Guide · Updated October 2026
What a website costs
Real numbers for 2026: what a small business website costs to build, what it costs every month after, and what moves the price up or down. Including my own published prices, so you have something concrete to compare.
Short answer
In 2026 a small business website costs anywhere from about $200 a year on a do-it-yourself builder to $10,000 or more for a custom build. At Chamberlin Design, custom sites run $4,000 to $6,000 for a small business and $6,000 to $10,000 for a growing one, plus $199 to $299 a month for hosting and care. The minimum project is $2,000.
Cost by type of site.
Upfront and monthly, side by side. Builder prices are for yearly billing.
| Option | Upfront | Monthly | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Do-it-yourself builder (Wix, Squarespace) | $0 plus your time | About $17 to $160 | A brand-new business testing an idea |
| Shopify store you set up | $0 plus your time | $29 to $299 for the Shopify plan | Selling products online on a budget |
| Small Business site, Chamberlin Design | $4,000 to $6,000 | $199 hosting and care | A business that needs leads, up to 8 pages |
| Growing Business site, Chamberlin Design | $6,000 to $10,000 | $199 to $299 | Booking, e-commerce, more pages, automations |
| Custom platform or web app | Quoted per project | Quoted | Member areas, portals, sign-up systems |
Builder prices from wix.com/plans, squarespace.com/pricing and shopify.com/pricing, yearly billing, checked October 1, 2026. Chamberlin Design prices from our pricing page.
Why quotes differ.
Two quotes for the same business can be thousands apart. These are the reasons.
Pages
A five-page site and a site with a page for every service and town are different projects. More pages means more writing, design and search setup.
Features
Quote forms are simple. Online booking, an address check, sign-ups, payments or a member area add real build time.
Content
If the words and photos are ready, the build is faster. If the designer writes the copy and sources photos, that is part of the price.
Custom or template
A template site re-skins a design many businesses already use. A custom site is designed and built for yours, which costs more and stands out more.
Integrations
Connecting a CRM, scheduling, billing or inventory system takes work on both ends.
Speed of delivery
Rush timelines are possible and are estimated once the project is scoped.
What it costs every month.
The build is a one-time cost. These keep the site running.
| Item | Typical cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Domain name | Usually $10 to $25 a year | Register it in your own name |
| Hosting | Included in our $199 plan | On a builder, it is part of the monthly plan |
| Edits and maintenance | Included in our plan, or $85 an hour | Our plan covers changes under 20 minutes, up to 10 a month |
| Business email | Billed per person by Google or Microsoft | Separate from the website and stays yours if you move |
| Apps and plugins | $0 to hundreds a month on builders | Custom sites build the feature in instead |
What a custom build did.
Two real projects and what they did for the business.
From the builder
I publish my prices because the first question every owner asks is what it costs, and it depends is not an answer. The ranges above are what my packages really cost. On the first call I will tell you which one fits, and you get a line-item proposal before you commit to anything.
Questions
How much does a website cost per month?
On a do-it-yourself builder, about $17 to $160 a month on yearly billing. For a custom site with hosting, monitoring and edits handled, ours is $199 a month for most sites and up to $299 for larger ones. You can also skip the monthly with an upfront build installed on your own hosting.
How much does a custom website cost for a small business?
At Chamberlin Design, $4,000 to $6,000 for a small business site up to 8 pages, and $6,000 to $10,000 for larger sites with booking, e-commerce or automations. The minimum project is $2,000.
Is a cheap website worth it?
It can be, for a brand-new business that needs a simple page while it figures things out. Once the site has a job to do, like bringing in leads, taking bookings or ranking on Google, a custom build usually pays for itself.
Why does a custom website cost more than Wix?
With Wix or Squarespace you are paying for software and doing the work yourself. With a custom site you are paying for someone to design, write, build, set up search and maintain a site made for your business. The monthly plan also covers your edits.
How much does a website redesign cost?
Most redesigns fit the Small Business package at $4,000 to $6,000. Larger sites run $6,000 to $10,000. Every old URL is redirected so you keep your search history.
Are there hidden costs?
Every project gets a line-item proposal before anything is committed. Outside the plan, changes over 20 minutes or past 10 revisions in a month are $85 an hour with a $50 minimum.