---
title: "How much does a small business website cost? (2026)"
description: "What a small business website costs in 2026: building it yourself, a freelancer, an agency, or a fixed price from $499, plus the yearly running costs."
url: "https://ciderwebsites.com/guides/small-business-website-cost"
---

Guide

# How much does a small business website cost in 2026?

By the Cider Websites team · Updated October 11, 2026 · 6 min read

## The short answer

Most small business websites cost between a few hundred and a few thousand dollars to build, plus about $10 to $30 a year for the domain and a monthly or yearly fee for hosting. Building it yourself on a website builder is cheapest in cash but costs your time; freelancers and agencies charge more for doing the work. With Cider Websites, the build is a fixed one-time fee of $499 to $2,000, depending on how many pages you need, and you pay it only after you've seen and approved a free first draft.

## What you're actually paying for

Every website has the same handful of costs, whoever builds it. Knowing them makes quotes easy to compare.

- **Design and build** (once): the pages, the layout, making it work on phones, and putting your words and photos in. This is most of the price.
- **The domain** (every year): your address, like yourbusiness.com. A .com usually costs about $10 to $30 a year.
- **Hosting** (every month or year): the server that keeps the site online. On a website builder it's part of the plan; with a designer or an agency it's often a care or maintenance plan.
- **Changes and upkeep** (as you go): new photos, prices, hours, a new page. Some plans include a few small edits; otherwise they're billed by the hour or the job.
- **Extras** (once, if you need them): a logo, copywriting (often an extra, sometimes included), professional photos, booking or ordering systems.

## What each way of getting a website costs

These are typical US prices for a site of about five to fifteen pages in 2026. They vary a lot by provider and by what's included, so read every quote for what it leaves out.

| Option | Up front | Ongoing | Who does the work |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Website builder, on your own | $0 beyond the plan | Usually about $15 to $50 a month for a business plan, plus the domain | You do: the design, the words, the photos and every change |
| Freelance designer | Often a few hundred to several thousand dollars | Hosting and changes, priced by each freelancer | They do, at a pace that depends on one person's schedule |
| Website subscription service | Often little or nothing | Often a hundred dollars or more a month, for as long as you keep the site | They do; you usually can't take the site with you |
| Web design agency | Often several thousand to tens of thousands of dollars | Usually a monthly retainer for hosting and care | They do, after a discovery phase and rounds of meetings |
| Cider Websites | Fixed: $499, $999, $2,000, or a custom quote | Optional care plan: $49 a month or $490 a year, hosting and the domain included | We do, from a five-minute brief; you see a free first draft before you pay |

### The cheapest option isn't always the cheapest

A website builder costs the least in cash, but you pay in hours: most owners spend several evenings or weekends on a first version, and the result often looks like a template. A subscription service looks cheap up front, but the monthly fee runs for as long as you have the site, and over a few years it can cost more than a site you own outright.

## What a website costs with Cider Websites

Our prices are fixed and published, and you choose by how many pages your site needs. Every launch includes a free first draft, a design that works on phones, search-ready page titles and descriptions, and the launch on your own domain. We write the words for every page, on every launch.

| Launch | Pages | Changes before launch | Price (one time) |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Website launch | Up to 5 pages | 5 rounds of changes | $499 |
| Pro launch | Up to 15 pages | Unlimited rounds of changes | $999 |
| Signature launch | Up to 30 pages | Unlimited rounds of changes | $2,000 |

After launch, the optional care plan ($49 a month, or $490 a year) keeps the site hosted, registers and renews your domain, and includes small edits and support; without it, we give you the site's files to host yourself. Monthly add-ons: SEO & AEO care ($249 a month), Fresh content ($149 a month), Google Business Profile ($49 a month), Extra edits ($39 a month). Every price is on [our pricing page](https://ciderwebsites.com/pricing).

## Three example budgets

Worked examples for the first year, with the care plan paid yearly. Your own total depends on the pages and extras you choose.

| Business | What they chose | First year | Each year after |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| A café or bakery with five pages | Website launch and the yearly care plan | $989 | $490 a year |
| A plumbing company with twelve pages and a logo | Pro launch, logo design, yearly care | $1,638 | $490 a year |
| A law firm with twenty-five pages and written copy | Signature launch (a logo included), yearly care | $2,490 | $490 a year |

Add-ons like SEO & AEO care are billed monthly on top of the care plan, and you can drop them at any time.

## What makes a website cost more

- **More pages.** Each service, location or product range that needs its own page adds design and writing time.
- **Writing the words.** Many designers charge extra to write the copy, or include it only in bigger packages. We write the words for every page, on every launch.
- **A logo or brand.** A new logo costs extra; one you already have costs nothing.
- **Special features.** Members' areas, custom calculators or complex integrations take scoping. Linking your existing booking, ordering or review pages doesn't.
- **Speed.** A first draft in days rather than weeks usually costs more.
- **Several locations or brands.** Each needs its own pages, details and sometimes its own look.

## How to keep the cost down

- Start with the pages you need now: home, services, about and contact cover most businesses. You can add pages later.
- Gather your photos, logo and a few sentences about what you do before you start.
- Link the tools you already use for booking, ordering and reviews instead of paying for new ones to be built.
- Use a domain you already own, or one included in a care plan.
- Pay for hosting yearly rather than monthly when it's cheaper.

## Costs to ask about before you sign

- What does it cost to renew each year: the domain, the hosting, the plan?
- How many rounds of changes are included, and what does another one cost?
- Do you own the site and its files when you've paid, and can you leave with them?
- Is there a commission or fee on bookings or orders made through the site?
- What does it cost to cancel, and how much notice do you need to give?

If a quote doesn't answer these, ask before you commit. Ours are answered on [the pricing page](https://ciderwebsites.com/pricing) and in [our terms](https://ciderwebsites.com/terms).

## Questions people ask

**Is $500 enough for a small business website?**

Yes, for a focused site of up to 5 pages: our Website launch is $499, designed and built for you, with 5 rounds of changes. Bigger sites or a logo cost more. To keep it online with us, add the care plan ($490 a year), with hosting and the domain included.

**How much does a website cost per year to run?**

Usually the domain (about $10 to $30 a year) plus hosting and any care plan. With us, the care plan is $490 a year and includes hosting, the domain, small edits and support.

**Are there ongoing costs after the build?**

Yes, at least the domain and hosting, whoever builds the site, plus any changes you pay for. With us, the build is a one-time fee; to keep the site online with us, you add the optional care plan, or you take the files and host them yourself. [Do you have to pay monthly for a website?](https://ciderwebsites.com/guides/do-you-have-to-pay-monthly-for-a-website) goes into the details.

**Is a website builder cheaper than hiring someone?**

In cash, usually yes. In time, rarely: you do the design, writing and every change yourself. [Website builder or web designer?](https://ciderwebsites.com/guides/website-builder-vs-web-designer) compares the two.

**How much does a website redesign cost?**

About the same as a new site of the same size, since most redesigns rebuild the pages. With us, a redesign uses the same fixed launch prices, from $499, and you keep your domain.

## Read next

- [Do you have to pay monthly for a website? What you must pay to keep a website online, what monthly website fees really buy, who owns your site, and how to own it outright with a one-time build.](https://ciderwebsites.com/guides/do-you-have-to-pay-monthly-for-a-website)
- [How many pages does a small business website need? Most small business websites need 5 to 15 pages, larger firms more. How many yours needs, typical page sets for cafés, trades and firms, and how to plan.](https://ciderwebsites.com/guides/how-many-pages-does-a-website-need)
- [Website builder vs web designer: which should you choose? Website builder or web designer? A comparison of cost, time, design, upkeep and ownership, when doing it yourself makes sense, and when to hire help.](https://ciderwebsites.com/guides/website-builder-vs-web-designer)
- [Pricing Website design packages at fixed prices: $499, $999, $2,000 or a custom quote, plus an optional care plan with hosting. You pay only when you launch.](https://ciderwebsites.com/pricing)

## Want it done for you? The first draft is free

Tell us about your business and we'll do the rest. Questions first? Email [hello@ciderwebsites.com](mailto:hello@ciderwebsites.com).

[Start your site](https://ciderwebsites.com/start)

You pay only when you launch.