Short answer: anywhere from about $200 a year if you build it yourself, to $1,500–$5,000 with a freelancer, to $5,000–$15,000 or more with an agency. What matters more than the price tag is what you get for it, and what you'll keep paying every year.
If you run a salon, a bakery, a cleaning business or a dog-training business in New Jersey, you've probably had quotes that seem to come from different planets. This guide puts them side by side, in plain English, with 2026 prices.
The four ways to get a website
1. Build it yourself with Wix or Squarespace
Website builders charge roughly $17 to $40 a month on annual billing for the plans most small businesses use, plus a domain. The price is low, but the real cost is your time: choosing a template, writing every page, sizing photos and figuring out why it looks different on a phone. Many owners start, get halfway, and end up with a site that says "Coming soon" for two years.
One more thing to know: your site lives inside their platform. Moving it elsewhere later is hard. Wix in particular doesn't really let you export your pages, so leaving usually means starting over.
2. Hire a freelancer
A freelance web designer typically charges $1,500 to $5,000 for a small business site of five to ten pages. You get a real person and a custom result. The risks are availability (what happens when they move on?) and the extras: hosting, updates and "small changes" are often billed separately once the site is done.
3. Hire an agency
Agencies usually start around $5,000 and go to $15,000 or more, often with a monthly retainer for maintenance. That makes sense for a multi-location business or an online store. For a single salon or a one-person cleaning business, it's usually more than you need.
4. A monthly website plan
Another option for local businesses: no big upfront bill, a custom site built for you, and hosting plus small updates included for a fixed monthly price. Prices vary a lot, from under $100 to several hundred dollars a month, so check exactly what's included, how long you're committed for, and whether you own the site and the domain at the end.
Side-by-side comparison
| Option | Upfront | Every year after | Who does the work |
|---|---|---|---|
| DIY builder | $0 | ~$200–$480 + domain | You |
| Freelancer | $1,500–$5,000 | Hosting + any changes | Them, then you |
| Agency | $5,000–$15,000+ | Often a retainer | Them |
| Monthly plan | Usually $0 | The monthly fee | Them |
Typical 2026 ranges from published pricing guides and builder price lists. Your quote will depend on pages, features and who you hire.
The yearly costs nobody mentions
Whichever way you go, a website has running costs. Ask about each of these before you sign:
- Domain name: about $10–$20 a year. Make sure it's registered in your name, not the designer's. If they own it, they own your address on the internet.
- Hosting: roughly $10–$30 a month for typical small business hosting, unless it's included.
- Changes: new prices, new photos, holiday hours. Some designers charge per change, some include a few each month.
- Business email: an address like hello@yourbusiness.com is usually a separate, small monthly cost.
- Booking or payments: online booking tools and payment processing often have their own fees.
What a local business actually needs
A local business website doesn't need twenty pages. It needs to answer, in seconds, the questions every customer has:
- What do you do, and where? "Mobile dog grooming in Morris County" beats "Welcome to our website".
- How much does it cost? Even "from $45" builds trust and saves you phone calls.
- Can I trust you? Real reviews, real photos of your work, your license or insurance if it applies.
- How do I book or contact you? One clear button, a phone number you can tap, and a form that actually reaches you.
- Does it work on a phone? Many of your customers will look you up on their phone, often while they're out and about.
Get those five right, make it load fast, and connect it to your Google Business Profile, and you have a website that brings in customers. That's what we build at Oddie Studio: see some examples for salons, bakeries, dog trainers and cleaners.
Red flags in a website quote
- The designer registers the domain in their own name.
- You can't take the website with you if you leave.
- No price on the page for changes after launch.
- A long contract with no clear way out, or a big penalty to leave.
- Promises of "page one of Google guaranteed". Nobody can guarantee that, and Google says so itself.
Questions
How much should a small business pay for a website?
For a typical local business site of five to ten pages, expect about $1,500–$5,000 with a freelancer, $5,000–$15,000+ with an agency, or a monthly plan with little or nothing upfront. Building it yourself costs less in money but much more in time.
Is it cheaper to build my own website?
In cash, yes: builders like Wix and Squarespace cost roughly $17–$40 a month. But you do all the work, and moving your site to another platform later is difficult.
What are the yearly costs of a website?
A domain (about $10–$20 a year), hosting (often $10–$30 a month unless included), any changes you need, and extras like business email or online booking.
Should the domain be in my name?
Always. Your domain is your address online. If someone else registers it, you may lose it, and your customers with it, if you part ways.