Website pricing guide: what should a small business site really cost?

Website pricing feels like a mystery. One agency quotes $200. Another quotes $5,000 for the "same" site. Here's what actually drives the number, and what a fair price looks like in 2026.

What actually drives the price

• Number of pages. A 4-page site is much less work than a 12-page one.
• Design complexity. Template site vs custom design vs animated interactive site — three very different price tiers.
• Content. Do you have the copy and images, or does the agency have to write and source them?
• Features. Contact form is standard. Booking, blog, CMS, member login, multilingual, e-commerce cart — each adds cost.
• SEO scope. Basic on-page SEO is standard. Full SEO strategy, keyword research and content optimisation is extra.
• Support period. 1 free month of changes vs 6 months vs ongoing retainer.

Realistic 2026 price ranges

Starter — $200 to $400

Small brochure site (up to 4 pages), mobile-friendly, contact form, basic SEO. Good for solo professionals, small local businesses, service providers who just need an online presence. NEXLIVO's Starter package is $300 in this range.

Business — $400 to $900

Full business site (up to 8 pages), custom design, animations, blog or booking, full on-page SEO. Good for growing businesses that need to look professional and rank on Google. NEXLIVO's Business package is $500 here.

E-commerce / Custom — $700 to $2,500

Full product catalogue, cart, checkout, payment gateway integration, advanced SEO and analytics. Or complex custom builds with specific functionality. NEXLIVO's E-commerce package starts at $700.

Enterprise / Bespoke — $3,000+

Multi-language, advanced integrations, custom back-end, high-traffic infrastructure. If a standard business site is over $3k without serious custom functionality, ask why.

What to avoid

• $50-$150 "professional websites." These are almost always drag-and-drop templates with no SEO, no custom design, and often no ongoing support.
• Hidden hosting or licence fees. Ask what's included and what recurring costs exist.
• 100% upfront payment. Fair agencies invoice on milestones. NEXLIVO takes 50% after delivery, 50% after a month.
• Per-edit charges immediately after launch. Expect at least 1 free month of reasonable changes.

How to budget

A useful rule: don't just budget for the site build. Budget for the site + first year of essentials.

• Site build: $300-$700 (small business)
• Domain: ~$15/year
• Hosting: ~$5-$20/month (many small business sites host on free tiers like Cloudflare Pages)
• Post-launch changes: $70-$100 per change after the free month
• Optional: ongoing SEO, content, or social media retainer

Bottom line

A solid small business website in 2026 costs between $300 and $900 depending on scope. Anything cheaper is usually a template. Anything much more expensive is either enterprise-scale or overpriced. Want a specific quote? Send us your requirements and we'll price it clearly with no upfront payment.