How Much Should a Website Cost in 2026?

A small business website in 2026 costs from about $200 a year for a do-it-yourself builder to $5,000–$15,000 for a traditional agency. Freelancers usually charge $2,000 to $7,600. The price mostly reflects who does the work and what keeps costing you after launch, not how good the site looks on day one.

This guide walks through each option, the costs that come after launch, and the questions that make two quotes comparable. The ranges come from published pricing guides, listed on our sources page.

What does a do-it-yourself website cost?

Builders like Wix and Squarespace cost about $200 to $1,400 a year, depending on the plan. That covers the software and hosting. It doesn't cover the hours you spend choosing a layout, writing every page and fixing it on a phone screen.

For a roofer or a salon owner already working long weeks, those hours have a cost even when the bill is small. The site also only gets updated when you find the time, which is usually never in your busiest season.

What does a freelancer charge for a website?

Most freelance quotes for a small business site fall between $2,000 and $7,600, and a typical build takes four to eight weeks. A good freelancer can be a great result.

The risk is that everything depends on one person. Ask who fixes the site if it breaks while they are on another job, and who holds the logins if they stop answering email.

What does a web design agency charge?

Traditional agencies usually quote $5,000 to $15,000 and four to eight weeks. You are paying for process: account managers, design rounds and project management.

That process earns its keep for a large business with many decision-makers. For a solo accountant or a two-person roofing crew, it is usually more structure than the job needs.

What ongoing costs should you budget for?

The build price is only part of it. Every website has three running costs, and quotes rarely put them side by side.

• The domain name. Typically $10 to $20 a year, paid to the company you registered it with.
• Hosting and upkeep: someone keeping the site online, renewing the security certificate and noticing when it goes down. Monthly subscription site builders charge about $50 to $150 a month for this.
• Changes after launch: new pages, new services, updated hours and prices.

Ask every company you compare what each of these costs. A low build price with an open-ended monthly fee can cost more over five years than a higher price you pay once.

What should the price include?

Whatever you spend, these are worth checking before you sign:

• The domain is registered in your name, not the builder's.
• The words are written about your business, not copied from a template.
• It works well on a phone, where most local searches start.
• It is set up so Google and AI assistants can read your services, hours and service area.
• You can get all your files if you leave.

That fourth point matters more each year. BrightLocal found that AI answers usually name only 2 to 4 businesses. And of the websites those tools cited as sources, 93% were business websites. We explain what that means in why being found in AI answers matters.

How do you compare two website quotes?

Put the same five questions to everyone:

1. What exactly is included, page by page?
2. Who writes the words?
3. What does it cost each month after launch, and what does that cover?
4. Who owns the domain and the files?
5. Can I see a version of my site before I pay?

The answers turn a confusing spread of prices into something you can line up. The last question tells you the most, because few companies can say yes.

Common questions

How GoVisible Web does it differently

We publish every price. A new site costs $1,497, $3,297 or $5,497, depending on how many pages and extras you need. Every plan includes 6 months of Site Care, then $89 a month. After launch, a new page is $497 and other changes are $147 an hour, quoted before we start. And you see your own site before you pay anything.

• You see your own site free in 48 hours, before you pay. No card and no obligation.
• We study five of your local competitors in your trade before we write a word.
• Every site is set up so Google, Bing and AI assistants like ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity and Grok can read your business details.
• Every page, fact and phone number is checked before you see it.
• Prices are published, from $1,497 to $5,497. Every plan includes 6 months of Site Care, then $89 a month.
• You own your domain, your words and your code. If you ever leave, every file is yours within 5 business days.

Free previews are available now, and full builds start in January 2027. See what each plan includes, or ask for your free preview.