How much does a small business website cost?

It is one of the first questions every owner asks. It is also one of the hardest to get a straight answer to.

This guide explains what changes the price of a website. It also shows what you should get for your money, and which costs come back every month.

The short answer

At Apex Design Media, a small business website starts at $3,000, paid one time. The price grows with the features you need.

Other web designers price their work in different ways. The tips below help you compare any quote, not only ours.

Most of the cost comes from time. The more pages, features and custom design a site needs, the more hours it takes to build and test.

These are the things that move the price the most:

Number of pages. A simple site may have five pages. A site with a page for each service and each town you serve has many more.
Features. Online booking, online orders, payments, member logins and forms that feed other tools all add work.
Content. Someone has to write the words and find or make the pictures. If you give us ready text and photos, the job is faster.
Custom design. A site built around your brand takes longer than a ready template. It also looks less like your competitors.
Moving an old site. Moving pages, redirects and old content takes care. Done wrong, you can lose the Google rankings you already have.

A low price can cost more later if key parts are missing. Before you say yes to any quote, check that it covers these things.

A site that works well on phones. Most local customers will find you on a phone first.
Fast load times. Slow pages lose visitors and can hurt how you rank on Google.
Basic Google setup. Page titles, descriptions and a sitemap help Google read your site.
A contact form that reaches you. Test it yourself before launch, then test it again after.
Your name on the domain. You should own your web address, not the designer.
Access for you. You should be able to get your files and logins if you ever leave.

Our small business website checklist goes deeper on each of these points.

The build is not the only cost. Plan for these too, so nothing surprises you later.

Domain name. This is your web address. It renews once a year.
Hosting. This is the computer that serves your site to visitors. Some hosts charge by the month, and some by the year.
Email. A business email on your own domain looks more trusted than a free one.
Updates and fixes. Hours change, prices change and new services start. Someone needs to make those changes.
Help being found. A website alone does not bring visitors. Local SEO helps people nearby find you on Google and Maps.

At Apex, local SEO and reviews are one package. It starts at $300 a month.

Website prices fall into three rough groups. Each one fits a different kind of business.

Do it yourself. Website builders let you make a site on your own. This works if you have time and a good eye, but your time has a cost too.
A designer or small agency. You get a site built for your business, plus someone to call. This is the best fit for most local businesses.
A large agency. You get a big team and a big process. This fits large companies with complex needs and a large budget.

Watch for these signs before you sign anything:

A good designer is happy to answer these questions in plain words. If you get vague answers, ask again or walk away.

The best way to get a true price is to talk about your business first. We look at your current site, your Google listing and your goals.

Then we send a free plan with one clear price. You keep the plan even if you do not hire us.

See all our starting prices on the pricing page. You can also read more about how we build websites.

When you are ready, get your free plan and we will reply within one business day.