How Much Does a Small Business Website Cost in 2026?
If you've ever asked three people how much a website costs, you probably got three answers that made no sense together. One person said $200. Another said $5,000. Your cousin said he'd do it for free and you're still waiting.
So let me give it to you straight, from somebody who builds these every week.
The Short Answer
For a small local business, here's what you're usually looking at:
DIY on Wix, Squarespace, or Shopify: $0 upfront, plus about $200 to $500 a year in plans and your domain, plus a lot of your time
Freelancer or small agency: About $500 to $3,000 for a clean, professional site
Bigger agency or custom build: $5,000 to $25,000 and up
At Mike Builds Brands, a local business website starts at $650 and a single landing page starts at $499. I'll explain what goes into that below so you can compare apples to apples, no matter who you hire.
What You're Actually Paying For
A website price isn't just "making the pages." Here's what's usually behind the number.
Design and layout
Picking the structure, colors, fonts, and layout so the site looks like your brand and is easy to use. A template you tweak is cheaper. A design built around your brand costs more.
Number of pages
A one-page landing page costs less than a five-page site. Most local service businesses need about four to six pages: Home, Services, About, Gallery or Reviews, and Contact.
Copywriting
Somebody has to write the words. If you give your designer the text, it costs less. If they write it for you, that's extra time. Good copy is often the difference between a site that looks nice and a site that brings in calls.
Mobile setup
Most of your visitors are on their phones. A good designer checks every page on mobile and fixes the layout so it doesn't break.
Basic SEO
Page titles, descriptions, image text, connecting Google Search Console, and setting up your Google Business Profile link. This is what helps people actually find you.
Features
Booking, an online store, payment forms, memberships, a blog, email signup. Each feature adds setup time and sometimes a monthly cost.
The Hidden Costs Nobody Mentions
This is where people get caught off guard. The build is a one-time cost, but your website has ongoing costs too.
Website plan: Wix and Squarespace business plans usually run about $17 to $40 a month billed yearly. Shopify starts around $29 to $39 a month plus processing fees.
Domain name: About $15 to $20 a year for a .com.
Professional email: Google Workspace or Microsoft 365 is a few dollars a month per person. Using yourname@yourbusiness.com instead of a Gmail address builds trust.
Apps and add-ons: Booking tools, review widgets, and pop-ups can each add $5 to $30 a month.
Updates and maintenance: Changing prices, adding photos, and keeping things current. You either do it yourself or pay someone.
Add it up and a simple local business site usually costs somewhere around $300 to $800 a year to keep running after it's built.
Red Flags When Shopping for a Website
I've had a lot of clients come to me after a bad experience. Watch out for these:
You don't own your domain. Always make sure the domain is registered in your name. If the designer owns it, they own your web address.
You don't get the login. You should have admin access to your own site. Period.
No clear scope. If the quote doesn't say how many pages and what's included, expect surprise charges later.
No mobile preview. Ask to see the site on a phone before it goes live.
Super cheap with no samples. Ask to see real sites they've built that are live right now.
DIY vs Hiring Someone
I'm self-taught. I learned web design on YouTube and Wix, so I'm not going to tell you that you can't do it yourself. You can.
DIY makes sense if:
You're just starting and money is tight
You have time to learn and you enjoy it
You only need a simple one-page site for now
Hiring someone makes sense if:
Your time is worth more doing the work that pays you
You've tried DIY and it's been "almost done" for six months
You need the site to bring in leads, not just exist
You want booking, a store, or other features set up right the first time
Here's a quick way to think about it. If you charge $75 an hour and it takes you 30 hours to figure out and build your own site, that's $2,250 of your time. Paying a professional $650 starts to look different.
What a Good Website Should Do for You
Whatever you spend, your site should:
Tell people what you do and where you do it in about five seconds
Look trustworthy on a phone
Show proof: reviews, photos of your work, before and afters
Make it easy to call, book, or buy with one tap
Show up when people search for your service in your city
If your site does those five things, it's worth what you paid. If it doesn't, it's costing you money no matter how cheap it was.
Real Talk
Don't shop for a website on price alone. Shop for what it will do for your business. A $650 site that brings in two new customers a month will pay for itself fast. A free site that nobody can find doesn't.
If you're in Dallas, Atlanta, Jackson, or anywhere else and you want a straight answer on what your site would cost, reach out here. I'll tell you exactly what you need, and what you don't.
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