Small Business Website Cost Explained

Every business needs a website nowadays. But how much does designing a website cost? We have the answers!

TL;DR

The average cost of website design for small businesses is around $2,000 if you hire a freelancer. Although you can get site templates for a few hundred dollars, this route involves loads of work on your part and a potentially generic website that will harm your brand image. Unlimited web design services like ManyPixels offer a professional and affordable way to get your small business website. 

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Wondering why small business owners hire web designers? Because their businesses can’t survive without a website. 

It used to be a case of getting out in the street, and finding the nearest place that  is of interest, whether it's a bakery, cafe, shop, or something else. Nowadays, people usually google their interest and only then decide to visit the physical store.

Wondering how to design a website for a small business? Follow along as we go through all the information you need to get your professional website up and running.

Why do you need great small business website design?

Experience alone will tell you that having a website is a no-brainer. But why spend time or money creating a site when you can use a free website template?

Here are just a few reasons why a well-designed website is a must even for small local businesses.

Helps users find information

The design of your website impacts how users interact with it. If you organize information clearly using menus and visual cues you can make sure that prospective customers find the information they’re looking for.

Mobile optimization

Close to 60% of the world’s internet traffic comes from mobile devices. Furthermore, over half of online sales (56%) come from mobile devices. 

So, there’s no way you can build an online presence without a mobile-friendly website. If you decide to use a website template, most of these are already optimized for mobile. However, if you decide to design a website from scratch, this is definitely an area where hiring a professional web designer will pay off. 

Ecommerce

Great small businesses web design means you get to increase your profits with a user-friendly online store. Here are a few simple rules that you must follow to ensure your ecommerce site performs:

• Provide a simple checkout system (avoid mandatory account creation).
• Offer multiple payment options.
• Use plenty of white space on your products page.
• Create a user-friendly search and filter option.
• Make all shipping and additional costs transparent.

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Builds trust

A professional-looking website is the best way to build trust, as it’s often the first point of contact for people learning about your business. In fact, studies have shown that 75% of people judge a company’s credibility based on web design.

Here are a few elements that will greatly impact how people perceive your business:

• Responsiveness: Around 47% of users won’t wait longer than 2 seconds for a website to load. This means all your pages and media must be optimized for web use. 
• High-quality images: Poor quality blurry graphics will give off the impression that your website hasn’t been updated and ward off potential clients.
• Customer testimonials: Creating a dedicated caste study or testimonials page will help clients understand your value proposition better. ‍
• Contact page: Make contact information, such as phone numbers or email addresses visible and easy to find. A contact form can also be a good addition to your website.

How to make a small business website?

You know you need it, but how can you create a website of your own? Here are the steps to follow.

Choose a domain name and pay for hosting

A website is usually a part of a bigger business strategy. So in case you’ve already chosen your brand name, you should ensure whether there’s an available domain that fits. You can check out free domains at:

• Name.com
• GoDaddy
• Namecheap

If your preferred domain is not available, you can always try a different extension (e.g. use .co instead of .com).

Most website builders include web hosting, so you won’t need to do this separately.

Find a website builder

If you don’t want to hire a web developer, you’ll need to find a platform that does this for you. Note that many popular website builders also offer integrated hosting solutions.

There are numerous free website builders for small businesses, such as Wix, Webflow, and many more. However you usually have to purchase one of the paid plans in order to have a custom domain, and make use of advanced functionalities, such as ecommerce, design customization options, and premium plugins such as social media integration, advanced security features, etc.

Design the site

Platforms such as Wix, Shopify, Instapage, Squarespace and others (most of which support WordPress websites), are popular for a reason: these cheap website builders have large libraries of website and landing page templates, as well as such as ecommerce or email marketing tools that you can use.

They also usually have a drag-and-drop functionality, which is perfect for those with little to no design skills.

However, plenty of companies use these website builders, so you probably won’t end up with the most original site. Still, if functionality is your primary goal, as a small business, a website builder is perfect for your needs and budget. 

Launch and maintain your site

Static websites are a thing of the past. If you want to keep your site at the top of SERPs, you’ll need to update it regularly.

‍Blogging is the most effective type of content creation that will keep your site SEO-friendly. You should also conduct regular audits and check for any broken links and bugs.

Average cost of small business website

Many small businesses owners how much for small business website design they need to pay. We’re breaking down all the costs so you can understand the average cost of a small business website in detail.

Domain Registration: $10–$30 per year

Purchasing your domain name is a minor cost, but still one you need to consider. Domains are registered on an annual basis, so it’s something to consider in the long term as well.

The most popular, .com domains usually cost around $15 per year.

Hosting: $5–$50 per month

Website hosting is a service that allows you to store your website’s files and make them accessible on the internet. Hosting providers allocate space on their servers where your website lives, ensuring it can be visited by users anytime.

The cost of website hosting depends on the type of hosting you choose. Here are some ballpark figures to guide you.

1. Shared Hosting – Your website shares server resources with other websites (cheaper but can be slow).
2. VPS Hosting ($2 – $10/month) – A virtual private server offers more dedicated resources (faster and more secure). 
3. Dedicated Hosting ($20 – $100/month) – You get an entire server for your website (expensive but powerful).
4. Cloud Hosting ($10 – $100/month) – Scalable hosting that distributes resources across multiple servers.
5. Managed Hosting ( $15 – $70/mont) – Hosting provider handles maintenance, updates, and security.

Free hosting exists (e.g., Wix, WordPress.com, 000WebHost), but it comes with limitations like ads, subdomains, and limited resources.

Website Design: $500–$5,000+ (one-time cost)

So, what is the average cost of website design for small businesses? As you might suspect, there’s no single answer.

We’ll go through several options for getting your small business website design and explain the cots.

DIY with templates: $50–$300

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From Canva to Webflow, there’s no shortage of high-quality website templates online. While many are free, you’ll discover most of these look a bit generic or overused.

Most importantly, free templates often only include a limited number of pages, so they might not be suitable for every type of website.

However, most templates are fairly affordable and cost around $100-$150. Considering they’re usually also mobile-responsive, this is a rather small cost to build a website for your business. 

Custom design by a freelancer: $1,000–$3,000

So, if templates are so useful, how come people still hire website designers for small businesses?

A template, no matter how useful, always comes with limitations. Whether it’s functionalities, such as an online store, or important visual aspects, such as a logo, color palette, hero section, or custom illustrations.

There are thousands of freelance web designers offering their services in an exceptionally wide price range.

However, if you want to work with someone who has a little more experience, you should expect to pay around $2,000 for a complete custom website. 

Design agency: $5,000+

Hiring a traditional website design agency isn’t usually a route most small businesses take. The reason for it is simple - design agencies charge several thousands of dollars for small business website design.

Of course, the hefty price tag includes a full range of services, such as design and development, copywriting,  SEO and mobile optimization.

Design subscription: $500 - $2,000

Last, but not least, you have the option of an unlimited web design company.

With these companies you pay a flat monthly fee for as many design requests and revisions as you want. That means that the website cost is significantly lower than with all the other options, and you have full control over the design process. 

Best of all, the flat monthly rate doesn’t include web design only. For as little as $599 (with our top-rated service at ManyPixels) you can get any and every graphic your business needs - logos, social media graphics, ads, presentations, and much more. 

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Website Development: $1,000–$10,000+ (one-time cost)

What’s another reason why templates found on popular website builders are so popular? They eliminate the need to pay a website developer.

If you take the custom route, a freelance website developer will charge between $1,000 and $2,000 for simple websites suitable for small businesses.

As an alternative, ManyPixels offers a Webflow development add-on for just $499 a month. That means you can get your site designed and launched for just $1,050!

Copywriting: $100–$3,000+

Most small business owners decide to write their own website copy, which isn’t always a bad idea. After all, you know your business and tone of voice best, so it’s possible to come up with great website copy.

If you wish to hire a freelance writer, expect to pay between $500 to $3,000 for a complete site.

You can also hire a content writing agency, which will set you back several thousands of dollars. 

SSL Certificate: $5 - $300 per year

An SSL certificate (Secure Sockets Layer) is a digital certificate that encrypts data transferred between a website and its visitors, ensuring secure communication. It helps protect sensitive information like passwords, credit card details, and personal data from hackers. 

Websites with SSL display "https://" in their URL instead of just "http://", and they often show a padlock icon in the browser.

SSL certificate prices vary based on the level of validation and security they provide. 

Free SSL certificates, like those from Let’s Encrypt or Cloudflare, are ideal for basic websites but require renewal every few months. 

Paid SSL options start with Domain Validation (DV) certificates, which cost around $5–$50 per year and are suitable for small businesses or blogs. 

Organization Validation (OV) certificates, priced between $50–$200 per year, add company verification for extra trust. Extended Validation (EV) certificates, costing $100–$500+ per year, provide the highest level of trust and are commonly used by e-commerce and financial websites.

Multi-Domain SSL certificates, priced between $100–$600+ per year, secure multiple domains under a single certificate. The exact price depends on the provider, with companies like DigiCert, GlobalSign, and Namecheap offering various options.

Unlimited website design: quality at a great price

We hope this sheds some light on how to design a website for a small business. While it is possible to create a website yourself, hiring a professional website designer can’t be beat.

Hiring a freelancer or web design company can put a pretty big dent in your budget. However, nothing beats ManyPixels when it comes to affordable web design for small businesses. 

It was a huge weight lifted from my shoulders having Many Pixels to help, as a small business it was a great alternative to the stress of hiring and outsourcing. - Jess

We've been working with them for a few website designs and the communication and deliverables were pretty good. I would totally recommend their service. - Marius Cristea

Not only do you get a professional small business website, we’ve also got you covered for all your design needs including marketing materials, social media, illustration, presentations, and more. 

And all of that starting at just $499 a month!

Still want to discuss some details? Book a free consultation with us, and we’ll be happy to answer any questions.