How Much Does a Website Cost for a Small Service Business? What I Charge, and Why

If you've asked three people what a website costs, you've probably had three answers that didn't seem to describe the same thing. One quote is a few hundred dollars, one is ten times that, and one is "it depends", which is true and not helpful.

I build websites for small service businesses: cleaning companies, plumbers, contractors, salons, clinics. My prices are on my site, so I can be specific. Here's what I charge, what changes the number, and what to ask anyone before you pay them, me included.

My starting prices

There are three web design packages on my pricing page:

• Starter one-page website, from US$800. One page with your services, why people should trust you, and a way to get in touch. It's built mobile-first and has a basic SEO structure. More on one-page sites.
• Business website redesign, from US$1,200. For businesses that already have a site that looks dated, works badly on a phone, or doesn't bring in enquiries. I rework the structure and design and add proper enquiry forms and WhatsApp. More on redesigns.
• Custom service website, from US$2,000. Several pages, a separate page for each main service, more advanced forms, booking direction and a fuller SEO structure. More on service pages.

"From" is doing real work in those lines. It's the price for a simple version of each. Where your project lands depends on scope, and the next section covers what moves it. For a quick answer on which one fits, try the website cost calculator.

What pushes the price up

The price follows the amount of work, and for a service business the work comes from a few predictable places.

How many pages. A one-page site and a site with a separate page for each of eight services are different jobs. Each service page needs its own structure, copy and checking. If you're not sure which you need, I wrote a separate piece on one page versus several.

Whether the content exists. If you already have a clear list of services, real photos and a few paragraphs about the business, I'm designing around them. If you have nothing written and no photos, someone has to produce that, and it takes time. I can write the copy. Photos usually have to come from you or a photographer, because stock photos of a stranger in a uniform don't help anyone trust you.

Forms and booking. A contact form and a WhatsApp button are standard. A multi-step quote form, or connecting to a booking system you already use, takes more setup. Real-time calendar booking depends on whether your booking tool offers a link or an embed.

Languages. A second language is close to a second site's worth of content to manage. If you serve customers in two languages, say so at the start.

Revisions. A clear brief and one person giving feedback keeps the project moving. Five people with different opinions, arriving in rounds, adds weeks.

Integrations. Maps, review widgets, analytics, a CRM or email tool. Each one is usually small on its own, but they add up.

Why some quotes are much cheaper

Some of them are honest: a template, your logo, your phone number, done. That can be fine if you only need something to exist online.

The risk is in what's left out. Common gaps on low-cost sites: no thought about what a customer needs to see first, a contact button that's hard to find on a phone, every service squeezed into one sentence, and nothing to show you're a real local business. The site exists, but it doesn't help anyone pick up the phone.

If a quote is much lower than others, ask what's included. Is someone writing or editing the copy? Is it tested on phones? Who owns the domain and the site afterwards?

Why some quotes are much higher

Larger agencies have account managers, project managers, designers and developers, and all of that is in the price. For a big organisation with complex needs, that can be the right call.

For a cleaning company or a two-chair salon, it's often more process than the job needs. I'm a one-person studio, so the person you talk to is the person doing the work. There's no hand-off between a salesperson and a designer, and that's a big part of how I keep the price where it is. I'm based in Taiwan and work with clients in other countries remotely; this is how that works.

The three packages above are for websites only. If you also need a logo and a proper brand identity, or video for your site and social media, I quote those separately with a written proposal, so the website price stays easy to compare.

The costs after launch

The build is a one-off. A few costs carry on after it, and it's worth asking about them up front:

• Domain name. A yearly fee paid to a domain registrar. Make sure it's registered in your name, not your designer's.
• Hosting. Where the site lives. Depending on how it's built, this could be a monthly fee or bundled with a website builder plan.
• Changes and updates. New prices, new photos, a new service. Ask whether you can edit the content yourself, or how changes are handled and charged.
• Tools. Booking systems, email tools and the like have their own subscriptions, separate from the website.

Whoever you hire, ask them to put hosting and ongoing changes in writing before the project starts. It's the part of a website quote people most often forget to ask about.

How to tell if a quote is reasonable

Price alone won't tell you. A few questions will:

1. Can they tell you what the first screen of your site will say? If not, they haven't thought about your customers yet.
2. Is mobile designed first or squeezed in at the end? Most of your visitors are likely to be on a phone. Ask to see a mobile layout.
3. What exactly is included? Pages, copy, number of revision rounds, forms, basic SEO, launch help.
4. Who owns what after launch? The domain, the site files or builder account, and your content.
5. What does the timeline depend on? For most small redesigns I work to roughly 2 to 4 weeks, depending on how ready the content is and how many rounds of changes there are. That's an estimate, not a guarantee, and anyone who guarantees a date before seeing your content is guessing.

Which one do you need?

A rough guide:

• You don't have a website, or you have a simple service. Start with a one-page site. It can grow into a bigger site later.
• You have a website and it isn't working. A redesign is usually better value than starting again, because you can keep what already works, like your content and anything that ranks. Before you decide, try the 10-minute phone test.
• You offer several distinct services and want to be found for each one. A multi-page service site.
• You're about to run ads for one service or offer. A landing page that matches the ad.

What a site needs also depends on the trade. I've written about what matters for plumbers, renovation contractors, beauty salons and dental clinics.

If you're not sure what you need, I'll look at your current site or your Google Maps listing for free and tell you what I'd fix first. Sometimes the honest answer is "change these three things yourself and you don't need me yet." Request a free website audit, or if you already know what you want, start a project.