Pricing guide · Small business
What a small business website actually costs in 2026
Quotes range from $150 to $15,000 for what sounds like the same site. Here are honest bands by site type, what moves you within a band, and the red flags that predict a bad project.
Price bands by site type
| Site type | Typical range | Timeline |
|---|---|---|
| One-page / landing site | $300–$1,000 | Days |
| WordPress business site (5–15 pages) | $800–$3,000 | 1–3 weeks |
| Small online store (WooCommerce/Shopify) | $1,500–$6,000 | 2–6 weeks |
| Speed + SEO fix on an existing site | $200–$1,200 | Days |
| AI chatbot / enquiry automation add-on | $300–$1,500 setup | Days |
Ranges assume a solo specialist or small studio. Big agencies charge 2–5× for process overhead — worth it for complex builds, wasteful for a brochure site.
What moves you up or down a band
- Content readiness. The #1 cost driver. Ready text + photos keeps you at the floor; "we'll figure out content later" doubles timelines.
- Page count and templates — not pages, unique layouts. Ten pages on two templates cost little more than five.
- Speed and SEO setup. Core Web Vitals pass, title/meta overhaul, schema, analytics — half a day to two days of skilled work.
- Integrations. Booking, payments, CRM, WhatsApp/Telegram routing: each is a small project of its own.
- Revisions structure. Two fixed revision rounds beat "unlimited revisions" that never ship.
Red flags in a quote
- No itemized scope — just "website: $X".
- No performance target and no measurement plan.
- "Unlimited revisions" with no timeline (means: never finishes).
- A price far below market with no explanation of what is excluded (hosting? content? SEO? ownership?).
- You don't own the domain, hosting, or admin accounts afterward.
How to buy well on a small budget
- Start with the smallest site that can take enquiries: services, proof, contact.
- Put savings into speed + titles + one conversion path — not animations.
- Add store, chatbot, or blog after the base converts. Sequence beats scope.
FAQ
How much does a small business website cost in 2026?
Brochure sites $300–$1,000, WordPress business sites $800–$3,000, small stores $1,500–$6,000. Speed/SEO setup and AI add-ons move you within or above those bands.
How long does it take?
Simple sites ship in days, business sites in 1–3 weeks, small stores in 2–6 weeks. Content delays cause most overruns.
Why do quotes vary so much?
Different scopes hiding under the word "website": templates, content, speed targets, SEO, integrations, revisions. Compare itemized scopes, not headline prices.
Want a fixed quote in one message?
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