website cost
What you should really expect to pay for a business website in 2025 — honest price ranges, ongoing fees, and how to cut costs without sacrificing results.
What does "website cost" actually include?
Many price quotes mix one-off design fees, monthly platform costs, and extra charges for updates or SEO. Understand each piece so you can compare apples with apples.
Design & Build
Wireframes, custom templates, graphics and front-end work. Costs depend on complexity and whether a designer or AI builds it.
- Template customisation vs custom design
- Number of unique page templates
- Mobile responsiveness & accessibility
Hosting & Domains
Ongoing hosting, email, SSL certificates and domain registration. Expect monthly or yearly fees here.
- Shared vs managed hosting
- Email hosting and DNS management
- Domain transfer or registration costs
Maintenance & Add-ons
Updates, security patches, backups, new content and integrations (bookings, payments, CRMs).
- Monthly maintenance retainers
- Third-party plugin subscriptions
- Local SEO & analytics
Real examples — what businesses pay in 2025
Sample quotes to help you estimate your own project.
Local Plumber (Single-location)
- Template build & branding: $1,200
- Hosting & domain (annual): $120
- Local SEO setup: $350
- Ongoing updates (monthly): $80–$200
Hair Salon (Multi-location)
- Custom design + booking integration: $6,000
- Managed hosting & email (annual): $600
- Ongoing support & bookings: $300+/month
Trades Business via Congero
- AI-built, mobile-first site: Instant
- All-inclusive flat fee: $49/month
- Unlimited updates, hosting, SSL, analytics
Practical ways to lower your website cost
You don't need to overspend to get a professional, lead-generating website.
Use proven templates
Templates reduce design hours. Choose a well-designed template and customise brand colours and images.
Do the initial copy yourself
Provide clear service descriptions and prices — it saves content writing fees and speeds launch.
Choose a flat monthly plan
Flat-rate services like Congero ($49/month) bundle updates, hosting and SEO to prevent surprise bills.
How to judge if a website is worth the cost
A website should be judged by the leads and revenue it produces, not only the build price.
Key performance indicators
- Monthly leads & contact form submissions
- Average job value & conversion rate
- Search rankings for local keywords
- Time saved managing updates
Example ROI
If a $1,200 site generates 2 extra jobs/month with an average value of $750, that’s $1,500/month — payback in under one month.
Website cost negotiation checklist
Ask these questions before you sign any quote.
- What is the total first-year cost and what is recurring?
- Are updates included or billed per-edit?
- Who owns the site content and can I export it?
- What SEO work is included and is reporting provided?
- Are there extra fees for integrations (booking, payments)?
- Is there a no-lock-in policy or cancellation fees?
Flat predictable pricing that removes surprises
Congero offers a single $49/month plan that includes domain, hosting, unlimited updates and built-in local SEO — ideal for trades and local services.
- Instant AI site creation — live in ~60 seconds
- Unlimited text-in updates (no per-edit fees)
- Domain registration, managed hosting & SSL
- Local SEO, schema and monthly analytics
- No lock-in subscription — cancel anytime
Frequently asked questions about website cost
Quick answers to common cost concerns.
Ready to see the real cost for your business?
Try Congero's free 60-second demo and get a live, SEO-ready website plus a clear pricing outcome — no surprises.
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