How much does a website cost for a small business?

If you've started researching this, you've probably noticed the answer swings wildly — anywhere from $200 a year to $10,000 upfront. That's because "a website" isn't one product. It's several different products that happen to share a name. Here's what each route actually costs, and what you're paying for at each price point.

DIY builders (Wix, Squarespace, GoDaddy)

Sticker price: roughly $200–$400 a year for hosting and a plan tier. That's the cheapest number you'll see quoted anywhere — but it doesn't include your own time. You're the one designing it, writing the copy, choosing a template, and troubleshooting when something looks wrong on mobile. For a business owner already stretched thin, that "free" labor is the real cost.

Local agencies

Typical range: $2,500–$4,500 for the initial build, sometimes more, often with an ongoing retainer for changes afterward. You get a real design process and a person managing it, but timelines commonly run 4–8 weeks, and you're usually the one following up to keep things moving.

Bundled marketing platforms (GoSite and similar)

These combine a website with CRM tools, review management, and other software — priced around $3,000–$3,600 a year, billed monthly. You're paying for the bundle whether you use all of it or not, which is worth knowing if you only actually need the website part.

Flat-rate, done-for-you services

This is where a service like Local Ready sits: $495 a year, flat, covering the domain, hosting, SSL, the build itself, and a couple of content updates. No design meetings, no software to learn — you approve a preview and it goes live, typically within about a week.