How much does a basic small business website cost?

A basic DIY website on Squarespace or Wix costs $16–$35/month ($192–$420/year) plus $10–$20 for a domain name. A professional web designer charges $500–$5,000 for a simple 5-page site. For most local businesses, the DIY route is all you need.

What are the ongoing costs of a small business website?

Expect to pay $100–$500/year in ongoing costs: domain renewal ($10–$20/year), hosting or platform subscription ($120–$420/year on Squarespace/Wix, or $36–$120/year on WordPress with Bluehost), and optional email hosting ($0–$72/year). SSL certificates and basic security are usually included.

Is a free website good enough for a small business?

A free website (Wix free plan, Google Sites) is better than no website, but it includes the platform's branding in your URL and limits your features. For a professional business, paying $16–$20/month for your own domain and a clean template is worth it.

How much does it cost to hire someone to build a small business website?

A freelancer charges $500–$3,000 for a basic 5-page site. A local agency charges $2,000–$10,000+. Ongoing maintenance (updates, backups, content changes) runs $50–$200/month if you outsource it.

How Much Does a Small Business Website Cost?

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Short answer

A basic small business website costs $0–$500/year if you build it yourself, or $1,500–$10,000+ if you hire a web designer. Ongoing costs (hosting, domain) run $100–$500/year regardless.

DIY website costs

| Platform | Monthly cost | Annual cost | |----------|-------------|-------------| | Wix | $17–$35 | $204–$420 | | Squarespace | $16–$49 | $192–$588 | | Shopify (eCommerce) | $29–$299 | $348–$3,588 | | WordPress + Bluehost | ~$3–$10 | $36–$120 |

Add $10–$20/year for a domain name from Namecheap or Google Domains.

Hiring a web designer

Freelancer: $500–$3,000 for a basic 5-page site
Local agency: $2,000–$10,000+
Ongoing maintenance: $50–$200/month if you want someone to manage updates

What actually drives the cost up

Custom design — templates are cheap; custom design is expensive
eCommerce — selling products adds significant complexity
Number of pages — a 3-page site vs a 30-page site
Copywriting — someone has to write the words
SEO setup — a properly optimized site costs more upfront but pays off

Hidden costs most businesses forget

Many small businesses budget for the platform subscription but miss these additional costs:

Domain name renewal: Your first year is often free (included with Bluehost or discounted elsewhere), but renewal runs $10–$20/year. Buy your domain from Namecheap for predictable pricing.

Business email: Gmail is free for personal use but @gmail.com looks unprofessional for business. Google Workspace for a branded email address ([email protected]) costs $6/month.

Stock photos: Most templates look great with professional photography. Stock photo subscriptions (Shutterstock, Adobe Stock) cost $29–$49/month. Unsplash and Pexels are free alternatives.

Premium plugins or features: On WordPress, useful plugins like appointment booking, eCommerce, or advanced forms may cost $50–$200/year each.

Speed and SEO tools: Tools like Yoast SEO (WordPress plugin) and Google PageSpeed optimization are worth budgeting for once your site is live — performance directly affects rankings.

Total first-year cost examples

Local service business (DIY):

Squarespace plan: $276/year
Domain: $15/year
Business email: $72/year
Total: ~$360/year

WordPress site with Bluehost:

Hosting: $72/year (first year introductory)
Domain: free first year (included)
Premium theme: $50 (one-time)
Total: ~$120 first year, ~$200–$250 after

Hiring a freelancer:

Design + build: $1,500–$3,000 (one-time)
Hosting: $120–$420/year
Domain: $15/year
Total: $1,650–$3,450 first year

The honest verdict

For most local businesses (restaurants, salons, consultants), a $16–$35/month Squarespace or Wix site is all you need. Don't pay $5,000 for a custom website before you know whether your business model works online.