What a small business website costs in 2026
Three routes, three price levels. Prices are USD, checked 2026-11-14.
| Route | Build cost | Ongoing cost |
|---|---|---|
| Build it yourself on a builder | Your time | About $4–$29 a month on a yearly plan (WordPress.com, Squarespace) |
| Agency using an AI builder | $500–$1,500 most often (33.5% of firms); under $500 for 23.7% (GoodFirms 2026) | Builder plan |
| Basic site by a web firm | $1,000–$3,000 (59.9% of firms) (GoodFirms 2026) | Builder or hosting plan, plus any help you buy |
| Mid-sized custom site | $5,000–$20,000 (53.9% of firms) (GoodFirms 2026) | Often a monthly retainer |
About the survey: GoodFirms asked 300+ web development companies across 31 countries what they charge (GoodFirms 2026). These are firms' typical quotes, not what owners ended up paying.
Hourly rates differ by country. GoodFirms puts web developers in the United States and Canada at $50–$100 an hour, and in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh at $10–$15 (same survey).
Website design for small business: what pushes the price up
The quote grows with the work, not the page count alone.
- Custom design instead of a template.
- Integrations: online booking, payments, a CRM, a patient or client portal.
- Rules your industry carries. GoodFirms' most common range for a healthcare website is $5,000–$50,000 (GoodFirms 2026). A clinic also has to set up tracking differently: see the HIPAA risk of tracking tags.
- Writing. Someone has to write every service page. If that's you, the price drops and the timeline grows.
Before you sign, get the scope in writing: number of pages, who writes the copy, how many revision rounds, and who owns the domain and site login when the contract ends.
Website maintenance cost for a small business
Upkeep is the platform plan, the domain renewal, and any help you pay for.
| Cost | What it runs (USD) |
|---|---|
| Squarespace plan | Basic $19/month on a yearly plan, $25 paid monthly; Core $29 yearly, $39 monthly (Squarespace) |
| WordPress.com plan | Personal $4/month yearly, $9 monthly; Business $25 yearly, $40 monthly, excluding taxes (WordPress.com) |
| Domain | Free the first year on Squarespace yearly plans, then renews "at our standard rate" (Squarespace) |
| Monthly help (retainer) | $500–$1,500 at 30% of firms; $1,500–$3,000 at 28% (GoodFirms 2026) |
GoodFirms says these retainer figures "often cover maintenance, content updates, and minor feature iteration rather than active builds" (GoodFirms 2026). Ask what the retainer includes each month in hours or tasks, not just "maintenance".
Is the average website cost the same in Canada?
For hiring, roughly yes: GoodFirms lists Canada at $50–$100 an hour, the same as the US (GoodFirms 2026). Builder prices above are the US prices. In Canada, check the price and sales tax at checkout before you compare.
Example
A house cleaner who builds it herself
Squarespace Core on a yearly plan: $29 × 12 = $348 a year, plus her own weekend of work. Domain free the first year.
A plumber who hires a freelancer
A 6-page template site for $2,500 USD, then $228 a year for a builder plan he runs himself. No retainer.
A dental office with booking and a patient form
A custom build for $12,000 USD and a $1,000-a-month retainer for updates. Year one: $24,000. Higher cost comes from the booking integration and from keeping patient data out of tracking tags.
Different for you?
- You have a site but it brings no calls: Website not getting leads.
- You need a page for ads, not a whole site: Landing page for Google Ads.
- Your agency holds your domain or login: Leaving your marketing agency.
- A clinic or health practice: Meta pixel and Google tags on a clinic website.
- A law firm: Law firm website advertising rules.
- You want the site built and kept up for you: Website Agent.