How much does a website cost for a small business?
If you've asked a few people, you've probably had answers that were miles apart. Here's how I'd think about it, with my own prices in it, because a guide about cost that won't give you a number isn't much use.
James Graham, Sites by Panda. I build these for a living, so I'm not neutral. I'll say when a cheaper option is the better call.
"A website" can mean a template you fill in yourself on a Sunday afternoon, or something designed and built around how your business actually works. Both are websites, and they're priced miles apart for good reasons. So before any numbers, it helps to know which one you're actually comparing.
The short answer
For a site I build, it starts at $999 for Starter and $1,999 for Business. Those are founding prices for my first 5 clients, and after that they go up to $1,499 and $2,999. Hosting and your domain are on top, and they're in your own accounts, so you're never renting the site from me.
50% up front to book your slot, 50% when it's finished. Everything that's included is on Pricing.
Online shops are the exception. They depend a lot on what you sell, so I quote those properly. The same goes for logins, accounts and anything app-like, whichever package you pick.
What you're actually paying for
Mostly time. The design, the build, getting it working properly on phones, and setting it up so Google can find it. The bit people don't see is the back and forth. Three rounds of changes on the design and three on the build is a lot of the job, and it's where a site goes from fine to actually right for you.
Every site I build is designed around your brand, has a contact form that comes straight to you, and is set up for Google. That means page titles and descriptions, a sitemap, and Search Console. It's the groundwork done properly, not a promise about where you'll rank.
The starting prices assume you supply the text, photos and logo, and having those ready is the biggest thing you can do to keep it quick. If you'd rather I wrote the words, copywriting is $75 a page, and logo design starts at $249 if you haven't got one yet. I don't do photography, though.
Why two similar sites cost different amounts
Two sites can look alike from the outside and still be quite different jobs. These are the things that actually move the number:
- How many pages. Starter covers up to 5 and Business up to 10, and extra pages are $100 each. Once you're past 10 pages in total, it's a Business-sized site.
- Whether each page gets its own design. On Starter the pages share one layout. On Business every page is designed for its own job, which is a lot more design work.
- Whether customers do something on it. Booking, browsing a menu or price list, or comparing services. That's what Business is for, and online booking is set up as part of it.
- Tools you already use. If you already take bookings through something like Fresha or Square, I'll point the site's Book button straight at it. Anything deeper than that, like showing your latest Instagram posts (which runs through Meta's API, with a token that needs refreshing), is an integration, and I quote those once I know what they are.
- Extra languages. $299 for each language on top of English.
- Anything app-like. Logins, accounts or a shop. They vary too much to price on a page, so I quote them.
If you want to see how that adds up for your own site, the estimate builder on Pricing does it as you pick. It's an estimate, not a quote, but you'll know roughly where you stand.
The costs after it's live
Once it's live, the site's yours to run, and there's no monthly fee to me unless you want one. These are the running costs:
- Hosting on Vercel
- $20 a month
- Paid to Vercel, in your account. $40 a month if you add me to your team.
- Your domain
- Varies
- Paid to whoever you register it with, in your name.
- Care plan
- $99 a month
- Optional. Up to an hour of small edits a month, plus updates and monitoring. Cancel any time.
- Small changes
- $45 each
- Not on the care plan? For anything up to about half an hour. Bigger jobs I'll quote first.
Hosting and the domain are in your own accounts from the start. I set them up with you, put the site live and hand everything over, so nothing depends on you staying with me. If you'd rather make small edits yourself, the edit it yourself add-on is a one-off $399 and gives you a simple editor for your text, photos, prices and opening hours.
DIY builders, templates and hiring someone
There are roughly three ways to get a site, and I don't think one of them is right for everybody.
A website builder you run yourself. You pick a template, fill it in and pay the builder a monthly fee for as long as the site's up. If you're happy to spend a few evenings on it and you mainly need your details online, it's a fair option and usually the cheapest way to start. Most of the cost is your own time, and the site usually stays on their platform.
One person, like me. You deal with the person who designs and builds it, from the first call to the handover. There's a starting price on the page, a list of what's included, and the site's yours once it's paid for.
An agency. More people on it, usually a project manager, designers, developers and someone looking after your account. That's useful when a big site needs several people working on it at once, and it's reflected in the price. Those roles are there for a reason, so it's a different kind of service rather than a worse deal.
If a builder covers what you need, I think you should use one. Where a built site earns its keep is when customers need to do something on it, like book a chair or look through a menu, or when you want it to look like your business and not like a template.
Barbers, cafés and electricians
The type of business changes the cost more than the size of it, because it changes what the site has to do. A barber's site usually needs booking, which makes it a Business site, and a café with a menu people browse tends to land there too. If you want people to order ahead, I'll link the site to Square or similar, and building ordering into the site itself is quoted separately.
An electrician's site usually just needs to be found and take quote requests, so Starter tends to cover it, unless you want a proper page for every service.
Websites for barbersBooking and a price list
Websites for cafésA menu and opening hours
Websites for electriciansServices, areas and quote requests
How to get a real number
Start with the estimate builder. Pick a package, add what you need and it adds up as you go. Then tell me what you do and what the site needs to do, and I'll come back to you with a proper quote.
If you're not sure which package fits, pick either. I'll tell you on the call which one fits, even if it's the cheaper one.
Questions people ask
Is there a monthly fee?
Not to me, unless you want the care plan, which is $99 a month. You'll pay for hosting and your domain, in your own accounts.
Do I own the site?
Yes. Once it's paid in full, the site and the code I wrote for it are yours. A few things are licensed rather than owned, like fonts, stock photos and tools I reuse across projects, and I'll list those in your agreement.
What isn't in the starting price?
Hosting and your domain, which you pay direct to the provider. Add-ons like extra pages, copywriting or another language, which the estimate builder on Pricing adds up for you. And online shops, logins, accounts or anything app-like, which I quote separately.
How long does it take?
Starter sites usually take 1 to 3 weeks and Business sites 2 to 4, from the day you say yes. Having your text and photos ready is the biggest thing that speeds it up.
How does payment work?
50% up front to book your slot, and 50% when the site's finished.
Can I start on Starter and move up later?
Yes. What you paid for Starter comes off Business, so you only pay the difference. If you only want one part of it, like booking, I'll quote just that, which is often less.
Does a redesign cost the same as a new site?
Yes. A redesign uses the same packages as a new site. If it's a site I built for you and you just want changes, they can go through the care plan, or small changes are $45 each, and anything bigger I'll quote first.
Your number
Want an actual figure for yours?
Tell me what you do and what the site needs to do, and I'll come back to you with a proper quote. I usually reply within 24 hours.