what should a website cost
A clear, practical breakdown of pricing, value and ROI for small businesses — including design, SEO and paid ads.
If you're budgeting for a website in 2025, this guide walks through the real cost factors, typical price ranges, hidden fees, and how professional design, SEO and advertising work together to grow enquiries and revenue.
How website pricing actually works
Website cost isn't a single line item — it's the sum of design, development, hosting, content, ongoing maintenance, and marketing (SEO & ads). Knowing which parts matter for your business helps you get the best value for your budget.
Primary cost drivers
- Design complexity: Custom layouts, branding, and conversion-focused UX increase cost.
- Features & integrations: Booking systems, e-commerce, or CRMs add time and licensing fees.
- Content: Professional copywriting, photography, and video are often charged separately.
- SEO setup: Keyword research, on-page SEO, schema and local listings setup require specialist work.
- Performance & security: Fast hosting, caching, and SSL reduce churn but increase hosting cost.
- Ongoing support: Maintenance, updates and backups are recurring costs that many owners underestimate.
Important: price alone doesn't equal value. A cheap site that doesn't convert costs you customers; an expensive build may be a poor fit if it delays launch or ties you into long contracts. Think in terms of cost of ownership — total money and time spent in the first year and annually afterwards.
Cost ranges you can expect in 2025
Below are realistic first-year cost ranges and what they typically include.
DIY Platforms
Wix, Squarespace, WordPress.com — you build and maintain.
- Template design, monthly platform fee
- Basic SEO options, hosting included
- Time cost: 30–100 hours
Subscription / Managed
Managed services (e.g., Congero): pro design, hosting, updates for a flat fee.
- Professional design, fast launch
- Unlimited small updates, hosting & SSL
- Basic local SEO included
Custom Agency Build
Custom design and development, suited for complex needs.
- Tailored UX, complex integrations
- Higher upfront cost, ongoing maintenance extra
- Longer lead time: 4–12+ weeks
How to read these ranges
Ranges overlap because scope varies. A subscription plan may run from $30–$100/month depending on add-ons (e-commerce, bookings). A custom site priced at $3k might be a simple brochure while a $20k+ build could include advanced portals, APIs, and large content sets.
What drives real value: professional design, SEO and ads
Professional Design
Design isn't decoration — it's a conversion engine. Good UX and clear calls-to-action turn visitors into customers.
- Branding & trust signals
- Clear service pages and pricing
- Fast, mobile-first layouts
SEO (Organic Growth)
SEO makes your site discoverable. Good technical and local SEO delivers compounding free traffic over months.
- Keyword targeting for buyer intent
- Local SEO: Google Business Profile + citations
- On-page SEO, schema and sitemap
Paid Ads (Immediate Demand)
Ads ramp traffic instantly. When combined with a conversion-focused site + SEO, ads accelerate growth and scale profitable campaigns.
- Targeted search & local campaigns
- Conversion tracking and landing pages
- Budget based on ROI (not guesses)
How these three work together
- Design improves conversion rate (CVR). If your CVR doubles, each ad dollar buys twice as many customers.
- SEO reduces long-term cost-per-lead — investments compound month over month.
- Ads provide immediate, measurable growth while SEO ramps up. The best strategy coordinates all three.
How to evaluate quotes — what to ask for
Quote checklist
- What's included in the price? (design, hosting, domain, SSL, updates)
- What counts as a change? Clarify how many revisions or update requests are included.
- Timescales: When will the site go live?
- Ownership: Do you own the domain and content?
- Exit terms: Can you cancel month-to-month and export content?
- Performance guarantees: Page speed, uptime or response times for support?
Red flags to watch for
- Unclear deliverables or vague timelines
- High upfront design fees with low value-add
- Locked-in multi-year contracts
- No performance or maintenance details
Sample website budgets by small business type
| Business | Typical first-year cost | Recommended path | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trades (plumber, electrician) | $360–$900 | Managed subscription | Fast launch, local SEO and updates matter most. |
| Cafe / Retail | $600–$2,500 | Subscription + local ads | Menu/offer updates and local ads drive foot traffic. |
| Professional services (law, accounting) | $1,200–$8,000 | Hybrid: custom pages + managed care | Brand trust, content and lead capture are crucial. |
| E‑commerce | $2,000–$20,000+ | Custom or enterprise subscription | Complex checkout, inventory, and support integrations. |
If you're a trades or service business: a managed solution that includes local SEO, fast mobile design, and unlimited updates (like Congero's model) often gives the best ROI compared with DIY or expensive custom builds.
Estimating ROI — a simple model
Example: trades business
Assume a managed site costs $49/mo and drives 10 extra leads/month with a 20% close rate and average job value $800.
Use this simple approach: estimate additional leads your site enables, multiply by close rate and average sale, then subtract monthly site + ad costs. If result is positive and scales, the site is an investment — not an expense.
Frequently asked questions
Is a cheaper website always bad?
How much should I budget for SEO?
Do I need paid ads?
What's the simplest high-value option?
Stop guessing — budget with confidence
Use the checklists in this guide when you request quotes. Focus on deliverables, ownership, timelines and ongoing support. If you want a predictable, managed website with fast launch and unlimited updates, consider a professional subscription.
Congero builds mobile-first websites with local SEO, hosting and domain management included for a flat monthly fee — live in under 60 seconds via a WhatsApp demo and unlimited updates without lock-in contracts.
