[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":582},["ShallowReactive",2],{"blog-how-much-should-small-business-website-cost":3,"blog-related-how-much-should-small-business-website-cost":313},{"id":4,"title":5,"author":6,"body":7,"description":287,"extension":288,"faqs":289,"heroImage":302,"heroImageDescription":302,"meta":303,"navigation":304,"path":305,"pillar":306,"publishedAt":307,"readMinutes":308,"seo":309,"slug":310,"stem":311,"__hash__":312},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fhow-much-should-small-business-website-cost.md","How Much Should a Small Business Website Cost?","Ben Wallace",{"type":8,"value":9,"toc":273},"minimark",[10,14,19,22,26,108,111,115,118,121,125,128,137,141,144,147,176,184,187,191,194,197,201,204,236,240,243,257,260,264,267],[11,12,13],"p",{},"A small business website typically costs anywhere from a few hundred dollars a year to $50,000 up front, depending on who builds it. For most businesses with 1–50 people, a professionally built site in the $3,000–$8,000 range is the sensible middle: custom work you own, without agency overhead. The right number for you depends on how much your time is worth and how much the site has to do.",[15,16,18],"h2",{"id":17},"why-website-prices-vary-so-much","Why website prices vary so much",[11,20,21],{},"The price gap exists because you're buying different things, not the same thing at different markups. A DIY builder sells you software and leaves the work to you. A freelancer sells you one person's time. A small studio sells a defined process with a small team. An agency sells a full team plus the overhead of running it.",[15,23,25],{"id":24},"the-four-ways-to-get-a-website-compared","The four ways to get a website, compared",[27,28,29,48],"table",{},[30,31,32],"thead",{},[33,34,35,39,42,45],"tr",{},[36,37,38],"th",{},"Option",[36,40,41],{},"Typical up-front cost",[36,43,44],{},"Typical ongoing cost",[36,46,47],{},"Who does the work",[49,50,51,66,80,94],"tbody",{},[33,52,53,57,60,63],{},[54,55,56],"td",{},"DIY builder",[54,58,59],{},"$0",[54,61,62],{},"$15–$40\u002Fmonth, more with add-ons",[54,64,65],{},"You",[33,67,68,71,74,77],{},[54,69,70],{},"Freelancer",[54,72,73],{},"$1,000–$5,000",[54,75,76],{},"Varies; changes often billed hourly",[54,78,79],{},"One person",[33,81,82,85,88,91],{},[54,83,84],{},"Small studio",[54,86,87],{},"$3,000–$10,000",[54,89,90],{},"Hosting plus optional support",[54,92,93],{},"A small team with a set process",[33,95,96,99,102,105],{},[54,97,98],{},"Traditional agency",[54,100,101],{},"$10,000–$50,000+",[54,103,104],{},"Retainers are common",[54,106,107],{},"A full team",[11,109,110],{},"These are typical ranges, not quotes.",[15,112,114],{"id":113},"diy-website-builders-cheapest-in-cash-most-expensive-in-time","DIY website builders: cheapest in cash, most expensive in time",[11,116,117],{},"DIY builders are the right call when you have more time than money and a simple offer. If you're a solo operator testing an idea, a builder gets you online this weekend, and that's worth something.",[11,119,120],{},"The tradeoffs show up later. You pay in hours: picking a template, writing copy, resizing photos, figuring out why the mobile layout broke. It's easy to underestimate how many. Builder sites also tend to look like other sites on the same builder, and your performance and SEO controls stop wherever the platform's settings stop. Finally, you don't own the site in any portable sense. Stop paying the subscription and it goes away; moving to another platform usually means rebuilding.",[15,122,124],{"id":123},"freelancers-good-value-when-you-find-the-right-one","Freelancers: good value when you find the right one",[11,126,127],{},"A good freelancer can be the best value on this list. One skilled person with low overhead can build a solid site for less than a studio would charge.",[11,129,130,131,136],{},"The risk is concentration. Everything depends on one person's availability, skill range, and continued interest in your project. The common failure isn't bad work. It's the freelancer who gets busy, takes a full-time job, or stops answering email six months after launch, and nobody else knows how the site was built or has the logins. If you hire a freelancer, get the code, the hosting account, and the domain in your name before the final payment. Our guide to ",[132,133,135],"a",{"href":134},"\u002Fblog\u002Fhow-to-choose-web-design-company","choosing a web design company"," has the questions to ask.",[15,138,140],{"id":139},"small-studios-a-defined-process-at-a-fixed-price","Small studios: a defined process at a fixed price",[11,142,143],{},"A small studio sits between the freelancer and the agency: a team, a repeatable process, and a fixed price. This is where Made by Velocity sits, so weigh our opinion accordingly.",[11,145,146],{},"What you're paying for is predictability. You know the price, page count, timeline, and number of revision rounds before you sign. Our packages are one-time prices:",[148,149,150,158,164,170],"ul",{},[151,152,153,157],"li",{},[154,155,156],"strong",{},"Starter, $3,000:"," up to 5 pages, about 10 business days, one revision round.",[151,159,160,163],{},[154,161,162],{},"Growth, $5,000:"," up to 10 pages, a blog with two posts, advanced structured data, a Google Business Profile review strategy, two revision rounds, about 12 business days.",[151,165,166,169],{},[154,167,168],{},"Premium, $8,000+:"," unlimited pages, e-commerce, booking, or custom integrations, an advanced GEO content strategy, three revision rounds, about 15 business days.",[151,171,172,175],{},[154,173,174],{},"Website Refresh, from $2,000:"," for an existing site that needs an audit, a redesign, and an SEO cleanup without starting from zero.",[11,177,178,179,183],{},"Every build includes custom design, mobile-first development, SEO and GEO setup, Google Analytics and Search Console, Google Business Profile optimization, and 30 days of post-launch support. When we hand it over, you own the design, code, and content. Full details are on our ",[132,180,182],{"href":181},"\u002Fpricing","pricing page",".",[11,185,186],{},"The tradeoff: fixed packages assume a fairly standard small-business site. Anything unusual gets quoted as custom work, and a studio won't run a months-long brand strategy engagement the way an agency will.",[15,188,190],{"id":189},"traditional-agencies-built-for-a-different-kind-of-client","Traditional agencies: built for a different kind of client",[11,192,193],{},"Traditional agencies typically charge $10,000 to $50,000 or more for a small-business website. That price isn't a scam. It covers account managers, strategists, project managers, and a process designed for clients with marketing departments, several stakeholders, and legal review on every page.",[11,195,196],{},"If that describes your business, an agency may be worth it. If you're a 12-person HVAC company or a two-chair salon, you're paying for meetings and layers you don't need, and the timeline usually runs in months rather than weeks.",[15,198,200],{"id":199},"costs-that-show-up-after-launch","Costs that show up after launch",[11,202,203],{},"Every option has ongoing costs, and the up-front price rarely tells the whole story. Budget for these no matter who builds the site:",[148,205,206,212,218,224,230],{},[151,207,208,211],{},[154,209,210],{},"Domain name:"," a modest annual fee.",[151,213,214,217],{},[154,215,216],{},"Hosting:"," typically $20–$50 a month for a professionally built small-business site. DIY builders fold this into the subscription.",[151,219,220,223],{},[154,221,222],{},"Third-party tools:"," booking software, email marketing, e-commerce platforms, and similar subscriptions.",[151,225,226,229],{},[154,227,228],{},"Changes and maintenance:"," updates, security patches, new pages. With us that's either ad hoc or an optional monthly support plan at $150, $350, or $750 a month.",[151,231,232,235],{},[154,233,234],{},"Photography and copywriting:"," the two most often forgotten. We source stock photography and work from your existing content; from-scratch copywriting for complex or technical industries is quoted separately.",[15,237,239],{"id":238},"how-to-decide-what-to-spend","How to decide what to spend",[11,241,242],{},"The right budget is the one that matches what the website has to do for your business. A few honest rules of thumb:",[148,244,245,248,251,254],{},[151,246,247],{},"If you're testing an idea and cash is tight, use a DIY builder and plan to replace it later.",[151,249,250],{},"If you know a freelancer whose past sites have held up for years, hire them and get ownership in writing.",[151,252,253],{},"If your website is how customers find and judge you, and you want a fixed price and a fixed date, a small studio is usually the best fit.",[151,255,256],{},"If you have a marketing team and a multi-step approval process, an agency is built for you.",[11,258,259],{},"Whichever you choose, ask what you'll own at the end. A cheap site you can't move and an expensive site held by a vendor have the same problem.",[15,261,263],{"id":262},"the-short-version","The short version",[11,265,266],{},"Small business websites typically cost $15–$40 a month DIY, $1,000–$5,000 from a freelancer, $3,000–$10,000 from a small studio, and $10,000–$50,000+ from an agency. For most owners, the middle options are the best balance of cost, quality, and ownership. Made by Velocity's packages run from $3,000 to $8,000+, one time, and you own everything at the end.",[11,268,269,183],{},[132,270,272],{"href":271},"\u002Fget-started","Tell us about your business and get a fixed quote",{"title":274,"searchDepth":275,"depth":275,"links":276},"",3,[277,279,280,281,282,283,284,285,286],{"id":17,"depth":278,"text":18},2,{"id":24,"depth":278,"text":25},{"id":113,"depth":278,"text":114},{"id":123,"depth":278,"text":124},{"id":139,"depth":278,"text":140},{"id":189,"depth":278,"text":190},{"id":199,"depth":278,"text":200},{"id":238,"depth":278,"text":239},{"id":262,"depth":278,"text":263},"What a small business website typically costs in 2026: DIY builders, freelancers, small studios, and agencies, with honest tradeoffs for each.","md",[290,293,296,299],{"q":291,"a":292},"What's the cheapest way to get a small business website?","A DIY builder, which usually runs $15–$40 a month plus a lot of your own time. It's a reasonable choice if you have more time than budget and a simple business to explain.",{"q":294,"a":295},"What does a traditional agency charge for a small business website?","Typically $10,000 to $50,000 or more. Much of that covers account management, strategy layers, and overhead built for larger clients.",{"q":297,"a":298},"How much does Made by Velocity charge?","One-time pricing of $3,000 (Starter), $5,000 (Growth), or $8,000+ (Premium), with hosting separate at typically $20–$50 a month. You own the design, code, and content when it's done.",{"q":300,"a":301},"Are there ongoing costs after a website launches?","Yes, with every option: a domain, hosting, and any third-party subscriptions you use. Ongoing support plans are optional.",null,{},true,"\u002Fblog\u002Fhow-much-should-small-business-website-cost","pricing","2026-10-19",5,{"title":5,"description":287},"how-much-should-small-business-website-cost","blog\u002Fhow-much-should-small-business-website-cost","5YGBhUQU2I4hkWgJJv8_EYCibJcLWa6EC8keq-TrqBQ",[314],{"id":315,"title":316,"author":6,"body":317,"description":563,"extension":288,"faqs":564,"heroImage":302,"heroImageDescription":302,"meta":577,"navigation":304,"path":134,"pillar":306,"publishedAt":307,"readMinutes":308,"seo":578,"slug":579,"stem":580,"__hash__":581},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fhow-to-choose-web-design-company.md","How to Choose a Web Design Company (Without Getting Burned)",{"type":8,"value":318,"toc":552},[319,322,326,329,333,336,339,342,356,359,363,366,369,372,389,395,399,402,410,413,416,420,423,425,439,442,446,449,452,469,472,476,479,499,503,506,530,538,540,546],[11,320,321],{},"Choose a web design company by checking five things before you sign: who owns the finished site, whether the price is fixed and written down, whether the timeline is specific, how they communicate, and whether their older sites still work. Most bad web design experiences trace back to one of those five being vague at the start. Here's what to ask about each, and the answers that should make you walk away.",[15,323,325],{"id":324},"why-small-businesses-get-burned-by-web-designers","Why small businesses get burned by web designers",[11,327,328],{},"Small businesses usually get burned by ambiguity, not incompetence. The designer may have been perfectly capable; the agreement just never said who owned the code, what \"a few revisions\" meant, or what happened if the project ran long. When things go sideways, whoever wrote the vague terms gets to interpret them. Each section below is about removing one of those ambiguities before you pay a deposit.",[15,330,332],{"id":331},"_1-ask-who-owns-the-website-when-its-done","1. Ask who owns the website when it's done",[11,334,335],{},"Ownership is the most important question, and the answer should be \"you, completely.\" That means the design files, the code, the content, the domain, and the hosting account are all yours, or transferable to you without conditions.",[11,337,338],{},"Some offers look cheap because you're renting. The usual versions: the site lives on the designer's proprietary platform, the domain is registered in their name, or the hosting is bundled in a way that can't be moved. None of these is always malicious, but each one means leaving later costs you a rebuild.",[11,340,341],{},"Questions to ask:",[148,343,344,347,350,353],{},[151,345,346],{},"Will the domain be registered in my name, under my login?",[151,348,349],{},"Do I get the source code and design files at the end?",[151,351,352],{},"If we stop working together, what exactly do I walk away with?",[151,354,355],{},"Is anything proprietary that I can't take with me?",[11,357,358],{},"Walk away if the answers are fuzzy or come with conditions. At Made by Velocity, the client owns the design, code, and content, we hand everything over at launch, and there's no lock-in. That shouldn't be unusual, but confirm it with anyone you hire.",[15,360,362],{"id":361},"_2-get-the-price-fixed-and-in-writing","2. Get the price fixed and in writing",[11,364,365],{},"A trustworthy quote says exactly what's included, how many revision rounds you get, and what costs extra. \"Starting at\" pricing is fine for a first conversation, but before you sign, the number should be specific.",[11,367,368],{},"Watch for the costs that tend to appear later: hosting, copywriting, photography, plugin or app licenses, extra revision rounds, and post-launch changes billed by the hour. None of these is an unreasonable charge on its own. The problem is finding out about them after you've committed.",[11,370,371],{},"Ask for a written scope that lists:",[148,373,374,377,380,383,386],{},[151,375,376],{},"Number of pages",[151,378,379],{},"Number of revision rounds",[151,381,382],{},"What's not included (copywriting, photos, hosting, third-party subscriptions)",[151,384,385],{},"What post-launch support is included, and for how long",[151,387,388],{},"What changes cost after that",[11,390,391,392,394],{},"We publish our packages, including what isn't included, on our ",[132,393,182],{"href":181}," for this reason. You shouldn't need a sales call to learn a ballpark.",[15,396,398],{"id":397},"_3-ask-for-a-timeline-with-milestones","3. Ask for a timeline with milestones",[11,400,401],{},"A real timeline names days or dates for each phase, not just a launch estimate. \"Six to eight weeks\" tells you nothing about when you'll see a design or when your content is due.",[11,403,404,405,409],{},"A good answer sounds like: discovery in the first couple of days, a homepage design to approve before any code is written, a staging site you can click through, a defined review window, then launch. Ours, for a Starter site, is ten business days broken into those steps; ",[132,406,408],{"href":407},"\u002Four-process","our process page"," lays it out if you want a reference point.",[11,411,412],{},"Also ask what can delay the project. The honest answer is often \"you, if content or feedback arrives late,\" and a good designer will say so up front and tell you exactly what they need from you and when.",[11,414,415],{},"Red flag: no timeline at all, or a timeline with no checkpoints between kickoff and launch. Projects without checkpoints tend to drift.",[15,417,419],{"id":418},"_4-find-out-how-they-communicate","4. Find out how they communicate",[11,421,422],{},"Communication problems sink more web projects than design problems do. Before signing, find out who you'll actually talk to, through what channel, and how quickly they usually reply.",[11,424,341],{},[148,426,427,430,433,436],{},[151,428,429],{},"Who is my point of contact, and is that the person doing the work?",[151,431,432],{},"How will I see progress before launch?",[151,434,435],{},"What happens if you're sick or unavailable for a week?",[151,437,438],{},"How do I request changes after launch, and how fast do you respond?",[11,440,441],{},"The third question matters most with solo freelancers. A one-person shop can do excellent work, but you need to know the plan if that person disappears. If replies are slow before you've paid, they won't speed up after.",[15,443,445],{"id":444},"_5-check-whether-their-older-sites-still-hold-up","5. Check whether their older sites still hold up",[11,447,448],{},"A portfolio of mockups shows that a designer can make something look good once. Live sites that still work years later show that they build things that last.",[11,450,451],{},"Ask for at least three live URLs, including one that launched a couple of years ago. Then check them yourself:",[148,453,454,457,460,463,466],{},[151,455,456],{},"Do they load quickly on your phone?",[151,458,459],{},"Does the mobile layout hold up, or does anything overlap or break?",[151,461,462],{},"Do the contact forms work?",[151,464,465],{},"Is the site still current, or does it look abandoned?",[151,467,468],{},"If you search the business name, does the site come up?",[11,470,471],{},"A site that looked great at launch and now loads slowly or breaks on mobile tells you something about how it was built. References help too, but a live site can't be coached.",[15,473,475],{"id":474},"red-flags-that-mean-you-should-walk-away","Red flags that mean you should walk away",[11,477,478],{},"Some answers are disqualifying regardless of price or portfolio. Walk away if a web designer:",[148,480,481,484,487,490,493,496],{},[151,482,483],{},"Won't put the domain in your name or hand over the code",[151,485,486],{},"Can't give you a written scope with a revision limit",[151,488,489],{},"Has no timeline beyond \"a few weeks\"",[151,491,492],{},"Pushes you to sign quickly with a discount that expires",[151,494,495],{},"Only shows mockups or screenshots, never live sites",[151,497,498],{},"Gets vague when you ask what happens after launch",[15,500,502],{"id":501},"the-questions-to-ask-before-you-sign","The questions to ask before you sign",[11,504,505],{},"If you bring one thing to the first call, bring this list:",[507,508,509,512,515,518,521,524,527],"ol",{},[151,510,511],{},"Who owns the domain, code, design files, and content at the end?",[151,513,514],{},"What's the fixed price, and what's excluded?",[151,516,517],{},"How many revision rounds are included?",[151,519,520],{},"What's the timeline, phase by phase?",[151,522,523],{},"Who's my contact, and what's the backup plan?",[151,525,526],{},"What support is included after launch, and what does it cost after that?",[151,528,529],{},"Can I see three live sites, including an older one?",[11,531,532,533,537],{},"Any designer worth hiring will answer all seven without hesitating. It's also fair to ask who's behind the company. A studio that tells you plainly who it is and where it's based, as we do on our ",[132,534,536],{"href":535},"\u002Fabout","about page",", is easier to hold accountable.",[15,539,263],{"id":262},[11,541,542,543,183],{},"Choose a web design company that gives you full ownership, a fixed written price, a phase-by-phase timeline, a clear communication plan, and older live sites that still hold up. Vagueness in any of those five areas is where small businesses get burned, so ask the seven questions above before you pay a deposit. If you're still working out a budget, read our breakdown of ",[132,544,545],{"href":305},"what a small business website should cost",[11,547,548,183],{},[132,549,551],{"href":550},"\u002Fcontact","Put us through the same seven questions",{"title":274,"searchDepth":275,"depth":275,"links":553},[554,555,556,557,558,559,560,561,562],{"id":324,"depth":278,"text":325},{"id":331,"depth":278,"text":332},{"id":361,"depth":278,"text":362},{"id":397,"depth":278,"text":398},{"id":418,"depth":278,"text":419},{"id":444,"depth":278,"text":445},{"id":474,"depth":278,"text":475},{"id":501,"depth":278,"text":502},{"id":262,"depth":278,"text":263},"Five things to check before you hire a web designer, the questions to ask, and the red flags that mean you should walk away.",[565,568,571,574],{"q":566,"a":567},"What's the biggest red flag when hiring a web designer?","A designer who won't tell you who owns the code and the domain. If they keep ownership, you're renting your website, and leaving later means rebuilding it.",{"q":569,"a":570},"Do I need to see references?","Yes, but live sites matter more than references. Ask for three live URLs, including one that launched a couple of years ago, and check them on your phone.",{"q":572,"a":573},"What should a web design quote include?","A fixed price, the number of pages, the number of revision rounds, a phase-by-phase timeline, and a clear list of what isn't included, such as hosting, copywriting, or photography.",{"q":575,"a":576},"Is it safe to hire a solo freelancer?","It can be. Just make sure the domain, hosting, and code are in your name, and ask what happens if they become unavailable.",{},{"title":316,"description":563},"how-to-choose-web-design-company","blog\u002Fhow-to-choose-web-design-company","FLahNM-iVJov5Vw0TlhGuM8v5dlvJvzpqGU9TKjnIZA",1792426630779]