What each way of building a website costs
| Route | Typical price | What you get | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Website builder you run yourself | Wix: $17.77 to $159.77 a month on yearly billing. WebFX: $17 to $500+ a month | Templates and hosting in one plan. You write, build and update everything | Owners with time to build and keep it current |
| Freelancer | $500 to $10,000+ (WebFX) | A custom design. Quality, speed and support depend on one person | Simple sites with a clear brief |
| Agency | $3,000 to $30,000+ (WebFX) | Strategy, design, copy, development and testing from a team | Large sites, online stores, complex systems |
| Rankure, local business | $499 for one page; from $1,499 for up to 5 pages | Fixed price in writing, phone and speed testing, call tracking, redirect map when replacing a site, 30 days of fixes after launch | Service businesses that need calls more than a big build |
| Rankure, practices | $1,499 for one page; from $2,999 for up to 5 pages | Adds secure forms with a signed business associate agreement where patient data is collected, and WCAG 2.1 AA accessibility testing | Medical, dental, legal and financial practices |
Builder prices from the Wix premium plans page, read 11 November 2026, in US dollars on yearly billing. Freelancer and agency ranges from the WebFX website cost guide, updated May 2026. Rankure prices are published on our website design page.
What pushes the price up or down
The number of pages is the first driver. A plumber with one service area can win calls from a single, well-built page, while a contractor with six services and four towns usually needs a page for each, because each one answers a different search.
The second driver is who writes the words. A build where you supply finished text costs less than one where the designer interviews you and writes every page. Third come features: online booking, payments, a quote calculator or a connection to your CRM all add development and testing time.
Regulated businesses pay for extra work that a general site does not need. A dental or medical practice that collects patient details needs secure forms and a signed business associate agreement, and every practice site should be tested against accessibility standards. Replacing an existing site also adds work: every old address that Google knows about needs a redirect to its new page, or the rankings it earned are lost.
Running costs to budget for after launch
Hosting
WebFX puts hosting at $2 to $1,000 a month. A brochure site for a local business sits near the bottom of that range. With Rankure, hosting is billed by the provider directly, in your name, so you are never locked in.
Domain name
A yearly renewal with your registrar. Keep it in your own name and your own account, never in the account of whoever built the site.
Updates and fixes
WebFX gives maintenance costs from $5 to $5,000 a month, depending on how much changes. Ask what is included after launch. Rankure includes 30 days of fixes after every launch.
Getting found
A website does not bring calls on its own. Ranking in Google Maps and local search is separate, optional work. Rankure's local SEO plans start at $599 a month.
How to get a quote you can trust
List the pages you need
Write down every service and every town you want customers to find you for. That list sets the page count, which sets most of the price.
Write down what the site must do
Calls, quote requests, bookings or payments. Each one is a feature that should appear in the quote by name.
Ask for a fixed price in writing
The quote should list the pages, the features, who writes the content, the timeline and what happens after launch. A price that can move later is not a price.
Confirm you will own everything
Domain, hosting, content, images and analytics should all sit in accounts you control.
If you are replacing a site, ask for the redirect plan
Ask how every old page will be sent to its new address. See how to redesign without losing rankings.
When a one-page site is enough, and when it is not
One page works when you offer one main service in one area and most customers call after a quick look: a locksmith, a mobile mechanic or a cleaner covering one town. The page needs your service, your area, proof, prices or a clear next step, and a phone number that works with one tap.
Choose up to five pages when people search for different services by name, when you serve several towns, or when buyers compare you on detail before they call, as they do for remodeling, HVAC replacement or a dental practice. Each extra page should answer a search your customers actually make. A page that answers nothing new only adds cost.
Questions people also ask
Is a $500 website worth it for a small business?
How long does a small business website take to build?
Do I have to pay monthly for a website?
Is Wix or Squarespace good enough for a small business?
Who should own my website and domain?
Sources
- How Much Does a Website Cost in 2026? (WebFX) read 2026-11-11
- Wix Premium Plans read 2026-11-11
Facts and prices checked . Next review February 2027.