How Much Does a Website Cost for a Small Business?

If you Google this question, you'll get answers like "$500 to $50,000." That's not helpful. Here's what websites actually cost, what moves the price, and what you're getting at each tier.

The short answer

Most small businesses need to spend $500 to $2,000 on a website. A single landing page runs $500. A full 3-5 page site runs $1,000. An online store runs $2,000. Those are our prices at Str8shift Digital, and we think they're fair for what gets built.

Big agencies quote $10,000 and up. We'll get to why in a minute.

What drives the price

• →Custom vs. template. A site built from scratch costs more than a Squarespace template with your logo. The custom one performs better, loads faster, and doesn't look like the 50 other sites using the same theme.
• →Who's building it. A big agency has account managers, project managers, sales reps, and office space. You're paying for all of it. A two-person team has none of that overhead.
• →Complexity. A landing page with a contact form is simpler than a site with e-commerce, user accounts, inventory management, and payment processing.
• →How much content you need. A site with 10 pages costs more to design and build than a site with 3.

What $1,000 actually gets you

At Str8shift, a $1,000 standard site (with a $500 deposit) includes custom design, 3-5 pages, mobile-first build, SEO-ready structure, a contact form, and two rounds of revisions. You own every file. No monthly fee to keep it running unless you want our care plan.

That's what most local businesses, community organizations, and solo operators need. A fast site that looks professional, works on phones, and doesn't embarrass you when a potential client looks you up.

When does a higher budget make sense?

Spend more when you need custom functionality: a booking system, membership portal, complex integrations, or an e-commerce store with hundreds of products. A $10,000 budget starts to make sense when the complexity genuinely requires it. If an agency is quoting you $10,000 for a five-page informational site, you're paying for their overhead.

The honest version

A well-built $1,000 website from a small team that actually cares will outperform a $5,000 website from a large agency that assigned you to a junior designer and three layers of account management. Budget matters less than who's doing the work and whether they're paying attention to your actual business.