How much does a small business website really cost in the first year

It ranges from about $100 to $10,000 or more, depending on who builds it. A DIY builder runs roughly $100 to $500 plus ongoing fees (iubenda, 2025), while a freelancer or agency typically charges $2,000 to $10,000 for the project (Space-O Technologies, 2025). WordPress software is free, so that route costs mainly hosting and a domain.

Quick answer

• A DIY website builder costs about $100 to $500 in the first year plus ongoing fees (iubenda, 2025).
• A freelancer or agency typically charges $2,000 to $10,000 for a small business website (Space-O Technologies, 2025).
• Subscription website builders commonly bill $16 to $159 per month, every month (Verlua, 2026).
• WordPress software is free and open source; you pay mainly for hosting from about $1.99 to $3.99 per month on entry plans (Duplicator, 2025).
• One analysis found WordPress costs 30 to 50 percent less than equivalent builder setups over five years (NorthMac, 2026).

How much does a small business website cost in the first year

The honest range is wide because the price depends entirely on who does the work. At the low end, a DIY builder is about $100 to $500 for the first year (iubenda, 2025). In the middle and up, a freelancer or agency project usually lands between $2,000 and $10,000 (Space-O Technologies, 2025). Cost is not a small detail: 27 percent of United States small businesses still have no website, and cost is one of the most cited reasons (Zippia, 2025). Knowing the real ranges helps you avoid both overpaying and underbuilding.

Option 1: the cost of a DIY website builder

A do-it-yourself builder is the cheapest to start and the easiest to underestimate. The upfront cost is roughly $100 to $500 for a basic website, plus about $200 per year in ongoing maintenance (iubenda, 2025). On subscription builders that recurring fee is monthly, commonly $16 to $159 depending on the tier and features (Verlua, 2026), so the real cost is the subscription repeating for as long as you stay. You also trade money for time, since you do the building, the layout, and the writing yourself.

Option 2: the cost of hiring a freelancer

A freelancer sits in the middle on price and varies a lot by experience. Typical rates run $50 to $100 per hour, with small business projects often quoted at $2,000 to $10,000 (Space-O Technologies, 2025). One marketplace puts freelance designers at $30 to $200 per hour, with basic websites at $1,000 to $5,000 and custom work climbing to $5,000 to $25,000 or more (Fiverr, 2025). You get a person and some accountability, but for a standard website you may be paying custom rates for fairly standard work, a tradeoff we examine in is it worth paying someone to build a website.

Option 3: the cost of hiring an agency

An agency is the high end, and it is worth it only when the project is genuinely complex. Experienced developers commonly charge $100 to $125 per hour, with typical projects at $5,000 to $10,000 and custom builds running past $20,000 (Mark Brinker, 2025). For that price you get strategy, design, and development, which earns its keep on a large or unusual website but is hard to justify for a simple service or brochure website. Whether your project actually needs that level is the question in do I need to hire a web developer for a small business website.

Option 4: the cost of an AI generator plus WordPress

This is the newest option and usually the lowest first-year cost for a standard website. The WordPress software is free and open source, so the main cost is hosting, commonly about $1.99 to $3.99 per month on entry plans like Bluehost, often with a free domain for the first year (Duplicator, 2025). If the generation step itself is free, the website itself adds nothing beyond the hosting you would pay anyway. The one thing to verify is ownership, that you receive real WordPress files you keep, which we cover in do you own your website if you built it with a website builder.

What are the hidden ongoing costs

The build price is only part of the first year, and the recurring costs are where platforms differ most. DIY builders add about $200 per year in upkeep (iubenda, 2025), and subscription builders charge every month indefinitely. With WordPress the recurring cost is mainly hosting, plus an optional paid theme as a one-time $50 to $200 and optional plugins at roughly $50 to $200 per year (WPBeginner, 2026). Because the WordPress software has no subscription, one analysis found it costs 30 to 50 percent less than equivalent builder setups over five years (NorthMac, 2026).

Which option is cheapest over time

Over several years, owning your WordPress files is usually the lowest total cost, because you skip the monthly software fee entirely. A subscription builder can look cheap in month one and then bill $16 to $159 every month after (Verlua, 2026), while a freelancer or agency is a large one-time outlay of $2,000 to $10,000 (Space-O Technologies, 2025). WordPress keeps your recurring cost close to plain hosting, which is why it tends to win on five-year totals (NorthMac, 2026). It also keeps the website portable, so a price increase from one host just means switching to another.

How long does each option take to build

Time and cost usually move together, with one recent exception. A professional build typically takes 4 to 8 weeks, a DIY builder one to three days, and a complex custom website 6 months or more (Elementor, 2026). The exception is a done-for-you AI generator, which produces the first version of a website in about 2 minutes, after which you add your own details. That speed is why the AI-plus-WordPress route can be both the fastest and among the cheapest for a standard small business website.

First-year website cost at a glance

Frequently asked questions

How much does a small business website cost in the first year

It ranges from about $100 to $10,000 or more depending on who builds it. A DIY builder runs roughly $100 to $500 plus ongoing fees (iubenda, 2025). A freelancer or agency typically charges $2,000 to $10,000 for the project (Space-O Technologies, 2025). WordPress software is free, so that route costs mainly hosting and a domain.

What is the cheapest way to get a professional website

Owning the WordPress files and paying only for hosting is the lowest long-term cost, because the software is free. Entry hosting runs about $1.99 to $3.99 per month on plans like Bluehost, often with a free domain for the first year (Duplicator, 2025). One analysis found WordPress typically costs 30 to 50 percent less than equivalent builder setups over five years (NorthMac, 2026).

How much does a freelancer or agency charge for a website

Freelancers and agencies usually charge $2,000 to $10,000 for a small business website, or $50 to $100 per hour (Space-O Technologies, 2025). Experienced developers often quote $100 to $125 per hour, with typical projects landing at $5,000 to $10,000 and custom work running past $20,000 (Mark Brinker, 2025). The wide range reflects how custom the work is.

What are the hidden ongoing costs of a website

Beyond the build, plan for recurring costs: hosting, a domain renewal, and maintenance. DIY builders add about $200 per year in upkeep (iubenda, 2025), and subscription builders bill every month, commonly $16 to $159 (Verlua, 2026). With WordPress the recurring cost is mainly hosting, plus optional paid plugins of roughly $50 to $200 per year (WPBeginner, 2026).

How long does it take to build a small business website

A professional build typically takes 4 to 8 weeks, while a DIY builder can be done in one to three days, and a complex custom website can run 6 months or more (Elementor, 2026). A done-for-you AI generator produces the first version in about 2 minutes, after which you add your own details. Time and cost usually rise together.

Is an AI website builder cheaper than a freelancer

Usually yes for a standard small business website. A freelancer or agency charges $2,000 to $10,000 for the project (Space-O Technologies, 2025), while an AI generator that outputs real WordPress can cost only hosting if the build itself is free. The thing to check is ownership: make sure you get WordPress files you keep, not a website locked inside the tool.

The bottom line

A small business website can cost anywhere from a hundred dollars to tens of thousands, and the right number depends on how custom your project really is. For a standard website, the cheapest durable option is owning your WordPress files and paying only for hosting, which keeps your recurring cost near the price of hosting you would need anyway.

Expert Built is built around that model. You answer a few questions and get a complete, professional website on real WordPress, free to preview, that you own and edit yourself with the Gutenberg block editor and get online with hosting through Bluehost. Expert Built has partnered with Bluehost since 2017 and earns a commission when you host through us, which keeps the website generator free to use. For more, read how Expert Built works.