What a small business website costs, split into the parts you actually pay for: domain, platform or hosting, design time, content, add-ons and upkeep. A filled budget worksheet, the trade-offs between DIY, builder and agency, and a blank version to copy.
<p class="lead text-xl text-[#3a3a3a] mb-8"> A small business website costs whatever these parts add up to: a domain (paid yearly), a platform or hosting plan (monthly or yearly), design and build time (yours or someone else's), content such as text and photos, any paid add-ons, and upkeep. Building it yourself on a website builder keeps the cost mostly to the plan and domain. Hiring a freelancer or agency adds their time, which is usually the largest line. Work out your own figure with the worksheet below rather than trusting a single average. </p>
<h2>The cost lines</h2> <table> <thead><tr><th>Line</th><th>Paid how</th><th>What changes it</th></tr></thead> <tbody> <tr><td>Domain</td><td>Yearly, to a registrar</td><td>Ending (.com, country ending), renewal price after year one</td></tr> <tr><td>Platform or hosting</td><td>Monthly or yearly</td><td>Plan level, custom domain, store features, AI credits</td></tr> <tr><td>Design and build</td><td>One-off (your time, or a fee)</td><td>Number of pages, custom features, rounds of changes</td></tr> <tr><td>Content</td><td>One-off</td><td>Copywriting, photography, logo</td></tr> <tr><td>Add-ons</td><td>Monthly or per use</td><td>Booking, payments, email, paid plugins</td></tr> <tr><td>Upkeep</td><td>Monthly or hourly</td><td>Edits, updates, a care plan if someone else maintains it</td></tr> </tbody> </table>
<h2>DIY, builder or agency: the trade-offs</h2> <ul> <li><strong>DIY on a builder:</strong> lowest cash cost, costs your time, and quality depends on your content. Good for most service businesses with a handful of pages.</li> <li><strong>Freelancer on a builder:</strong> you pay for design time, then own a site you can edit yourself. Confirm the accounts are in your name.</li> <li><strong>Agency or custom build:</strong> highest cost; worth it for complex features, integrations or brand work. Ask what upkeep costs after launch.</li> </ul> <p>Comparing platforms? Prices change often, so check each vendor's current pricing page, or use the <a href="/tools/builder-cost-comparison">builder cost comparison</a>.</p>
<h2>Worked example (a labelled demonstration)</h2> <p>A fictional landscaping business, "Green Row Landscaping", building a 5-page site itself on We.Inc. Not a real company; the domain price is an example, since registrars vary.</p> <pre><code>Pages: Home, Services, Areas, Gallery, Contact (quote form) Platform: We.Inc Starter, $20/month (AI building + custom domain) -> $240 a year Domain: example registrar price ~$15/year (check your registrar) Design and build: owner's own time, 2 evenings Content: owner's own photos; text written with AI in the builder Add-ons: none at launch Upkeep: owner edits hours and gallery in the builder ------------------------------------------------------------ Year-one cash cost: about $255 (plan + example domain price) Later years: same, if plan and domain prices do not change</code></pre> <p>Staying on the Free plan instead would cost nothing for the platform: up to 3 template sites on a we.inc address, but no AI credits and no custom domain.</p> <figure> <img src="/images/app/billing-1200.webp" alt="The billing screen in We.Inc showing plan options" loading="lazy" width="1200" height="750" /> <figcaption>Plan options in the We.Inc billing screen.</figcaption> </figure>
<h2>Blank budget worksheet</h2> <pre><code>Pages needed: Platform + plan (price x 12): Domain (year-one and renewal price): Design and build (your hours, or quoted fee): Content (copy / photos / logo): Add-ons (name, monthly price): Upkeep (hours per month x rate, or care plan): ----------------------------------------- Year-one total: Each later year:</code></pre> <p>The <a href="/tools/website-cost-calculator">website cost calculator</a> does the same sum interactively.</p>
<h2>Known limitations</h2> <ul> <li>Your own time is not free. If a DIY build takes weeks away from paid work, a freelancer may be cheaper overall.</li> <li>Watch renewal prices: domains and some platform discounts cost more after the first year.</li> <li>A cheap site that nobody can find or contact you through is not a saving. Check it with the <a href="/tools/website-grader">website grader</a>.</li> </ul>
<h2>Next step</h2> <p>Start free on the <a href="/website-builder">We.Inc website builder</a> from a <a href="/website-templates/business">business template</a>, and upgrade to Starter ($20/month) when you want AI building and your own domain. Pro is $50 and Max $99 a month (<a href="/pricing">pricing</a>).</p> <p><a href="https://my.we.inc/signup">Start building your business website</a></p>
Mostly the platform or hosting plan, plus any paid add-ons. On We.Inc, Free costs nothing (up to 3 template sites on a we.inc address), Starter is $20/month, Pro $50 and Max $99.
Usually design and build time if you hire someone. If you build it yourself, the ongoing plan and domain are the main cash costs.
You can publish template sites on a we.inc address on the Free plan. A custom domain and AI building need a paid plan, from Starter at $20/month.
We.Inc is an AI-powered website builder you can resell under your own brand. Launch a branded client dashboard, bill on Stripe Connect, and deliver AI-generated websites in minutes. White-label plans start at $99 a month for 25 client sites, with a 7-day free trial and no per-site fees.