How Much Does a Small Business Website Cost in 2026?
Well… it depends! But that's not helpful, so let’s break down what impacts the cost and what you can expect to pay.
TL;DR
A professionally designed small business website typically costs between $2,000 and $10,000 in 2026. Price depends on the designer, number of site pages, platform it’s built on, and how much content you have ready for the designer.
Who builds it matters:
There’s a vast difference between hiring an agency, a freelancer/small studio, and your neighbor’s niece’s friend’s roommate. Here’s a quick overview of what you can expect from each:
Agency: working with an agency can be very transactional and by far the most expensive option. Most agencies create websites from templates and limit your customizations unless you’re paying the big bucks. If you’re looking for a super collaborative experience, this is probably not the route for you. It’s also going to cost you $10k+. The upside is you’re typically getting a designer, developer, marketer, and project manager so this can be an option if you have a complex project and big budget.
Freelancer/small studio: this is the sweet spot! I’m really trying not to be biased here, but there are very few scenarios where I’d steer people away from this option. If you hire a freelancer or very small studio, you’re getting a tailored experience. You’ll be working directly with the designer rather than a liaison, the whole process will be highly collaborative, and the cost comes down significantly. Unless your website is absolutely massive, you’re likely in the $2k-$6k ballpark. Your freelancer will almost definitely have all the connections you need in their network (SEO, marketing, copywriter, etc.), so it’ll still feel like a complete experience.
DIY (the college student learning design): if you’re a new entrepreneur with a skinny budget and you just need a very simple website, this could be an option! You’re certainly not getting the experience and guidance of a senior designer, so make sure to come prepared with guidance, design examples, and double check that they know how to connect your domain and get your site live. Some beginners may create your site for free so they can fill their portfolio (although I suggest designers always charge for their time!), but otherwise you can expect to pay less than $2k.
The platform affects more than just price:
This is something most people don’t think about before they hire someone to build their website, but it really matters. The platform your site is built on can make your life easier, or it can make your life harder (and more expensive). As a very quick overview:
All-in-one platforms (i.e. Squarespace): unless you need very special and custom functionality, this is the way to go! If you pick a designer who specializes in a specific platform (for me, it’s Squarespace), you’re still getting a highly custom design with tons of flexibility. Not only are these platforms generally much easier to use so you can be autonomous after your site launches, but they also tend to be much cheaper in the end since hosting, security, and most of your features are built in to one cost.
Wordpress: many people assume it’s the best since it’s the household name, but it comes with a lot of complexity. Wordpress still has the highest level of flexibility, but you really need to be an expert to know your way around the backend. You’ll also need additional layers of security, you typically need to purchase several plugins, and because this all requires so much maintenance, you’ll need to keep your designer/developer on a monthly retainer.
Shopify: if ecommerce is your number one focus, this is 100% the platform for you. If you’re just selling a few things on your site but that’s not the main goal of the business, skip Shopify’s high prices and go with something like Squarespace.
Scope drives the number:
You’re probably wondering how designers come up with a price for websites. Here are the main factors:
Page count: this is definitely the biggest factor in the overall cost. The quoted price your designer sends you is mostly based on their projected hours, so each page will add to the price. A 4 page website just isn’t going to cost the same as a 10 page site.
Ecommerce: at the end of the day, setting up ecommerce takes a lot of time. Not only does your designer need to set up & design the store itself, they’re also: uploading every product, populating titles and descriptions, categorizing, editing all the photos, setting up a payment processor, and, depending on what you’re selling, configuring shipping and taxes.
Readiness: if you come to your designer with a very clear idea of what you want, examples, copy already written, and a complete brand guideline, it’ll inevitably take them less time to design your website. Designers are always happy to guide you, help generate copy, source photos, and create your visual branding, but it ~does take longer.
There are also other factors like custom code or plugin/widget setup, special functionality, integrations like email marketing or calendars, SEO (if your designer offers that), and stock photo/video purchases.
Ongoing costs:
This is the most forgotten part of a website design. Not only are you paying your designer/developer for your website, but you also need to consider:
Domain registration: price varies slightly by host, but a domain is usually about $20/year. I suggest GoDaddy or Squarespace Domains.
Website hosting costs: I always say “you can’t take up space on the internet for free”. Your designer will likely build your website on a free trial, but you have to pay for hosting to truly go live. This can range vastly depending on platform and functionality (advanced ecommerce gets pricey), but the plan most of my clients choose on Squarespace is $260/year.
Subscriptions: depending on what you added along the way, you may need to pay recurring fees for plugins and widgets (I use Elfsight and their widgets are about $5/month), email marketing, or scheduling software.
Maintenance: if you go with a platform like Squarespace, you can probably be autonomous after launch since learning to make basic edits is very attainable, but I suggest a small website maintenance retainer if it’s in the budget. You should be able to retain your designer for as little as one hour per month for a monthly site check and priority bug fixes. If your site is designed on Wordpress, you will likely need a bit more maintenance.
SEO: the main thing you need to know about SEO is it’s an ongoing process. Your designer, or their SEO partner, can set you up for success with keyword research, SEO titles & descriptions for each page, and Google Search Console, but showing up on Google or AI is a long play. If you want to appear in search, you need to update your site consistently (every website should have a blog!) and have an SEO expert on retainer.
Picking a designer and a platform are huge decisions and there’s no one “correct” choice for everyone. I suggest defining the scope of your project first (page count, special functionality, deadline, etc.), then figuring out how you can get what you need within your budget.
If your budget is in the $2k-$10k range and you want to know what that actually gets you on Squarespace, you can see my pricing breakdown here or get in touch for a chat here!
This article may contain affiliate links. Whenever you buy something through one of these, I get a small commission, without any extra cost to you :)
