"How much does a website cost?" is one of the first questions almost every business owner asks, and it's also one of the hardest to answer honestly, because the real range is enormous. A website can cost anywhere from $0 (a free builder template) to $50,000+ (a custom-built platform for a large company). Most small businesses land somewhere in the middle, and the price mostly comes down to how much custom work, strategy, and ongoing support is actually involved.
The Three General Price Tiers
- DIY builders (Wix, Squarespace, GoDaddy): $10 to $50 a month, plus your own time. You're the designer, the copywriter, and the developer.
- Freelance or small studio custom design: Typically $1,500 to $6,000 for a small business site, depending on the number of pages and features.
- Full-service agency: $5,000 to $20,000+, usually including strategy, copywriting, SEO structure, and post-launch support.
What Actually Drives the Price
The sticker price isn't really about how many pages you need. It's about how much thinking has to happen before any of those pages get built. A designer who just drops your logo into a template can work fast and charge less. A designer who researches your competitors, plans your site around how customers actually search for you, writes conversion-focused copy, and builds in SEO structure from day one needs more time, and that time is what you're paying for.
- Number of unique page designs (a 5-page site costs less than a 20-page site)
- Custom features: booking systems, e-commerce, member portals, calculators
- Whether copywriting and photography are included or you're supplying your own
- SEO setup: metadata, structured data, site speed optimization
- Ongoing support: hosting, updates, and maintenance after launch
The Question That Actually Matters
Instead of asking "how much does a website cost," ask "what does this website need to do for my business?" A site that just needs to look credible and list your services is a very different project than one that needs to book appointments, sell products, or rank on page one of Google for your city. Get clear on the job the site needs to do first, then get quotes, since two designers pricing the exact same scope will usually land in a similar range.
At Hammerhead Creations, every project starts with a free consultation so you know exactly what your site needs, what it will cost, and what you're getting for that number before you commit to anything.
Thinking About Web Design?
Hammerhead Creations offers web design for businesses in Cartersville, GA and beyond.