how much to charge for website design and maintenance
A practical, step-by-step guide for small business owners and freelancers to set profitable, competitive website and maintenance prices — including SEO and ongoing service value.
Learn simple formulas, sample price ranges for 2025, time vs value strategies, and templates you can use when sending proposals or quoting clients.
Pricing models: choose the right approach
There are three common ways to price website work. Choose one based on your skill, risk tolerance, and the client's expectations.
Hourly
Transparent and simple for uncertain scopes. Rate depends on experience and market.
- Good for small fixes and consulting
- Clients dislike unpredictable final cost
Fixed price (project)
Best for defined scopes. You estimate time and add contingency.
- Clients like certainty
- Risk if scope creeps
Subscription / Retainer
Recurring revenue model — includes hosting, updates, analytics, and small changes.
- Predictable monthly income
- High perceived value when bundled (SEO, support)
Which is best?
For most freelancers and small agencies in 2025, combining a fixed build fee + monthly maintenance subscription gives the best mix of cash upfront and stable recurring revenue.
Example hybrid: $1,200 build + $49/mo maintenance (hosting, updates, SEO basics).
How to calculate your rates — simple formulas
Use these straightforward calculations to convert time, costs, and profit targets into a practical price.
1) Hourly rate baseline
Decide the hourly wage you want (after taxes), then add overhead and profit.
Formula: Hourly rate = Desired net hourly + overhead % + profit margin
- Desired net hourly: e.g., $50/hr
- Overhead (tools, subscription, taxes): 20–30% → +$10–15
- Profit margin: 20% → +$12
Result example: $50 + $12 + $10 = ~ $72/hr
2) Fixed project quote from hours
Estimate hours, then multiply by your hourly rate. Add contingency for scope creep.
Formula: Project price = (Estimated hours × Hourly rate) + Contingency (10–20%)
Example: 30 hours × $72 = $2,160 → +15% contingency = $2,484 → Round to $2,500
3) Monthly maintenance pricing
Decide how many support hours per month you include, plus hosting/monitoring costs.
Formula: Monthly = Hosting & tools + (Included hours × Hourly rate) + Margin
Example: Hosting $15 + (1.5h × $72 = $108) + $10 margin = $133 → round to $129 or $139/month
4) Value-based pricing for SEO/CRO
When your work can be tied to revenue (e.g., more leads, higher conversion), price based on expected uplift. This often beats hourly pricing for lucrative clients.
Approach: Estimate monthly revenue increase and charge a percentage (e.g., 10–30%) or a fixed retainer aligned to value delivered.
Maintenance & support — what to include and pricing ranges
Clients often misunderstand what "maintenance" covers. Be explicit about inclusions and limits.
Common inclusions
- Hosting, SSL, backups
- Security monitoring & updates
- Small content updates (X hours / month)
- Monthly performance & analytics report
- Priority support (chat/email)
What to limit or charge extra for
- Major redesigns (>30% content/structure)
- New feature builds (e-commerce, integrations)
- Large content migrations or copywriting
- Third-party paid services (ad spend, premium plugins)
Typical monthly pricing bands (2025 market)
How to set included hours
Estimate typical monthly admin and support tasks; for small businesses 0.5–2 hours is common. Price included hours using your hourly baseline. Offer blocks of extra hours at a discount (e.g., pre-paid 10-hour pack at 10% off).
Pricing for SEO & ongoing optimisation
SEO is often billed as a monthly retainer or project. Be clear on deliverables and expected timelines.
SEO pricing tiers (guide)
- $300–499/mo — Local SEO basics: GMB optimisation, local citations, on-page tweaks, monthly report.
- $500–1,200/mo — Small business growth: content strategy, link building, conversion optimisation.
- $1,200+/mo — Competitive markets: aggressive content production, PR, and technical SEO.
How to price SEO for a client
- Audit (one-off): charge $300–1,000 depending on site complexity.
- Estimate monthly hours to implement and maintain: multiply by your hourly baseline.
- Factor in content production costs (if producing blog articles, pages).
- Set realistic expectations: SEO improvements typically take 3–6 months.
Package examples & copyable templates
Below are three ready-to-use packages you can adapt. Adjust numbers to match your costs and hourly rate.
Starter
- 5-page responsive site
- Basic on-page SEO
- Hosting & SSL
- 1hr updates per month
Business
- Custom design up to 10 pages
- Local SEO setup + Google profile
- Hosting, SSL, backups
- 2 hrs updates + monthly analytics report
Growth
- Full custom site + advanced features
- SEO content strategy + monthly content
- Priority support & dev time
- Dedicated monthly optimisation
Simple proposal template copy
Build: We will design and deliver a responsive website up to X pages, including basic SEO and domain setup for $[BUILD PRICE].
Monthly: Ongoing hosting, security updates, and up to [HOURS] updates per month for $[MONTHLY PRICE]/month. Additional work billed at $[HOURLY].
Timeline: Project delivery in [X] business days after sign-off. No lock-in monthly contracts — cancel anytime.
Proposal tips & contract clauses
Use clear scope, change control, and payment terms to avoid disputes and scope creep.
Must-have clauses
- Scope of work: Define pages, features, and deliverables.
- Change requests: Additional changes are billed at $X/hr or moved to a new scope.
- Payment terms: 50% deposit for builds, remainder on delivery; monthly plans billed monthly in advance.
- Cancellation & ownership: On cancellation, domain and content remain with the client. Provide handover instructions.
- Liability & uptime: State limits and responsibilities for third-party services.
How to handle scope creep
- Confirm the scope in writing and get sign-off before work starts.
- Log extra requests and estimate additional hours or a fixed change order.
- Offer an expedited option for rush requests (e.g., +25% fee).
- Use milestone payments so you’re paid as value is delivered.
Negotiation tips & common mistakes
Be confident in your pricing and avoid common pitfalls that erode profit.
Negotiation tactics that work
- Offer 2 options (good / better) — clients pick the middle
- Anchor with a higher-priced premium package
- Explain ROI: leads, bookings, and conversions
- Keep some concessions as add-ons (paid extras)
Common mistakes to avoid
- Undervaluing your time to “win the job”
- Not documenting scope leading to endless unpaid tweaks
- Ignoring ongoing costs (hosting, backups) in your pricing
- Offering free updates forever without boundaries
When to walk away
If a client insists on unrealistic timelines, refuses any deposit, or demands unlimited changes for a nominal fee, politely decline. Your time and reputation matter.
Frequently asked questions
What is a fair hourly rate for website work in 2025?
Should I include SEO in my maintenance plan?
How do I price emergency or rush requests?
Is it better to offer month-to-month maintenance or annual plans?
Ready to price with confidence?
Use the formulas and package examples in this guide to build profitable proposals. If you'd like to see a live example site priced and delivered fast, Congero builds professional, SEO-ready sites with maintenance plans starting at $49/month.
All Congero plans include mobile-optimised design, hosting, SSL, local SEO basics, and unlimited text-in updates — predictable pricing, no lock-in contracts.
