How Much Should a Small Business Website Cost in 2025?

Website costs range from $500 to $25,000. Here's what you're really paying for, the hidden fees, and which pricing model actually makes sense for your business.

The 4 Website Pricing Models (and What They REALLY Cost)

1. DIY Website Builders (Wix, Squarespace, GoDaddy)

Upfront Cost: $0–$300/year
Monthly: $16–$50/month
Total Year 1: $200–$900

What you get:

• Drag-and-drop templates
• Hosting included
• No developer needed
• You do all the work

The catch:

You're not just paying $16/month.

You're paying with your time.

A "simple" website takes 20–40 hours if you've never done it.

And when it's done? It looks like… every other Wix template.

Then comes the maintenance:

• Updates break things
• Plugins glitch
• Mobile looks weird
• Support = a chatbot that doesn't understand

Real cost: $500/year + 40 hours of your time + a site that screams "DIY."

Best for: Hobbies, side projects, early experiments.

2. Freelance Web Designer

Upfront Cost: $1,500–$5,000
Monthly: $0 (you own it)
Total Year 1: $1,500–$5,000

What you get:

• Custom design
• Professional look
• One-time payment

The catch:

"You own the website" means you own the problems.

• Hosting ($10–$50/month)? Your responsibility.
• Domain renewals? Don't forget.
• SSL? Hope it auto-renews.
• Updates and fixes? You're on your own.
• Need a change? That's another invoice.
• Need urgent support? Good luck — they're busy.

That $3,000 website quickly becomes:

$3,000 + $600 hosting + $200–$800 in fixes + your weekend troubleshooting.

Real cost: ~$3,500 Year 1 + headaches.
Best for: Businesses with in-house technical staff.

3. Web Design Agency

Upfront Cost: $5,000–$25,000
Maintenance Retainer: $0–$500/month
Total Year 1: $5,000–$30,000+

What you get:

• A full team (designer, dev, PM)
• Strategy and branding
• A highly polished result

The catch:

Agencies charge agency prices because of agency overhead.

A $15,000 website might include $5,000 of real production and $10,000 of overhead.

Once the project ends? You're back to owning problems — unless you pay the retainer.

Real cost: $10,000+ upfront + $3,000–$6,000/year maintenance.
Best for: Funded startups, businesses with bigger budgets.

4. Website-as-a-Service (WaaS)

Setup: $497–$997
Monthly: $212–$349
Total Year 1: $3,041–$5,185

What you get:

• Custom design
• Hosting included
• Maintenance included
• Security included
• Ongoing support
• Someone else owns the problems
• You own the site after the contract
• Month-to-month after term
• No hostage situations

The model:

• You pay a small setup fee.
• We build your site.
• We maintain it during a 12–24 month term.

After that:

• Keep us on → month-to-month
• Or take ownership → we hand over all files and code
• Or move to another provider → your choice

Real cost: $3,000–$5,000/year + zero headaches.
Best for: Business owners who want pro management now and full ownership later.

The Hidden Website Costs Nobody Warns You About

When someone quotes you a $3,000 website, here's what they're not including:

• Hosting: $120–$600/year
• Domain: $12–$50/year
• SSL certificate: $0–$200/year
• Email (Google Workspace): $72–$144/year per user
• Plugins and tools: $200–$1,000/year
• Updates & maintenance: $500–$2,000/year
• Emergency fixes: $200–$1,000/year

Do the math:

A $3,000 website really costs $4,500–$7,000 in Year 1.
And $1,500–$4,000 every year after.

What You're ACTUALLY Paying For

A website isn't just code.

You're paying for:

• Strategy
• UX + design
• Copywriting
• Performance optimization
• Mobile responsiveness
• SEO setup
• Security
• Hosting quality
• Reliability
• Ongoing fixes

Cheap websites skip these.
Expensive websites charge premium prices for them.
WaaS gives you all of them without the premium price tag.

The 5-Year Math (This Is Where Minds Change)

Traditional Ownership (5 years)

• Initial build: $3,500
• Hosting: $1,800
• Maintenance & fixes: $4,000
• Redesign at year 3: $2,500
• Your time: 50+ hours
• Total: $11,800 + your time

Website-as-a-Service (5 years)

Option 1 — Keep service all 5 years:
Total: ~$18,817
(Zero time spent → zero stress → premium convenience)

Option 2 — Own it after contract and self-manage:
Setup ($997) + 24 months × $297 = $8,125
Total: $8,125 + full ownership

The difference is simple: You get professional support when you need it most — during launch and early growth.

What Should YOU Pay?

There's no universal right choice — only the right choice for your situation.

Red Flags When Shopping for a Website

Run away if you hear:

• "We can finish in a week."
• "We just need your content."
• "It's only $500."
• "$50k minimum project."
• "We'll figure out details later."
• "You'll own everything" (but no support plan).
• "You can never leave."

Smart Questions to Ask

• What exactly is included?
• What's not included?
• What happens when something breaks?
• How long until I need a redesign?
• Can I see similar projects?
• What's my total cost for Year 1, 2, and 5?
• What happens if I leave?
• Do I own my site at the end?

The Bottom Line

A website is either:

• an asset that makes money, or
• a liability that drains money.

The difference isn't the upfront price.

It's whether you're paying for a product you maintain forever — or a service that someone else manages until you're ready to take over.

If you love tinkering with tech? Own it.
If you want to run your business? Subscribe, then own it later.

Do the real math.
Factor in your time.
Then decide.