What does a small business website cost?
Ask three providers for a new website and you get three quotes you can barely compare. That is rarely about the math. Usually each of them has a different scope in mind.
Processes and costs · 28 September 2026 · 7 min read
What a small business website costs depends almost entirely on scope: how many different page types it needs, who supplies the copy and images, which features come on top, such as online booking, a shop, or a second language, and whether the design is built from scratch or starts from a template. On top of that come running costs for hosting, the domain, updates, and changes.
You only get a reliable number once the scope is written down. So plan your budget in two parts: the one-off build and the yearly cost of running and maintaining the site. And ask every provider for a quote that lists those items separately.
What drives the price of a website
These points decide the effort long before anyone talks about colors:
- Page types, not page count: ten service pages with the same layout are less work than three pages that all work differently. Count how many distinct templates you need, for example home, service, reference, team, and contact.
- Copy: do you write it, does the studio write it, or is existing copy only edited? Copy is often where a project stalls for weeks.
- Photos and video: your own photos of the workshop, shop, or team need a shoot. Stock images are faster but do not show your business.
- Features: a simple contact form is different from appointment booking tied to a calendar, a shop with payments, or a site in two languages.
- Design: an adapted template is faster. A custom design takes more time for structure, drafts, and feedback, and in return fits your brand exactly.
- Migration and visibility: if pages of your old site are found on Google, the switch needs clean redirects. Otherwise you lose visitors you already had.
Where the effort in a website comes from
Four places set the effort of a website: the number of page types, the copy, the images and the features.
Website builder or a studio-built site
Start
Website builder, built yourself
Immediately, with a template and a monthly plan
Built by a studio
After a brief, a structure, and a quote
Your time
Website builder, built yourself
Build, copy, and upkeep are on you
Built by a studio
You supply content and approve, the studio builds
Design
Website builder, built yourself
Within the limits of the template
Built by a studio
Shaped around your brand and your offer
Running costs
Website builder, built yourself
Subscription for platform, hosting, and add-ons
Built by a studio
Hosting, domain, and maintenance if needed, as agreed
Switching later
Website builder, built yourself
Often tied to the platform, moving usually means a rebuild
Built by a studio
Transferable, if code, content, and access belong to you
Keep one-off and running costs apart
Many quotes only show the build. But the site keeps costing money afterwards, every month or every year. That includes hosting, the domain renewed each year, any licenses for a content system or plugins, security updates, and changes you cannot or do not want to make yourself.
So ask every provider: what does the site cost me in the first year after launch, and in every year after that? Only that total makes two offers comparable. A cheap build with an expensive subscription can cost more over a few years than a pricier build with no ongoing lock-in.
Two websites, two very different efforts
A joinery wants five pages: home, services, references, about, and contact. The owner writes the copy, the photos are taken in the workshop in one afternoon, and enquiries arrive by email through a form. The scope is clear and the quote can be calculated precisely.
A painting business, on the other hand, wants online booking for site visits, a second language for customers across the border, and a gallery the team fills itself. Each of those features needs planning, testing, and upkeep. Both businesses ask for “a website.” Their quotes still have little in common.
Questions to ask every provider
- Which pages and features are included, and what does an extra page cost?
- Who supplies copy and images, and what happens if they arrive later than planned?
- How many rounds of revisions are included?
- What does running the site cost per year, including hosting, domain, licenses, and updates?
- Can I change text and images myself, and how do I learn that?
- Do I own the domain, content, code, and access when we stop working together?
- Are basics like fast loading, clean headings, and redirects from the old site included?
FAQ
Ongoing costs cover hosting, the domain, any licenses, and upkeep. How much that comes to depends on whether you make changes yourself or someone handles updates and edits for you. Get those costs in writing before you sign, not with the first invoice.
Because every provider assumes a different scope as long as you do not set one. One expects finished copy, another writes it. One builds on a template, another designs from scratch. Give all of them the same description and the numbers become comparable.
Sometimes, yes. If you have the time, enjoy building, and a template fits your business, a builder is a reasonable start. A studio pays off when the site has to bring in enquiries, needs to show your brand properly, or you do not want to spend your evenings building it.
The contract decides that, so ask before you sign. With us, code, content, domain, and access belong to you from day one. If you want to move to another team later, you take everything with you.
Because a range without a scope confuses more than it helps. The same question can mean a simple five-page site or a multilingual site with booking. After a short conversation about your scope, we send you a clear offer before anything starts.
Mygenzy works with small and mid-sized businesses on processes, marketing, and AI. This article was created with the help of AI and reviewed by people.
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