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How much does a small business website cost in 2026?
What a small business website costs in 2026: DIY builders, freelancers and agencies, plus domains, hosting, maintenance and hidden costs, with sources.
A small business website can cost under $500 or more than $10,000. The difference is who builds it, what it needs to do and what you pay each year to keep it running. Here are the ranges from two 2026 guides, and a way to budget.
Key takeaways
Forbes Advisor puts a DIY builder site at $0 to $450 to build, and professional design at $1,500 and up.
GoDaddy lists hired design from $499, and ecommerce sites from $5,000.
Ongoing costs include hosting, domain, maintenance and any apps, and they come every year.
Ask for the first-year and ongoing cost separately, in writing.
How much does a small business website cost?
From almost nothing on a builder to $1,500 or more for professional design. Scope and ongoing costs decide the total.
Forbes Advisor's website cost guide, updated in September 2026, gives $0 to $450 for a DIY builder build, "$1,500 and up" for professional design, and quotes from a few hundred dollars to tens of thousands.
GoDaddy's 2026 guide, published in February, lists hired design from $499, a small business site at around $640 or more one-time, small-to-medium ecommerce from $5,000 and large bespoke sites from $15,000.
The ranges overlap because "a website" means very different things. A five-page brochure site is not a store with hundreds of products.
Typical build costs, 2026 guides
| Metric | Typical cost | Source |
|---|---|---|
| DIY builder | $0 to $450 | Forbes Advisor, Sept 2026 |
| Hired design, small business | $640 or more | GoDaddy, Feb 2026 |
| Professional design | $1,500 and up | Forbes Advisor, Sept 2026 |
| Small-medium ecommerce | $5,000 or more | GoDaddy, Feb 2026 |
| Large bespoke site | $15,000 or more | GoDaddy, Feb 2026 |
What are the ongoing costs of a website?
Domain, hosting, maintenance and apps come every year, whoever built the site.
Forbes Advisor lists domain registration at $10 to $35 a year, hosting and apps at $15 to $150 a month, maintenance at $20 to $100 a year and ecommerce at about $15 to $30 a month plus payment fees. A basic SSL certificate is often free, and paid ones run from about $9 to $265 a year.
GoDaddy puts website builder plans at $9.99 to $20.99 or more a month and notes maintenance of up to $500 a year or more for larger sites.
Add them up for year one and year two, because the second year has no build cost.
The build is the start. The site costs money every year.
DIY, freelancer or agency: which is right?
DIY costs the least cash but the most time. A freelancer sits in the middle. An agency brings a team and a higher bill.
- DIY on a builder. Cheapest in cash, but you do the writing, photos and set-up. Good for simple sites. See our Wix vs Squarespace comparison if you are choosing.
- Freelancer. Often a custom or template-based build with more care than DIY. Quality varies, so check examples.
- Agency. Strategy, design, development and content from a team. It costs more, and suits sites that need to win customers rather than just exist.
Neither guide splits freelancer and agency prices cleanly, so ask each provider for itemized quotes.
What affects the price of a website?
Pages, features, content, design and who does the work are the main drivers.
Forbes Advisor notes that graphics can cost about $50 for one professional image and thousands for a full day of product photography. Templates range from free to over $1,000.
Content is the item people forget. A site is only as good as its words and photos, and writing them takes time or money. GoDaddy lists content at $0.35 per word, a useful number to remember when someone quotes "unlimited pages".
How much does an ecommerce website cost?
Expect higher costs: a platform plan, payment fees and more design and setup. Hired builds start around $5,000, per GoDaddy.
Stores need product pages, payments, shipping settings and policies, which adds time and fees. On a builder you pay a monthly plan and a card fee on each sale. Our Squarespace and Wix comparison lists the fees on two popular platforms.
If you expect hundreds of products, a dedicated ecommerce platform or custom build may suit you.
What hidden costs should you plan for?
Content, photos, email, tools, redesigns and marketing are the usual surprises.
A website is not a one-off purchase. Business email, plugins and booking tools can add $1 to $26 per user a month, per Forbes Advisor's email pricing.
The biggest hidden cost is getting visitors. A new site does not bring customers on its own. Budget for search optimization, local listings or ads. Our SEO and AI search service covers that side.
How to get an accurate website quote
Write a brief, ask for itemized quotes and compare scope as well as price.
- Write a one-page brief. Your business, audience, pages, features and examples of sites you like.
- Ask for itemized quotes. Design, development, content, photos, training and support as separate lines.
- Ask what is not included. Copy, photos, hosting and changes after launch often are not.
- Ask who owns the site. You should own the domain and content.
- Check ongoing costs. Ask for the yearly cost after launch.
If you would like a quote, see our website design and development service.
A sensible way to budget
Decide what the site must do
List pages and features. A simple brochure site costs far less than a store.
Add year-one and ongoing costs
Build, domain, hosting, apps and maintenance, then repeat without the build.
Reserve money for visitors
Plan for listings, SEO or ads so the site actually brings enquiries.
Want help with this? Let's talk it through.
Book an intro call. We'll look at where you are and tell you plainly what we'd do.
Written by
Mohsin Rashid
Founder
Mohsin is a product designer who has worked where brand meets product since 2020. Before founding Clarieo in 2025, he was Lead Product Designer on contract for Novum Built World, and spent years as a freelance designer and developer for founders around the world.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a small business website cost?
Forbes Advisor gives $0 to $450 for a DIY builder site and $1,500 and up for professional design. GoDaddy lists hired design from $499. Ecommerce and custom sites cost more.
How much does it cost to build a website yourself?
Forbes Advisor puts a DIY builder site at $0 to $450 for the build. Add a domain, hosting and any apps for the yearly total.
How much does a website cost per month?
Hosting and apps run $15 to $150 a month per Forbes Advisor. GoDaddy lists builder plans at $9.99 to $20.99 or more a month.
How much does a domain name cost?
Forbes Advisor gives $10 to $35 a year. Prices vary by extension and registrar, and renewals can cost more than the first year.
How much does website maintenance cost?
Forbes Advisor gives $20 to $100 a year for simple sites. GoDaddy says up to $500 a year or more, depending on complexity.
How much does an ecommerce website cost?
On a builder, about $15 to $30 a month plus payment fees per Forbes Advisor. A hired build starts around $5,000 per GoDaddy.
Is it worth paying for a professional website?
It can be, if the site needs to win customers and you lack the time or skills to build it. A simple brochure site can do well on a builder.
What should be in a website quote?
Design, development, content, photos, hosting, training and support as separate lines, plus the yearly cost after launch and who owns the site.
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Thirty minutes to talk through your goals and see if we're the right fit.
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