How Much Does a Small Business Website Cost?

A small business website cost depends on three things: how many pages you need, who writes and builds them, and what you pay each year to keep the site running. We can't give you one honest average, because a single focused page and a 20-page site with booking and payments are different projects. What we can do is show you what each part costs, using our own published prices and the platforms' official pricing pages.

Key takeaways

• There is no single price for a small business website: scope, who does the work and ongoing costs decide it.
• Budget for two kinds of cost: a one-off build cost and yearly running costs for the domain, platform or hosting, and email.
• The biggest cost drivers are the number of pages, who writes the copy, and integrations such as booking, payments or a CRM.
• A focused landing page is the lowest-cost way to get a professional page live; a multi-page site costs more but gives you more to be found for.
• Ask any provider for a fixed scope in writing: pages, revisions, what's included and what's quoted separately.

What do you actually pay for?

You pay for the build once, then for the things that keep the site online every year. Splitting the two makes quotes much easier to compare.

One-off costs

• Planning and structure: deciding which pages you need and what each one has to do.
• Copywriting: the words on each page. Many quotes assume you supply the copy, so check.
• Design and build: turning the plan into pages that work on phones and computers.
• Setup: forms, booking links, analytics, search basics such as page titles and a sitemap.

Yearly running costs

• Domain name: your web address, renewed every year. Some registrars add a markup; Cloudflare Registrar, for example, says it charges only what the registry and ICANN charge.
• Platform or hosting: a website builder subscription or a hosting plan. WordPress.com, for example, lists its Personal plan at US$4 a month and its Business plan at US$25 a month when billed yearly, at the time of writing. Squarespace and Webflow publish their current plans on their pricing pages; check them on the day you decide, because prices and plan names change.
• Business email: an address at your own domain, usually a monthly per-user subscription.
• Paid tools: booking, email marketing or form tools beyond their free tiers.

What makes a website cost more?

The number of pages and the amount of custom work drive the price more than anything else. These are the usual culprits:

• More pages. Every service page, location page or case study needs its own content, layout and checks.
• Writing the copy for you. Good copy takes research and rounds of feedback. It's often the largest hidden cost.
• Integrations. Booking, payments, a CRM, membership areas or a shop each add setup and testing.
• Custom design. A fully bespoke design costs more than adapting a well-made template to your brand.
• Revision rounds. Unlimited revisions sound generous but usually mean a higher price or a slower project. A fixed number keeps both under control.
• Moving an old site. Migrating pages, redirecting old addresses and keeping search rankings takes extra care.

Whether you're comparing website design costs in the UK, the US or elsewhere, the same drivers apply. Rates differ by market, so compare scopes, not just totals.

How much does a landing page cost compared with a full website?

A landing page costs less because it's one page with one job; a full website costs more because every page needs its own content and checks. Our guide to choosing a landing page or a full website explains which fits your business.

For reference, these are our published prices:

• Focused Landing Page, USD650: up to six sections, your copy and branding, one native form or booking route, two revision rounds, delivered in 2 to 3 weeks.
• Website & Enquiry Audit, USD250: a written review of one website or enquiry path with a debrief call, in 5 business days. Useful before you spend money on a rebuild.
• Focused Website Review, USD79: a personal review of one key page and its enquiry path with five prioritised recommendations.

Multi-page websites are scoped and quoted after we understand what you need, because the page count and integrations vary so much. Copywriting can be quoted separately if you don't want to write it yourself. Full details are on our website services page.

How can you keep the cost down?

Start smaller and spend where it changes enquiries. A few practical ways:

1. Start with one focused page for your main offer, then add service pages as you grow.
2. Write a first draft of your copy yourself. Even rough notes save time and money, and nobody knows your clients better.
3. Use a good template adapted to your brand instead of a fully custom design.
4. Choose a platform you can update. Small edits shouldn't need a developer every time.
5. Fix before you rebuild. If your current site mostly works, an audit and a few changes may beat a new site. Our list of signs it's time to redesign helps you decide.

What should a website quote include?

A good quote tells you exactly what you get and what isn't included. Before you agree to anything, check it covers:

• the pages included, by name;
• who writes the copy and who supplies photos;
• the number of revision rounds;
• forms, booking or other integrations, and where enquiries will be sent;
• basic search setup: page titles, descriptions, a sitemap and mobile-friendly pages;
• who owns the domain, the platform account and the content (it should be you);
• the timeline, payment terms and what happens after launch.

Also ask how you'll know enquiries are reaching you. A beautiful site that loses messages is expensive at any price; our guide to why website enquiries go missing covers the common failures.

Next steps

If you're not sure what your site needs, start with our free 60-second website check. You'll get a score and your quick wins straight away, so you know where the money is best spent. For more on planning a site, browse our website guides, or see how we help coaches and consultants.

Sources

• WordPress.com plans and pricing, WordPress.com
• Squarespace pricing, Squarespace
• Webflow pricing, Webflow
• Cloudflare Registrar, Cloudflare