What is the Cost of Developing a Website for a Small Business in 2025?

A domain name typically costs between $0.99 and $60 per year.

Your domain name acts as your online street address. For instance, Apple’s domain name is apple.com. Ideally, you’ll purchase a domain name that matches your company name, similar to Apple’s approach.

You can browse and buy domain names from providers like GoDaddy, HostGator, and DreamHost. If your desired domain name is unavailable, you may need to consider an alternative. While it’s possible to negotiate with the current owner of a domain name, this option usually comes at a higher price.

Website hosting costs typically range from $10 to $200 per month.

If your domain name is your online address, website hosting is your online power supply. A website hosting plan is essential to make your site accessible on the Internet. Web hosting companies provide the necessary infrastructure to keep your site running and available to users.

As a small business, you’ll likely encounter lower web hosting costs. Most small websites use shared hosting, which costs around $10 to $20 per month. With shared hosting, your company shares a server with multiple other websites, which keeps costs down.

While shared hosting comes with limited server resources, it is usually sufficient for small sites with lower resource demands. If you notice your site running slowly and need more server resources, you can always upgrade your hosting plan.

A Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) certificate can cost up to $1,500 per year and is crucial for protecting your website and your visitors’ data. While not mandatory, most businesses consider an SSL certificate essential. It acts as a trust signal, encouraging users to complete forms or make purchases on your site. SSL certificates also safeguard customer data from hackers, enhancing your business’s security and reputation.

In some instances, your company can obtain an SSL certificate for free. Many web hosting companies include an SSL certificate with their hosting plans. However, depending on your specific needs, you might choose to purchase a more advanced SSL certificate.

Website design costs for small businesses typically range from $2,000 to $15,000. Most small businesses will not reach the upper end of this range.

Design costs vary widely based on your company’s specific needs. Some businesses prefer a simple, clean design, while others may want a more elaborate and high-end layout that requires additional designer time.

Typically, you’ll need multiple designs or templates for different pages on your website, such as:

• Homepage
• Product or service page
• Contact page

When consulting with web design agencies, inquire about their design costs and ask for examples of both high-end and basic designs. This will help you build a realistic budget tailored to your business’s needs.

The number of pages on your website can cost between $1,000 and $10,000.

Website size varies significantly. For example, an e-commerce store may have over 100 pages, while a service-based company might have fewer than 10. Designing and developing each page takes time, even if they share some layouts.

For instance, an e-commerce site with 50 product pages will use the same design template for each product page. However, your web development agency needs to upload images, videos, and copy them to these pages, and test them, which requires time and increases costs.

Web design agencies usually price pages in tiers, such as 1 to 10 pages or 10 to 20 pages. If your business needs 8 pages, for example, you would fall into the 1- to 10-page category and pay that tier’s rate.

Typical costs based on the number of pages are:

• 1-75 pages: $1,000 – $3,000
• 75-150 pages: $3,000 – $6,000
• 150-250+ pages: $6,000 – $10,000+

These ranges help you estimate costs based on your website’s size and ensure you budget appropriately.

Web design costs for functionality features range from $5,000 to $10,000. As a smaller business, your functionality costs will likely be on the lower end of this range.

Functionality in web design includes various features, often focusing on Ecommerce capabilities. If your company plans to accept online payments or orders, you’ll need to budget for functionality expenses in your web design costs.

Even service-based businesses, such as landscaping, plumbing, or home maintenance, benefit from offering online payments, as they provide convenience for many customers.

Having a site that accepts online payments can serve as a unique selling point, helping you attract and retain more clients.

On average, a Content Management System (CMS) costs between $3,000 and $10,000.

A CMS, such as WordPress, is an invaluable tool for managing your website content. This type of software allows your business to create, manage, and update website content without needing coding knowledge. For many users, it operates similarly to a word processing program like Microsoft Word.

With a CMS, your company can easily edit and update your website. For instance, if you need to change service or product pricing, you can log into your CMS and make the change without contacting your developer.

The cost of a CMS generally depends on your preferred platform and the level of customization required. If your design and development team spends more time customizing your CMS to fit your needs, the cost will be higher.

Now that you know the answer to the question, “How much does a website cost for a small business,” let’s dive into some additional costs you should consider.

Add-Ons and Plugins

Plugins can add a wide range of features to your website, such as contact forms, tables, testimonials, and more. To utilize these features, you should investigate the cost of the plugins you wish to implement. While some plugins are free, others may come at a cost.

Hiring a Web Designer

If your team lacks design expertise or an in-house web designer, you might consider hiring a professional web designer or a web design agency, such as Stratedia. Many web designers and agencies provide quotes for building your website, making it beneficial to compare different quotes and designers to find the best fit for your business. You can request a free quote from Stratedia here!

SEO

To ensure your website ranks well on search engines like Google or Bing, investing in an SEO strategy is essential. SEO encompasses optimizing different aspects of your website, including page loading speed, link building, content creation, and more.

If you prefer not to manage an SEO strategy internally, consider investing in SEO services from a reputable agency, such as Stratedia! Discover more about our SEO services and pricing here!

Determining the costs of designing a website for your small business involves various factors, including your design preferences and required features. That’s where web design calculators come in handy.

Our free website design calculator provides you with an estimate tailored to your specific needs. Give it a try and see how easy it is to calculate your web design expenses.

Have more questions about the costs of professional web design for small businesses? Reach out to our SMB web design agency at 860-415-0340 or contact us online to discover how SMB web design services can help bring your vision to life!