How much does a small business website cost in 2026?

Website prices vary widely because three different kinds of service are sold under the same name. A DIY website builder is a monthly subscription, and you do the work yourself. A freelancer charges an hourly rate for as long as the project takes. An agency charges for a team, a formal process, and its overhead.

This is why one business owner may be quoted $500 and another $25,000 for a similar five-page site. Most of the difference comes from how the work is delivered, not from the website itself.

Starter (live in 3 business days) is a one-page, mobile-friendly site with a contact form. It is the quickest way to establish a professional presence online. Launch (live in 5 business days) includes up to 5 pages, mobile-responsive design, a contact form, basic on-page SEO, one round of revisions, and SSL. It suits service businesses that want to look professional and get more calls.

Growth (live in 10 business days) adds custom design, up to 10 pages, a blog or CMS you can edit yourself, schema markup and a sitemap, two revision rounds, and Google Business Profile setup. This package is designed for businesses that want to rank in local search.

Commerce (live in 15 to 20 business days) is a full online store with up to 50 products, payments, shipping, inventory management, a staff training session, and 30 days of post-launch support.

After launch, the ongoing costs are hosting and, if you choose, a care plan to keep the site maintained. Our website hosting includes SSL, daily backups, and uptime monitoring. Website Care covers security updates, small content edits, and performance checks. Both are fixed monthly prices on 12-month plans, both are optional, and both are in our instant quote. You own the code and can host it anywhere.

Website builders often raise prices at renewal and charge extra for online stores and email. You also spend your own time on every change.

Much of an agency's price pays for meetings, presentations, account management, and rounds of approvals. Those steps do not bring in more customers. A small business website needs to load quickly, look trustworthy on a phone, explain what you do, and make it easy to call or book. These are well-understood requirements that do not take months to deliver.

Ownership also matters. If your site is hosted on an agency's server or a builder's platform, you are effectively renting it. With Holston AI, the code, domain, and accounts belong to you from launch day.