How Much Does It Cost to Build a Website for a Small Business in 2025?

It’s estimated that around 27% of small businesses don’t have a website. Furthermore, 40% of small business owners don’t want a website. In an age where websites are a must-have for businesses of any size, why do some small business owners opt for alternatives like social media?

Some think that the size of their business is too small that it doesn’t warrant its own website. And, for some entrepreneurs, the cost to build a website for a small business is too expensive for it to be considered a worthwhile investment. 

Whether you’re planning to build a new small business website or revamp your current one, this article will walk you through small business website costs. We’ll cover the factors that influence the average cost of website design for small businesses, how to maximize your budget for website creation, and what to consider when working with a web design agency.

Read Also: A Complete Guide on How to Build a Lead Generation Website That Converts

Reasons Why Small Businesses Need a Website

Your customers are online. That’s one of the biggest reasons why small businesses need their own websites. In fact, there are approximately 2.71 billion digital buyers in 2024 — and that number is expected to grow to 2.77 billion by 2025.

It’s also worth noting that 81% of consumers prefer to spend their money at small businesses like restaurants, coffee shops, and boutiques over major retailers or chain stores. However, in today’s challenging marketplace, businesses are struggling to connect with consumers, as well as convert and find new customers. Aside from these challenges, a 2024 Slack survey found that small business owners are worried about:

• Inflation or economic conditions (47%)
• Having to raise their prices (32%)
• Increased competition (24%)
• Needing to update the technology they’re using but not having the budget (16%)
• Using technology that’s becoming outdated (14%)

How does having a small business website fit into all of this?

In the US alone, 42% of consumers started their online shopping searches on search engines. The thing is, it’s no longer enough to just have a website and then leave it at that. A new survey found that the top change that respondents want to see from local businesses is improvements in their websites.

For small businesses to effectively showcase their brand, tap into new markets, increase their credibility, and generate leads, they need to have a good website. It serves as a platform that represents your brand and gives your audiences an idea of how you can help solve their pain points. A good website can make them feel like your business is the right fit for them. 

What makes some websites better than others? Here are some qualities that effective websites share:

• Clear functionality. Your website must have a clear purpose and that starts with understanding user intent. What are your audiences’ needs? How can you design and develop a website that meets their needs and benefits your business? 

• Focus on value. Establishing your unique value proposition and conveying it through your website can help your business stand out. This can also help you establish trust and credibility with your audience. 

• High-quality content. Creating great content and sharing that on your website enables you to attract site visitors. Good content management practices can help you effectively engage with audiences, enhance online visibility, and create personalized experiences for potential customers. 

• Exceptional UX and UI. When planning for a small business website, you must consider user experience (UX) and user interface (UI). Your UX must deliver a seamless experience for visitors. This means having a website that’s navigable and accessible to users with diverse accessibility needs. Your UI is what users see when they visit your site. To make a positive impression on your audience, it’s vital to have a clean, consistent, and engaging interface. Working with an affordable web design agency gives you access to expert UI/UX design services that help you provide visitors with the best digital experiences. 

Read Also: UI/UX Design Services Pricing Guide: From Freelancers to Agencies

• Mobile optimization. Around 54% of all website traffic comes from mobile devices, and it’s worth noting that 74% of online users are more likely to return to mobile-friendly websites. A well-designed website is optimized for multiple devices. This entails implementing responsive design principles to ensure that your site adapts to different devices. 

• Robust security. A great website focuses on user security through measures like SSL certificates and website security audits. By assuring visitors that their data is safe, you’re building trust with customers. 

With a well-designed website, you can enhance your business’s visibility on search engines like Google. For instance, by following SEO best practices and focusing on responsive design, you can drive organic traffic and provide visitors with an optimized browsing experience. What’s more, when your site appears on organic search results, you’re more likely to generate leads. 

A website also makes your business more accessible. Even if you’ve closed for the day, visitors can still visit your site to learn more about your brand and what you have to offer. Approximately 80% of consumers are more likely to trust businesses that have their own websites and a social media presence. Your audience isn’t just looking for solutions; they also want to establish a connection with your brand and are looking for a memorable experience while using your site. 

Here’s an example of a successful small business website that embodies the abovementioned characteristics.

La Petite Alice is a small family-run business based in Lithuania. The company specializes in handmade and made-to-order clothing. Its website features a modern design and uses an earthy color palette. What makes this small website so effective is that it combines great visual design, interactive elements (clickable pictures), and a clear value proposition. 

As you browse the site, you can tell what sets the business apart. Its unique value proposition is creating and selling sustainable clothing and home wear. It’s secure, given that it’s also an eCommerce website. It’s well-organized and makes it easy for visitors to find what they need. 

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Factors Influencing the Cost of a Small Business Website

You’ve decided to order corporate web design from an agency or a freelancer. So what is the average cost to create a website for a small business? Several factors influence this. These include the type of design you want, its functionality and features, ongoing maintenance, and more. In this section, we’ll look into these factors in more detail.

• Project scope. The more pages a site has, the more resources it requires, and the higher the cost. If you’re starting out, it’s best to go with a basic website that has the essential elements. These include a winning homepage that showcases your unique value proposition, value-added content pillar pages, conversion pages, and a page for your case studies or portfolio. 
• Design complexity. Design customization can bring the average website cost for small businesses up. These cover components like custom layouts and investing in an intuitive user interface. You can focus on essential aspects like the UI/UX. You can also look into using templates to bring costs down.
• Type of website. The type of website you want to have often determines the entire cost of building it. For example, an eCommerce website will likely cost more compared to a basic website. Building an eCommerce site requires more time and effort and entails more considerations of functionality and features. 

Read Also: Best eCommerce Web Design Companies for Digital Success

• Maintenance and updates. Site maintenance is crucial because it ensures that you have a website that works. Updates also contribute to rising costs. You may want to consider working with a designer and developer who can create a website that’s built to last. Make sure to check their availability in case you want to make changes to your site in the future. 

• SEO. A site that’s not optimized is harder to find online. If you want a site that’s optimized for search engines, then you’ll also have to factor in costs for SEO services.

• Hosting and domain. You’ll need to purchase a domain name from providers like GoDaddy or Namecheap. You’ll also need to pay for website hosting, which makes your site available online. You have several options for web hosting: shared hosting (which is the cheaper option but will entail sharing a server with other sites), cloud hosting, and dedicated hosting. The last option is the most expensive one; it provides your site with an entire server and works best for sites with heavy traffic.

• Content generation. Some web design and development agencies also have professionals who can help you create content like videos, illustrations, and articles. Keep in mind that these will add to the costs. However, coming up with compelling content is essential to keep readers engaged, let them know more about your brand, and showcase what you have to offer. 

• Security. SSL certificates keep your visitors’ data secure. This, along with other security measures like paid plugins and fraud detection for payments, can affect your project’s overall cost. 

The table in the next section gives you an overview of how some of these factors affect small business website costs.

Current Average Costs of Website Building & Design Services

So how much do website design services cost? 

The average cost of web design services for small businesses is $3,200. That’s just for websites with basic features. 

If you’re going the DIY route, you can significantly cut small business website costs. For example, if you’re using site builders like Wix or Squarespace, you can expect to shell out anywhere between $17 and $159 monthly. Site builders feature tools for no-code developing, which is great if you’re looking to build a small business website quickly and easily. Aside from a user-friendly drag-and-drop interface, these no-code website builders also provide users with pre-designed customizable web templates. This makes the website creation process more convenient. 

Another option is to hire freelancers on online platforms like Fiverr or Upwork. Note that the cost of web design services can range from $15 to more than $100 per hour. Factors that influence the web design cost for small businesses include:

• The designer’s level of experience and expertise level
• Your niche
• Level of customization
• Scope of work
• Project complexity 

Now, if you’re planning to work with a web design agency, then small business website design costs can range from $1,200 to upwards of $30,000. This small business web design pricing covers aspects like:

• Website hosting plan
• Domain name
• SSL certificates
• Security features
• Number of pages

The table below provides a summary of small business website costs. Note that the prices indicated are only rough estimates. To get more accurate website costs for small businesses, it’s best to get in touch with your preferred service provider and ask for a quote. Some service providers might also publish their pricing plans on their websites.

Also read: Best Small Business Web Design Agencies

What to Consider Before Ordering Website Building Services from the Agency

Whether you’re a small enterprise, a local business, or a startup, having a website built is a significant investment. The good news is that by working with web design and web development experts, you get professional web design that’s tailor-made to fit your business needs. You get an engaging website that’s optimized for search engines and can help you generate ROI. 

While finding the best web design and development agency is an altogether different challenge, here are a few things to consider before working with a reliable agency:

• Your design needs and goals. Before getting in touch with an agency, you must first clearly define your design needs. How does it fit into your business goals? Do you want a website that boosts conversions? Do you need a good customer relationship management (CRM) system? Are additional value-added branding services for small businesses necessary? It also helps if you can identify the kind of website you want, the features it should have, the kind of user experience you want to provide to visitors, and how it should reflect your branding. Note that these factors can influence the web design services cost. 

• Your budget. Small businesses often work with limited resources. The good news is that there are agencies that offer website development with no code. For small businesses, this option can help you save on development costs while still giving you a functional site that stays true to your goals, design needs, and branding. Whether you’re planning to have an entire website built or just a landing page, this option gives you design flexibility and a scalable solution. 

• Experience and expertise. The company’s experience and expertise are pivotal in ensuring the success of your web design and development project. For example, if they’ve worked with other small businesses in the same niche as you, this gives them a strategic advantage because they understand the unique challenges and opportunities you’re facing. They’re familiar with your audience and have a good idea of your niche’s compliance requirements. Check their portfolios, reviews, and case studies. This will help you gauge their capabilities and what it would be like to work with them. 

• Knowledge of web design tools. Web design tools are essential in designing and building great websites. Make sure to choose an agency that’s experienced and knowledgeable in using different design tools like prototyping tools for UI/UX.

Tips to Optimize Your Website Building Budget from Duck Design

A tight budget and good design may seem like an unlikely combination, but you can get an amazing and effective website that won’t drain your bank account. In this section, we’ll share helpful tips on how you can maximize your budget without compromising the quality of your website.

• Keep your design simple. The number of pages a site has can influence the cost of developing a website for a small business. if possible, try to limit your pages. Creating a simple yet comprehensive website structure during the planning stage helps a lot. Moreover, keep your design clear and straightforward. This keeps your design from getting too cluttered. Around 38% of visitors will stop engaging with your site if its content or layout is unattractive to them. A complex website can also make its purpose unclear. Plus, it can be difficult to establish your identity if your website has too much going on. Discuss your design needs with your web designer and check out your competitors’ websites. Doing so will help you determine what works and what doesn’t. Your designer can also offer suggestions on how to make your design more effective. 

• Focus on the right site elements. These can bring the cost of a small business website up or down. It’s best to invest in critical elements like SEO optimization, mobile optimization, website utility, and impressive content. 

• Work with an agency that offers a design subscription option. This will give you a lot of flexibility. With Duck Design’s subscription service, for instance, you get unlimited requests and revisions, a dedicated team of professional designers, quick turnaround times, and no hidden costs. When you start your project with us, you get nothing but the best. Our unique subscription model is designed to give you a strategic advantage.