How Much Does a Custom Website Cost for a Small Business?
How Much Does a Custom Website Cost for a Small Business?
If you're a small business owner researching website costs, you've probably seen numbers all over the map. $500 here, $50,000 there. Let's cut through the noise.
The Three Tiers
DIY Website Builders ($0-50/month)
Wix, Squarespace, and WordPress.com let you build a site yourself. The upfront cost is low, but you pay in time, limitations, and a website that looks like everyone else's.
Best for: Businesses that need a basic online presence and have time to learn.
Hidden costs: Premium templates ($50-200), plugins ($10-50/month each), your time (40-80+ hours).
Freelance Developer ($2,000-10,000)
A freelance developer builds something custom. Quality varies wildly — you might get a designer-developer hybrid who delivers amazing work, or someone who installs a WordPress theme and calls it custom.
Best for: Businesses that want something unique but have a limited budget.
Hidden costs: Ongoing maintenance ($50-150/month), hosting ($10-50/month), no guarantee of long-term support.
Agency ($5,000-50,000+)
Agencies bring strategy, design, development, and ongoing support under one roof. You get a team, a process, and accountability.
Best for: Businesses that want a strategic partner, not just a website.
Our Approach
At North Shore Labs, we do things differently. Instead of a massive upfront cost, we charge a $2,000 flat build fee and $100/month for ongoing maintenance that includes hosting, updates, content changes, and SEO monitoring.
Why? Because a website isn't a one-time project — it's an ongoing asset that needs care. Our model aligns our incentives with yours: we only succeed if your website keeps performing.
What Affects the Price?
- Complexity — A 5-page brochure site costs less than an e-commerce platform with inventory management.
- Custom features — Online ordering, booking systems, and AI chatbots add development time.
- Content — Do you have photography and copy ready, or do we need to create it?
- Timeline — Rush jobs cost more. Our standard delivery is 2 weeks.
The Bottom Line
Don't pay $15,000 for a website that could be built for $2,000. And don't pay $0 for a website that makes your business look like it doesn't care.
The right investment depends on where you are and where you're going. Let's talk about it.