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How much does a business website cost?

How much does a small business website cost? It depends on three things: the format, the scope and what the quote actually includes. Below is a seven-line breakdown of a website quote, the costs that appear after launch and eight questions that expose a vague quote.

The Arar Web Studio teamPublished · 5 min read

In short

A small business website cost depends on format, number of pages, design, copy and integrations. A landing page usually costs less than a company website, and a premium build costs more than both. Ask for a line-by-line quote and find out what happens after launch. We quote individually and fix the price in the contract.

What drives the price of a website

There is no single price, because a website is not a single product. Three things set the number.

Price = format × scope × what is included.

  • Format. Landing page design is one page built around one action. Business website design is several pages: a page per service, trust content and a CMS for your own edits. A premium website adds custom UX, more pages, two languages and animation.
  • Scope. Pages, sections, languages, integrations and revision rounds.
  • What is included. Copy, SEO, testing, launch and support after launch.

Two quotes with the same format name can hide very different amounts of work, so compare lines, not labels. Timing is a separate question: here is how long a website takes.

Seven line items of a website quote

A quote that fits on one line is a warning sign. A useful one splits the work into these seven items.

  1. Design. Layout and visual style. Check: custom or template, how many concepts, how many revision rounds.
  2. Copywriting. Headlines, service descriptions, FAQ. Check: who writes it. A site without working copy rarely produces inquiries.
  3. Development. The build for phones and desktops, plus a CMS if you want to edit text yourself. Check: number of pages and whether you get edit access.
  4. SEO and GEO foundation. Page titles, headings, markup, speed and a structure that search engines and AI assistants such as ChatGPT can read. Check: what exactly is done on each page.
  5. Integrations and forms. Inquiry form, booking, CRM, payments. Check: how many are included, and which.
  6. Launch. Testing, connecting your domain, publishing. Check: do you receive every login?
  7. Care plan. Updates, backups and small edits after launch. Check: is it optional, and what does it cost per month?

When two totals differ, line both quotes up against these seven items. The gap is almost always in one or two rows.

What moves the price between two similar-looking sites

Two sites can look identical in a screenshot and differ by weeks of work. Four things explain the gap.

  • Custom design or a template. A template is a ready layout with your text dropped in. Custom design is drawn around your business and your customers.
  • Copy included or not. If it is not in the quote, you pay a writer or spend your own time. Quotes grow here more than anywhere.
  • Pages and flows. A booking flow or a catalog is more work than a contact page.
  • Who owns the result after launch. If nobody does, every breakage becomes a new job and a new invoice.

Scope first, price second. A lower total with missing work is not a lower price.

Costs after launch

A website is not a one-time purchase. After launch it needs a domain, hosting and someone to keep it current.

  • Domain. A yearly fee. Registered in your name and paid separately.
  • Hosting. A recurring fee, also in your name and paid separately.
  • Small edits. A phone number, a price, a photo. They come up regularly.
  • Care plan. A separate monthly subscription: monitoring, updates, backups, edits up to 2 hours a month and a monthly report. The first month is free, and the plan is optional.

Our warranty is lifetime while you are on a care plan: we fix errors in our work for free. Without a plan it runs 6 months from handover. It covers errors in our work, not new features, changes you request or third-party interference.

First-year budget = website + domain + hosting + copy and photos (if not included) + care plan × paid months.

Eight questions a quote must answer

Copy this list into your message to any studio. A good quote answers every point in writing.

  • What is the scope: pages, sections, languages, integrations?
  • What is the total, and is it fixed in the contract?
  • How is payment split between stages?
  • What is the timeline, and when does the clock start?
  • How many revision rounds are included, and what counts as new work?
  • Who writes the copy and sources the images?
  • What happens after launch: warranty, edits, care plan?
  • What is excluded: domain, hosting, extra pages, paid photos?

If two or more answers are vague, ask for the scope in writing. For a wider checklist on vendors, see how to choose a web design agency.

How we price

We do not publish a price list, because the right price depends on your task. The process is short: a 15-20 minute brief, a quote with scope and timeline, and the price fixed in the contract before work starts.

Payment is in stages: 50% before we begin and 50% after your approval, before publishing. One contact runs the project from brief to launch, and every stage is reviewed and signed off.

Questions about website cost

Can’t find your answer? All questions →

Is the highest quote the safest choice?
No. A higher total can mean more is included, or just a vague scope. Judge a quote by its line items. If it cannot show what each part covers, the total tells you nothing.
What is included in a turnkey website price?
Turnkey should mean design, copy, development, an SEO foundation, testing and publishing on your domain. In our projects those are part of the price. Domain and hosting are paid separately and registered in your name. Always ask for the list in writing.
What does a website cost after launch?
Domain and hosting are recurring fees paid separately. Everything else is optional. A care plan covers updates, backups and small edits, and the first month is free. The warranty is lifetime while you are subscribed and 6 months from handover without a plan.
Can I start with a landing page and expand later?
Yes, if you plan for it: register the domain in your name, keep the structure open and write sections that can grow into pages. Extra pages are quoted separately, and the total is agreed before work begins.
Does a template always cost less than custom design?
Usually the design line is smaller, but the saving can disappear once copy, adjustments and later changes are added. A template also looks like every other site on it. We design every project from scratch around your business.