good one is already mobile-friendly and tested on common devices, which matters: Google says it uses the mobile version of a site's content for indexing and ranking, and it recommends responsive design. The tradeoff is that you work within its structure.

Custom design and custom development make sense when your customers need something a template can't do well: an unusual booking flow, a calculator, a portal or complex product options. Design costs rise with every custom piece, and so can upkeep, because each one needs testing when the platform updates.

For most small businesses, a theme customized with your brand, your real photos and well-written service pages is a sensible place to start.

WordPress and WooCommerce vs. a hosted platform

The self-hosted version is free to download, and WooCommerce, its store plugin, says it has no monthly platform fees. That doesn't make the site free. You still need to pay for hosting and a domain, and someone has to handle updates, backups and security. Premium themes and extensions can add yearly fees.

A hosted platform like Shopify, Squarespace or Wix rolls hosting, security and updates into the subscription. You'll usually spend less time on upkeep, but you'll pay every month, and you're limited to what the platform and its app store allow.

A simple way to decide:

  • If you want low upkeep and your needs fit what the platform offers, a hosted builder is usually easier.

  • If you need flexibility, plan to grow the site a lot, or want full control of your code and data, self-hosted software can make sense, as long as you budget for maintenance.

Hidden costs to plan for

These are the website costs owners most often miss:

  • Domain renewals at the standard rate after a free first year

  • Transaction fees on sales, on top of card processing

  • Paid apps and plugins that each look small but add up

  • Business email at your domain

  • Content you didn't plan for: photos, rewriting service pages, legal pages

  • Accessibility fixes. The U.S. Department of Justice says the ADA applies to the websites of businesses open to the public and points to WCAG as helpful technical guidance. Ask whether accessibility is part of the build, not an add-on later.

  • Change requests after sign-off, often billed at an hourly rate

  • Redesign or migration if you outgrow the platform

Who should own the domain and accounts?

You should. Register the domain name in your business's name, on an account you control, and give your web designer or developer access as a user, not as the owner. Do the same for your hosting or builder subscription, your analytics and your Google Business Profile where you can.

ICANN, the organization that coordinates domain names, says the registrant takes sole responsibility for the domain's registration and use, must keep contact information accurate and must keep payment information current if the domain renews automatically. If someone else registers it for you, renewals and switching providers get harder.

What to ask for in a written quote

A good quote should let you compare apples to apples. Ask for:

  1. Scope: the pages included, by name, and the features on each

  2. Platform: which one, and why it fits your needs

  3. Design approach: off-the-shelf, customized or fully custom design

  4. Content: who writes the copy and supplies photos, and how many rounds of revisions are included

  5. Setup and build charges, itemized

  6. Ongoing costs, itemized and labeled monthly or yearly, including anything you'll pay directly to a platform

  7. Ownership: that you own the domain, the accounts and the finished content

  8. Timeline, milestones and what you need to provide by when

  9. Payment schedule and what happens if the project pauses

  10. Change requests: how extra work is priced

  11. Launch and handover: training, logins and documentation

  12. After launch: what maintenance includes, what it costs and how you cancel it

If a quote is a single number with no breakdown, ask for one.

Common mistakes to avoid

  • Picking the lowest quote without comparing scope

  • Budgeting for the build but not the years after

  • Letting someone else own your domain name

  • Starting the build before your content is ready

  • Paying for features you won't use

  • Forgetting mobile visitors and accessibility

  • Skipping a backup plan for the site

What doing it right gets you

For small businesses, a clear scope and an itemized quote won't guarantee leads or rankings. Nothing honest can. What it does give you is a site you own, costs you can predict and a provider you can hold to a written agreement. A good process should also deliver a site that works properly on phones, loads over HTTPS, is easier to use for people with disabilities, and explains what you do in plain words. When the time comes to grow, you'll be building on something solid instead of starting over.

Get a clear website quote

If you'd like a second opinion on a quote you've received, or a written, itemized scope for your own site, Twin Rabbit Digital can help. See how we approach web design and development, then tell us about your project. We'll walk through what you need, what you can skip and what it costs to run before you commit to anything.

FAQ

What does a website cost per month?

It depends on the platform, plan and add-ons. For example, on Nov 10, 2026, Shopify listed its Basic plan at $39 a month billed monthly. Add apps, email, transaction fees and any paid maintenance to get your real total.

Can I make a website for free?

Yes, with limits. Wix and WordPress.com both offer free plans, but they use the platform's subdomain instead of your own domain, and the free versions carry the platform's ads or branding. Most businesses move to a paid plan to use their own domain.

Is $1,500 a good price for a website?

It depends on the scope. The same number could be generous for a one-page site or far too low for an online store. Ask what's included: pages, design approach, content, features, ownership and what happens after launch. Then compare the full first-year cost against other quotes with the same scope.

How long does it take to build a website?

It depends on the scope and how fast content and feedback come in. A small site on a ready-made design is quicker than a custom site with integrations. Ask for a timeline with milestones, and get your content ready early, because the site can't launch without it.

How much does website maintenance cost?

It depends on the platform and what's included. On hosted builders, the platform handles server updates and security, so maintenance is mostly content edits. Self-hosted sites also need plugin and core updates, backups and security monitoring. Get any maintenance plan in writing, with what it covers and how to cancel.

Should I use a template or a custom design?

Many small businesses do well with a quality template customized to their brand. Custom design makes sense when you need features or layouts a ready-made theme can't handle well. Expect it to cost more to build and maintain.

Who should own my domain name?

You should. Register it in your business's name on an account you control, and give your designer or developer user access. ICANN says the registrant is responsible for the domain's registration and for keeping its details and renewal payment current.

Can ChatGPT build a website?

AI tools can help you draft copy, plan pages or write code snippets, and several website builders now include AI setup tools. But OpenAI's own help center warns that ChatGPT can make up facts and recommends checking its answers. You still need hosting, a domain and someone to review the content, test the site and keep it updated.

Sources

All accessed November 10, 2026. Prices on the platform pages change often and may vary by location, billing term or promotion.

donald@twinrabbitdigital.com

Apopka, FL · Serving Central Florida

TWIN RABBIT DIGITAL

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