how much does it cost to build a website for a small business
A practical budgeting guide — upfront costs, ongoing fees, SEO value and how to get the most for your money.
This guide gives clear cost ranges (2025), a step-by-step budgeting checklist, and straightforward tips to reduce waste while improving search visibility and conversions.
Typical cost breakdown
Building a small business website involves two categories of cost: upfront (one-time) and ongoing (monthly/annual). Below are practical ranges you can expect in 2025.
Upfront (one-time) costs
- Design & setup: $0–$6,000. Options:
- Template + DIY: $0 (your time)
- Managed subscription with no upfront fee: $0
- Traditional agency/custom build: $3,000–$10,000
- Brand assets (logo, simple brand kit): $0–$1,500 — <$300 using freelancers, $500–1,500 for professional work.
- Copywriting: $100–$1,500 — simple pages vs professionally written conversion copy.
- Photography & media: $0–$1,200 — phone photos or a local shoot / stock image subscriptions.
- Advanced development (integrations, custom features): $500–$5,000+ depending on complexity.
Example realistic upfront ranges:
$0–$500 for a DIY or managed-subscription start, $1,000–$3,000 for a small custom build, $3,000+ for full bespoke agency projects.
Ongoing (monthly / annual) costs
- Hosting: $5–$50+/mo — basic shared hosting vs optimized managed hosting.
- Domain name: $0–$20/yr — often free for the first year with some providers.
- SSL certificate: $0–$50/yr — many hosts include it free.
- Maintenance & updates: $0–$150+/hr if outsourced. Subscription services often include unlimited updates for $30–$49/mo.
- Plugins / SaaS tools: $5–$100+/mo — booking, payment, marketing tools.
- Email / business tools: $0–$15+/mo per mailbox or via GSuite/Microsoft 365 plans.
Practical monthly totals:
DIY hosted: $10–$40/mo + your time.
Managed subscription: $30–$49/mo (often includes hosting, domain, SSL, updates).
Custom site hosting/maintenance: $20–$150+/mo depending on support level.
Key cost drivers (what moves the price)
Custom layouts, animations and visual design add time and cost.
A five-page brochure site is much cheaper than a 50-page catalogue.
CRMs, booking systems, payment gateways and APIs increase development time.
Professional photography and copy are an upfront cost but improve conversions.
Optional features and typical price ranges
Decide which of these you actually need — each adds cost but may deliver revenue or efficiency.
E-commerce
Simple product catalogue with payments: $500–$3,000 setup, $10–$50+/mo for payment processing and platform fees.
Bookings / appointments
Booking widgets or integrations: $100–$1,000 setup, $10–$40/mo for scheduling software.
Membership areas
Protected content and user accounts: $1,000–$5,000+ depending on complexity.
Multi-language
Content translation and management: $300–$2,000+ plus ongoing translation costs.
Tip: Prioritise features that drive leads or bookings. If a feature doesn’t directly help you get paying customers, defer it.
SEO benefits and how to measure ROI
Investing in SEO (even basic setup) significantly increases the chance customers find your business organically. Below are practical, measurable impacts.
What SEO typically includes
- Keyword-focused page titles & meta descriptions
- Local SEO: Google Business Profile setup and citations
- On-page optimisation: headers, image alt text, schema markup
- XML sitemap and robots.txt submission
- Basic content strategy and one-off blog post (optional)
How to measure value
- Traffic increase: compare months before/after launch via Google Analytics
- Leads generated: record phone calls, contact form submissions, booking completions
- Cost per lead: total monthly cost divided by leads — useful to compare to paid channels
- Ranking for local keywords: track top 5 keywords that drive enquiries
Typical ROI example (simple)
If a $49/month website plus $50/mo in local SEO drives 2 extra leads/week and your average job is $400, that’s roughly $3,200/month in new revenue — a payback measured in days. Track leads to see the real impact.
How to budget — step-by-step
A simple six-step process to build a realistic budget.
- Define the main goal — leads, bookings, online sales, or brand presence. The goal determines scope and cost.
- List essential pages and features — homepage, services, contact, gallery, booking, shop. Keep the first release focused.
- Decide level of polish — basic template, managed subscription (no upfront fee), or custom design. Polished design raises conversions but costs more.
- Estimate time vs money — if your hourly rate or opportunity cost is high, paying a pro or subscription often makes financial sense.
- Get 2–3 quotes — compare what’s included (hosting, domain, SSL, updates). Ask for total first-year cost and ongoing monthly cost.
- Plan for ongoing budget — set aside a monthly figure for hosting, updates, and marketing (SEO/ads). Treat the website like a business tool, not a one-off expense.
Quick checklist: upfront cost estimate, monthly running total, expected leads per month, expected conversion value — then calculate payback period.
How to maximise value (practical tactics)
Focus on high-impact pages
Identify the 1–3 pages that drive enquiries (homepage, services, contact) and invest most of your design and copy work there.
Use subscription services for predictable cost
Managed subscriptions often include updates, hosting and basic SEO for one monthly fee — predictable and often cheaper than piecing services together.
Collect social proof early
Short testimonials and before/after photos increase trust — inexpensive to collect and high ROI.
Plan for updates, not perfection
Launch with essentials and iterate based on real customer behaviour — cheaper than over-building upfront.
DIY vs hiring professionals — a straightforward comparison
| Factor | DIY (Wix/Squarespace/WordPress) | Professional (subscription or agency) |
|---|---|---|
| Upfront cost | $0–$500 (you supply time) | $0–$5,000 (depending on approach) |
| Time to launch | 1–40+ hours | 24 hours to 4 weeks |
| Ongoing updates | You or hourly dev costs | Often included in subscription |
| SEO & conversion optimisation | Possible but time-consuming | Often included or available as add-on |
Rule of thumb: if your time is valuable and you need customers quickly, paid services or managed subscriptions often provide the best ROI. If you enjoy learning and your budget is minimal, DIY can work but factor in your time.
Frequently asked questions
How much should a small business budget for year 1?
Is it better to pay monthly or upfront?
Will a cheap website hurt SEO?
How do I compare quotes?
Ready to see options that match your budget?
Review managed subscriptions, DIY templates or a custom quote — pick what balances cost, speed and results for your business.
No pressure — gather quotes and choose what fits your goals and cashflow.
