How much does a small business website cost in 2026?

The honest answer is that "a website" can mean a $20-a-month template or a $50,000 custom build. What you pay comes down to who builds it and how much of it is custom. Here's how the main options break down.

The three ways to get a website built

Option	Typical cost	Best for
DIY builder (Wix, Squarespace, GoDaddy)	$15–$50 / month	Very tight budgets; owners who enjoy building it themselves
Freelancer	$1,000–$5,000 one-time	A custom look without agency overhead
Agency	$3,000–$50,000+ one-time	Bigger projects, complex functionality, ongoing teams

DIY website builders

Platforms like Wix, Squarespace, and GoDaddy charge a monthly subscription that bundles hosting, a template, and an editor. They're the cheapest way to get something online, but the site is built on their platform — you don't own the underlying code, the templates look like everyone else's, and the monthly fee never ends. (We compare these in detail in our Wix & Squarespace vs. custom guide.)

Freelancers

A freelance designer or developer will usually build a small business site for somewhere between $1,000 and $5,000. You get something more custom than a template, but quality, speed, and availability vary widely, and ongoing support is often limited.

Agencies

Traditional agencies start around $3,000 for a basic small business site and run well into five figures for larger projects. You're paying for a team and a process — discovery calls, scope documents, multiple rounds — which also means timelines measured in months and a sizeable invoice before anything is live.

What actually drives the price

• Number of pages — a five-page site costs far less than a 30-page one.
• Custom vs. template design — bespoke design and copywriting are the biggest cost drivers.
• Functionality — booking systems, e-commerce, integrations, and logins add up fast.
• Content — whether you supply the copy and photos or the builder creates them.
• Ongoing support — maintenance, updates, and hosting bundled into the deal.

Don't forget the ongoing costs

Whatever you pay to build the site, budget for the running costs too:

• Domain name: about $10–$20 per year.
• Hosting: free up to roughly $30/month for a small, fast site.
• Maintenance / managed hosting: commonly $25–$200+/month if you want someone to keep it running, backed up, and updated.

A different way to buy a website

The reason the traditional model is expensive is that you're paying for a process before you've seen a result. ReadyMadeSites works the other way around: we rebuild your site first, send you a finished preview, and you only pay a one-time fee if it beats what you already have. You own the source files, and managed hosting is optional and month-to-month. See how our pricing works or request a free preview of your own site.