What a small business website really costs

The parts that make up the cost

Almost every website price is some mix of the same parts. When two quotes look far apart, it is usually because one leaves some of these out, or leaves them for you to do.

• Domain name: your web address, such as a name ending in .com. It is rented yearly and renewed.
• Hosting: the service that keeps the website online. Usually a monthly or yearly fee.
• Design and build: choosing a layout, setting up pages, making it work on phones.
• Writing: the words on every page. Often the slowest part, and often left to the owner.
• Photos: your own photos of real jobs, or paid stock images.
• Upkeep: updating hours, services and prices, fixing anything that breaks, renewing the domain.
• Your time: every hour you spend on the website is an hour not spent on paid work.

Your time is a real cost

Owners often compare only the money. But a website you build yourself takes hours: picking a template, learning the editor, writing each page, resizing photos, testing it on a phone. For a roofer or a cleaner who bills by the job, those hours have a price even if no invoice arrives.

Writing is where time disappears. Most owners know their work well but find it hard to describe in a way a stranger understands. A page that says what you do, where you do it and how to reach you is harder to write than it looks.

Four ways to get a website, and what you pay for in each

Do it yourself with a website builder. You pay a subscription that includes hosting and templates. You do the design, writing and upkeep. Lowest in money, highest in time, and the result depends on how much effort you put in.

Hire a freelancer. You usually pay a project fee for the design and build, and sometimes a separate monthly fee for hosting or changes. Quality and reliability vary from person to person, so check their past work and ask who keeps the site running if they become unavailable.

Hire an agency. You pay for a team, which usually means a larger project fee and often a monthly retainer. You get more custom work and more process. It makes sense when you need features a template cannot handle.

Use a done-for-you service. Someone else builds the website on a platform for a set price, and you pay a monthly fee for hosting. Less custom than an agency, far less of your time than doing it yourself.

Where 2oozy fits

We build websites on 2oozy. Its published price is $199 to build the website and then $19 a month for hosting. You see the website before you pay, billed monthly until you cancel. We mention it here so you have one real number to compare against; it is not the right choice for every business, and the questions below apply to us as much as to anyone. Biz Web Helpers and 2oozy are both run by Airmecanx LLC, a Florida company.

Costs people forget

These are the items that turn a cheap quote into an expensive year. Ask about each one before you sign anything.

• Introductory prices that jump at renewal
• Paid add-ons for things you assumed were included, such as contact forms, extra pages or removing the platform's branding
• Email accounts on your own domain, often billed separately
• Change requests billed by the hour after launch
• A full rebuild when the platform or template is retired
• The cost and effort of moving your website if you leave

Questions to ask before you pay

A good provider will answer these plainly. Vague answers are a warning sign.

• What exactly is included in the price, and what is extra?
• Who writes the words on each page?
• Can I see the website before I pay, or at least a draft?
• What does it cost each month or year after launch, and can that change?
• How do I make small changes, like new hours, and is there a charge?
• Who owns the domain name, and is it registered in my name?
• What happens to my website and domain if I cancel?
• Is any help with Google included, and what does it actually involve?