Shopping for a website is a lot like buying a car. There are many different makes, models, and feature add-ons to consider. Some are luxury brands, others are economy. You can buy a compact car or a large SUV. If you’re looking for an accurate average price, weighing all the cars available on the market won’t get you what you seek. The same goes for the average cost of website design for small business.
There are two main types of small business websites: brochure/informational and eCommerce. For the sake or narrowing down an average price range, we make some generalizations on the website needs of a small business. You may find price quotes dramatically lower or higher. However, we will give you a good idea of what we believe to be an accurate and fair price range for a majority of small business websites.
This does not include pricing for site builders or other DIY platforms such as WordPress.
Brochure/Informational Small Business Websites
A brochure website is mainly informational, describing a business’ services and marketing their assets. Think lawyer, accountant, doctor, dentist, plumber, contractor, or restaurant. These websites tend to have a smaller number of pages, often based on the amount of services offered. Outside of the services, the standard pages include a home page, about, contact, and staff or testimonials.
Most common features among informational websites include:
- mobile-friendly design
- contact form
- testimonial showcase
- Google map for location
Average Cost of Informational Website
There are two common price structures for website designs, one-time fees or monthly subscription based payments. If you’re unsure which one makes the most sense for your small business, learn more about the pros and cons of one-time vs. monthly on our blog.
One-Time Pricing – $2,000 to $3,000
For a rather straightforward brochure/informational website with the features described above, a small business should plan on spending between $2,000 to $3,000. This is a one-time payment often with half due up front and half due when the website is finished. A website’s shelf life is normally around 3 years; a new investment with design and technological updates is often needed beyond this point.
This payment does not normally include recurring yearly costs associated with website ownership. At a minimum, you’ll need a domain name and web hosting. It is also strongly recommended to have an SSL security certificate for any type of website, even non-sensitive ones. For a domain name, SSL certificate and mid-level web hosting, you’ll pay an extra $415 yearly. If you end up needing content updates, design changes, or bug fixes, expect to pay around $100 an hour.
Monthly Pricing – $100 to $200 a month
If you choose a company with monthly payment options, you should expect to pay between $100 and $200 a month. Over the website’s 3 year shelf life, this option seems to cost more. However, monthly subscriptions often include domain names, web hosting, and even updates and bug fixes. This could easily save you more money in the long run!
eCommerce Small Business Websites
An eCommerce website showcases and sells products. Think Amazon, but on a much smaller scale for small businesses. These websites tend to have a larger amount of pages, dependent on how many SKUs the business offers. Outside the product pages, a standard eCommerce website needs a home, about, contact, reviews, shop, cart, and checkout page.
Most common features among eCommerce websites include:
- product features
- shipping connectivity
- payment processor
- simple, variable product options
- mobile-friendly design
- contact form
- Google map for location or store availability
Average Cost of eCommerce Website
Like with an informational website, there are two common price structures for eCommerce website designs, one-time fees or monthly subscription based payments. If you’re unsure which price structure makes the most sense for your small business, learn more about the pros and cons of one-time vs. monthly on our blog.
The average price is higher for eCommerce websites, even straightforward ones. A simple eCommerce website consists of non-customizable products. The products may have variations, such as sizing or color options, but tend to have clear-cut pricing and fewer choices. If your business sells highly-customizable products or has unique selling features, you can expect to pay exponentially more for a website.
One-Time Pricing – $4,000 to $6,000
For a straightforward eCommerce website with simple products and few variations, a small business should plan on spending between $4,000 and $6,000. This one-time project rate is normally split in two or three payments, with fractions due at different points during the project build. A website’s shelf life is normally around 3 years; a new investment for design and technological updates is often needed beyond this point.
This one-time payment does not include recurring costs like yearly domain name renewal, monthly web hosting, or cost of updates/bug fixes and help adding new products. For an eCommerce website, you might also have yearly costs of payment gateway and shipping software. If you purchase a domain name, SSL security certificate, mid-level web hosting, need 6 hours of bug fixes or content updates and a Stripe payment gateway and UPS shipping portal, you’ll spend another $1100 yearly.
Monthly Pricing – $150 to $300 a month
If you choose a company with monthly payment options, you should expect to pay between $150 and $300 a month for a straightforward eCommerce website. Monthly eCommerce subscriptions often include domain names, SSL certificates, web hosting, payment gateway, shipping portals, and even updates and bug fixes. When your website is how you make a living, having free updates and fixes included in a package could be a life saver.
But I’ve Seen Quotes Much Higher or Lower. What Gives?
The average cost of website design for small business are all over the board. Like shopping for a car, there are too many variables for accurate averages among every type of website available on the market. However, a solid small business website with similar features to what we outlined should fall into these ranges comfortably and fairly.
It is up to you, your business, and your marketing budget to decide what it the fairest price range for you. A dramatically higher price doesn’t necessarily mean a better website. On the flip side, a lower priced website doesn’t always mean a bad website. Your best bet is to find your comfort price range, then research a company’s features, portfolio, and testimonials to make the right decision for your small business.