How much does a website cost for a small business?

Small business website cost depends mostly on who builds it and how much it needs to do. Typical ranges look like this: doing it yourself on a website builder often runs a few hundred dollars a year, a freelancer often charges roughly $1,000 to $5,000 for a small site, and an agency often charges roughly $5,000 to $20,000 or more. These are typical ranges, not quotes, and they vary a lot with the number of pages and features. The bigger question is what the website does for you after it goes live.

Typical cost by who builds it

All of these are typical ranges and vary by region, number of pages, and features. Get a written scope before you pay anyone.

What drives the cost

• Number of pages. A one page site costs less than a site with a page for each service and each town you serve.
• Copywriting. Someone has to write clear words that say what you do, where, and what it costs. Paying for this often costs more than design.
• Photos. Real photos of your work beat stock photos, but someone has to take or collect them.
• Booking or quote forms. Forms that send leads to your phone or email add setup time.
• Search and AI answer setup. This means making sure Google and AI tools like ChatGPT can read your pages and understand your services, area, and prices.
• Ongoing updates and hosting. Hosting keeps the site online. Updates keep hours, prices, and services correct. Both are monthly costs people forget to budget.

What you actually get at each level

A DIY site can look fine, but it only works as well as the time you put in. Many owners launch one and never update it. A freelancer can build something better, but once the project ends, changes and fixes usually mean a new bill. An agency brings more people, and often more process and cost than a small local business needs. In every case, ask who writes the words, who keeps it current, and who makes sure customers can actually find it.

The managed option

If you would rather hand the whole thing off, Found + Follow-up is $950 to start, then $299 a month, everything included. That covers a website that says clearly what you do and what it costs, getting found on Google Search, Google Maps, and AI answers, and follow-up automated by your digital assistant: new leads answered fast, reviews requested and replied to, and your inbox kept under control.

How to decide

1. Write down what the website must do: get calls, take quote requests, or book jobs.
2. List the pages you need: one per main service and the areas you serve.
3. Decide who will keep it updated after launch.
4. Compare the full first year cost, including monthly fees, not just the build price.

Who this is for

• Local trades and service businesses pricing a first website or a replacement.
• Owners comparing a DIY builder, a freelancer, and an agency.

Who this is not for

• Online stores with large product catalogs. Those have different costs.

Want to know how your business shows up? Get the free Visibility Audit. We check the real questions your customers ask and show you what is working, what is wrong, and what to fix first.