How much a website costs
A website for a service business costs between $0 and $10,000 depending on who builds it. Do-it-yourself platforms run $16 to $50 a month forever; a freelancer charges $500 to $2,500; a local agency asks $2,500 to $10,000 plus a monthly fee. We charge $400 one time, no monthly fee. Separate from the price there's one cost you can't avoid: the domain, about $12 a year, which should always be in your name.
Updated 2026-08-15
Market pricing, compared
| Who builds it | What they charge | Monthly | How long |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yourself on a platform | $0 up front | $16 to $50 a month, forever | Your weekends |
| A friend who knows how | $0 to $300 | None | Whenever he can |
| Freelancer | $500 to $2,500 | Sometimes | 2 to 6 weeks |
| Local agency | $2,500 to $10,000 | $100 to $500 a month | 1 to 3 months |
| Marketing agency | $3,000 and up | $500 to $2,000 a month | 2 to 4 months |
| Esel Solutions | $400 once | None | 72 hours from approval |
The column to look at isn't the second one, it's the third. A $2,500 site with $200 a month costs $4,900 the first year and $2,400 every year after, forever. That's where most small businesses lose the money.
Where the money actually goes
A service business page is four to eight hours of real work: writing the copy in the words of your trade, prepping your photos, building it, publishing it. What runs the price up at an agency isn't that part, it's everything around it.
- The salesperson who sold the project and takes a commission.
- The account manager sending you follow-up emails.
- The designer making three concepts so you can pick one.
- The developer building what the designer drew.
- The office, the software, and the margin on top of all of it.
None of that makes your phone ring more. That's why we build the page ourselves, without subcontracting and without salespeople in between, and why the number is $400.
The cost you can't avoid: the domain
The domain is about $12 a year and it gets paid forever, whoever builds the site. The only rule that matters is that it's in your name, bought with your email and your card.
If the domain is in the agency's name, the day you want to leave you can't take your address with you. It's the most common way to get stuck, and it's avoided by buying it yourself in twenty minutes.
Hosting is included in what we charge, with no separate fee. Whoever you hire, always ask two things: whose name the domain is in, and what happens if you ever want to leave.
What it should include for what you pay
- Your phone at the top and visible down the whole page, one thumb to dial.
- Your trade and your cities written the way people type them, not the way a brochure would say it.
- Your services one by one, because each is its own search.
- Your work in photos, even phone photos.
- Fast loading on mobile data, which is how nearly everyone will see it.
- The domain in your name and hosting included.
If you're offered a $3,000 site without those six, you're not paying for a page that brings work in, you're paying for the agency's process.
When paying more does make sense
Not every business needs the same thing. If you sell products with a cart, need calendar booking with payments, run several locations with inventory, or need an internal system, that's different work and it costs more. An agency makes sense there.
For a service business that wants the phone to ring, it doesn't. One well-written screen does the job, and what's left of the budget goes further on insurance, tools, or ads.
doubts
What people usually ask
How much does a website cost for a small business?
On the market, $500 to $10,000 depending on who builds it, and many carry $100 to $500 a month on top. We charge $400 one time, no monthly fee, plus the domain at about $12 a year in the client's name.
Why do agencies charge so much?
Because the price covers a salesperson, an account manager, a designer, a developer, and an office. The page itself is a few hours of work; the rest is the structure around it, and that structure doesn't bring you a single extra call.
Is it cheaper to build it myself?
Up front, yes, but platforms charge $16 to $50 a month forever. By year three you've paid more than the whole site cost, and it took your weekends.
Is there a monthly fee?
Not with us. The only yearly cost is the domain, about $12, paid by you directly to the registrar in your name. Hosting is included.
What if I don't like how it turns out?
You get your money back. We build the mockup, you look at it, and if it doesn't convince you there's nothing to argue about.