If you've asked three people what a website costs, you've probably heard three wildly different numbers. That's because "a website" can mean a one-page builder template or a custom, fast, search-optimized sales tool. Here's how the options break down for a typical Utah small business, and how to decide.
The three main options
DIY website builders
Platforms like Wix or Squarespace typically run from roughly $20 to $50 a month, plus your time. Good for getting something up quickly. The trade-offs: generic templates, slower pages, and you're doing the design, writing, and SEO yourself.
Freelancers
A freelance designer might charge roughly $1,000 to $5,000 for a small-business site, depending on experience and scope. Quality varies a lot. Ask to see live sites they've built and check them on your phone.
Agencies and studios
Custom work from an agency or studio often lands in the several-thousand to five-figure range for local businesses. You're paying for strategy, design, copywriting, development, SEO setup, and support in one place.
What actually drives the price
- Number of pages. A single page costs less than a site with separate pages for each service and city you serve.
- Custom design vs a template. Custom work takes longer but makes you look different from competitors.
- Copywriting. Writing clear, persuasive pages is real work. Some quotes include it; many don't.
- Features. Booking, online payments, galleries, quote forms, and integrations all add time.
- SEO setup. Service pages, local pages, structured data, and speed work help you get found, and take effort.
- Photos and video. Real photos of your work beat stock images, but someone has to take them.
Don't forget ongoing costs
A website isn't a one-time purchase. Budget for:
- Domain name: usually around $10 to $30 a year.
- Hosting: from free on some modern platforms to tens of dollars a month.
- Maintenance and updates: optional care plans commonly run from about $50 to a few hundred dollars a month, depending on what's included.
- Marketing: local SEO, reviews, and ads are separate from the site itself.
Cheap can get expensive
The cheapest option isn't always the least expensive. A slow, confusing site quietly costs you calls every week. If your average job is worth a few hundred dollars or more, a site that brings in even one or two extra customers a month often pays for itself.
That said, you don't always need the biggest package. A brand-new business might start with a strong one-page site and grow into more pages later.
Questions to ask before you pay anyone
- Do I own the website, domain, and content if we part ways?
- Is copywriting included, or do I need to write everything?
- Will it be fast on a phone? Can you show me sites you've built?
- What's included for SEO?
- What does it cost per month after launch, and what does that cover?
- Is the price fixed up front, or billed by the hour?
How we price at Ascend
We quote every project after a short, free call, because a two-page site for a new salon and a twenty-page site for an HVAC company are different jobs. You get one clear number before we start. You own everything we build.
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