This is probably the most Googled question in the small business world right now, and the answers you’ll find range from “$0 with Wix!” to “$50,000+ for a custom build.” Neither of those is helpful.
So here’s the honest breakdown — what a website actually costs in 2026, what you get at each price point, and where the sweet spot is if you’re running a real local business.
The DIY Route: $0 - $500/year
Platforms like Wix, Squarespace, and GoDaddy let you build something yourself for roughly $12-40/month. On the surface, that’s cheap. But there are costs that don’t show up on the pricing page.
Time is the big one. Most business owners I’ve talked to who tried the DIY route spent 20-40 hours getting something up that they still weren’t happy with. If your time is worth anything — and it is — that “free” website cost you a lot more than you think.
The other issue is the ceiling. Templates look fine for generic sites, but when you need something that actually represents your brand and converts visitors into customers, you hit walls fast. Custom layouts, specific integrations, SEO structure — that’s where DIY starts falling apart.
Best for: Side projects, testing ideas, businesses that don’t depend on their website for leads.
Freelancer or Small Studio: $500 - $3,000
This is where most local businesses should be looking. A freelancer or small studio will actually design something for your business — not just plug your logo into a template.
At the lower end ($500-$1,000), you’re getting a clean, professional site with 3-7 pages, mobile responsiveness, basic SEO, and a contact form. At the higher end ($2,000-$3,000), you might get more custom design work, additional pages, or integrations like booking systems or e-commerce.
The thing to watch out for: Ongoing costs. A lot of freelancers charge for the build but then you’re on your own for hosting, updates, and maintenance. Hosting runs $10-50/month. If something breaks or you need a change six months later, that’s another invoice.
Best for: Local businesses that want something professional without overpaying. This is where we sit — $500 flat for the build, $50/month covers everything after that.
Agency: $3,000 - $15,000+
Agencies are good at what they do, but they’re built for bigger budgets. A typical agency website project runs $5,000-$10,000 for a small business, and that’s before you add on monthly retainers for hosting and maintenance ($100-$500/month is common).
You’ll get a more polished process — discovery calls, wireframes, rounds of revisions, project managers. The quality can be excellent. But for most local businesses, you’re paying for overhead and process that doesn’t meaningfully improve the end result compared to a good freelancer or studio.
Best for: Businesses with complex needs (large e-commerce catalogs, custom web apps, enterprise integrations) or businesses with the budget and the patience for a longer timeline.
The Hidden Costs Nobody Talks About
Regardless of who builds your site, here’s what else you should budget for:
- Domain name: $10-15/year (you probably already have this)
- SSL certificate: Usually included with hosting now, but worth checking
- Professional photos: $0 if you use your phone well, $200-500 if you hire someone. Good photos matter more than most people think
- Content updates: If your builder doesn’t include them, expect $50-100 per change request
- SEO and marketing: The website itself is the foundation, but ranking on Google takes ongoing effort. Some builders include basic SEO; most don’t
So What Should You Actually Spend?
If you’re a local business — a restaurant, a contractor, a salon, an auto shop — you don’t need a $10,000 website. You need a site that loads fast, looks professional, shows up in local search results, and makes it easy for people to contact you or book your service.
That’s a $500-$2,000 problem, not a $10,000 problem.
What matters more than the price tag is what happens after launch. A beautiful website that never gets updated, has no SEO, and sits on cheap hosting isn’t going to do much for you. The ongoing care is what separates a website that generates leads from one that collects dust.
If you’re shopping for a website and want a straight answer on what yours would cost, reach out for a free quote. We’ll tell you exactly what you’d get and what it runs — no surprise fees, no sales pitch.