Why Websites Cost What They Cost (And Why Building It Yourself Costs More)
Quick answer: Professional websites for small businesses cost $3,000-$10,000 because you're paying for strategy, design, content writing, technical setup, and testing—work that takes 40-60 hours and requires skills most business owners don't have time to learn. DIY websites seem free but cost you 40-60 hours of your time (worth $3,000-$6,000 at most hourly rates) plus lost customers while you figure it out.
The #1 question I get when I share my website services and pricing: "Why does a website cost so much? Can't I just build it myself for free?"
Here's the truth: yes, you could build it yourself. Squarespace exists. YouTube has tutorials. You could spend the next few months figuring it out.
But here's what that actually costs you:
40-60 hours of your time learning web design instead of serving your actual customers. At your hourly rate, you just paid yourself $3,000-$6,000 to struggle through something you're not good at.
Meanwhile, your potential customers are Googling businesses like yours and choosing your competitor with the better website.
Time is money. Your time is better spent doing what you're actually good at—not wrestling with SEO settings at 11pm wondering why your contact form doesn't work.
Here's what you're actually paying for when you hire someone to build your website.
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What You're Actually Paying For
When you hire someone to build your website, you're not paying for them to click buttons in Squarespace. You're buying back your time and paying for skills you don't have (and don't want to learn).
Here's what goes into a professional website:
Someone figuring out what your website actually needs to do. Not just "look pretty"—actually bring you customers. That means understanding your business well enough to know what pages you need, what order they should go in, and what each page needs to say to turn a visitor into a paying customer.
You don't have time to learn conversion strategy. You're running a business.
Design that makes people trust you enough to hire you. Colors and fonts matter, but not the way you think. Good design is about making sure someone on their phone can find your contact info in three seconds. It's about looking professional enough that people believe you're worth their money. It's about not looking like everyone else's generic template.
You could spend weeks learning design principles, or you could let someone who already knows handle it.
The actual building and fixing. Setting up pages, making sure everything works on phones and tablets and different browsers. Testing your contact form so it actually sends emails to you. Making sure your site loads fast (because people leave slow websites). Fixing the weird stuff that breaks for no reason.
This is where DIY websites fall apart. Something breaks, you spend four hours Googling, and you still can't fix it.
Writing that actually brings in customers. Here's how we handle this: You fill out a questionnaire about your business and what makes you different. You send us whatever you've got—old website copy, brochures, messy notes, whatever. We turn that into clear website copy that sounds like you, explains what you do in plain English, and is optimized so Google can find you.
No staring at a blank page. No writing jargon that makes you sound like every other business. Just clear copy that makes people want to hire you.
How Long Does It Actually Take?
Building a professional website takes 6-8 weeks. Here's why:
Weeks 1-2: Understanding Your Business Before we touch any design tools, we need to understand what makes your business different. You fill out a detailed questionnaire—what you do, who you serve, what makes you different from your competitors.
We review any content you already have (your old website, brochures, even messy notes—whatever you've got). Everything happens in your dedicated client portal using Kitchen.co, so you're not drowning in email threads.
Weeks 2-4: Design & Writing We customize a Squarespace template so it doesn't look like everyone else's. We draft your website copy using your questionnaire answers and existing content—turning it into clear, SEO-optimized pages that sound like you and make people want to hire you.
You review everything in your portal and tell us what needs to change. No endless email chains.
Weeks 4-6: Building & Testing This is where it becomes a real website. Pages get built in Squarespace, forms get connected, everything gets tested on phones and computers.
We test it again. And probably again. Because what works perfectly on a laptop sometimes breaks on an iPhone.
Weeks 6-8: Final Touches & Launch Last round of changes, connecting your domain name, setting up analytics, making sure your email goes to the right place.
We also show you how to update basic stuff yourself—changing text, swapping photos, updating your hours. Because you shouldn't need to pay someone every time you want to change something simple.
Why Squarespace? Because it means you can make updates later without knowing code. You're not locked into paying someone $100 every time you need to change a sentence.
Your Website Should Pay for Itself (Here's How)
This is the part most people don't think about when they're shocked by the price: a good website starts making you money immediately.
It answers questions you'd otherwise spend 20 minutes explaining on the phone. It makes people trust you before they ever contact you. It works while you sleep.
Let's use real numbers:
If your average service costs $2,000 and your website brings you one extra customer per month, that's $24,000 per year.
Your website paid for itself in the first month. Everything after that is profit you wouldn't have made otherwise.
But only if it's built right. A DIY site that looks unprofessional or doesn't clearly explain what you do? That's not bringing in customers—it's sending them to your competitor with the better website.
Here's what a professional website does for your business:
Works 24/7 answering customer questions so you don't have to
Shows up in Google when people search for services like yours
Makes people confident enough to contact you without needing to "check around" first
Filters out bad-fit clients by clearly explaining who you serve and how you work
Gives you back hours of your week by handling the basics automatically
Why There's a Monthly Cost After Your Website Is Built
Here's something that confuses people: after you pay to have your website built, there's still a monthly fee. Usually $20-40 per month for Squarespace.
That's not anyone pocketing extra money. That's hosting—basically rent for where your website lives on the internet.
Think of it like a storefront. Building your website is like renovating the space and setting up your store. But you still need to pay rent for the physical location every month. Website hosting is that rent.
Your website files need to live somewhere that's accessible 24/7 from anywhere in the world. Squarespace maintains the servers (the computers where your site lives), keeps them secure, handles updates, and makes sure your site loads fast.
That $20-40 monthly fee covers:
Your website being online all the time (not just when your computer is on)
Automatic security updates so hackers can't break in
The little lock icon in the browser that makes your site secure
Technical support when something breaks
Storage for all your photos and content
Making your site load fast even when lots of people visit at once
Two Ways to Handle Hosting
Option 1: You handle it yourself. You pay Squarespace directly ($20-40/month depending on your plan). You're responsible for renewals, managing the account, and troubleshooting if something goes wrong.
Option 2: Completely hands-off (we handle it for you). I host your website on my Squarespace account. You pay me monthly or annually—which includes the Squarespace fee plus a small management fee.
Why this matters: You don't have to worry about renewals, password resets, or figuring out settings. And if you accidentally break something trying to update your site, I can hop in and fix it quickly without you needing to explain what happened or wait for a support ticket.
One less thing on your plate. One less login to remember. One less vendor to manage.
The monthly hosting fee is separate from what you paid to build your site. Building it was the strategy, design, and setup. Hosting is what keeps it running.
Why "Doing It Yourself" Actually Costs More
You can absolutely build a website yourself. Squarespace exists. YouTube has tutorials. You could figure it out.
But here's what that actually costs:
Your time. Building a website from scratch takes 40-60 hours if you've never done it before. That's 40-60 hours you're not serving customers, not doing the actual work that makes you money.
If you bill $75/hour, you just spent $3,000-$4,500 of your time to avoid paying someone $3,000-$5,000. Except they would've done it better and faster.
The learning curve. You don't just need to figure out Squarespace. You need to learn what makes good design, how to write for SEO, what pages you actually need, how to make a contact form work, why your site is loading slowly—the list goes on.
Every hour you spend Googling "how to center a button in Squarespace" is an hour you're not doing what you're actually good at.
The opportunity cost. While you're wrestling with your website, potential customers are finding your competitor. They see a professional site that clearly explains what the business does. They see your half-finished DIY site with confusing navigation and stock photos that don't match your business. Who do they hire?
Cheap doesn't mean free. You can find someone who'll build you a website for $500. But here's what you usually get:
A template that looks exactly like everyone else's
Generic stock photos
Pages that don't actually explain what you do or why someone should hire you
No strategy behind what goes where
A site that breaks the first time you try to update something
Now you're stuck. You either leave it broken (and keep losing customers) or you pay someone else to rebuild it properly. That $500 website just cost you $5,000 to fix, plus all the customers you lost while it wasn't working.
What Professional Website Design Actually Costs
A professionally built website for a small business typically costs $3,000-$10,000 depending on how complex it is.
That includes:
Strategy (figuring out what your site needs to do)
Design (customizing templates so you don't look like everyone else)
Content writing (turning your ideas into clear, SEO-optimized copy)
Building it in Squarespace (so you can update it yourself later)
Testing (making sure everything actually works)
Training (so you can handle basic updates)
Is that cheap? No. But compare it to the cost of spending 60 hours building it yourself, or the cost of customers choosing your competitor because their website looks more professional than yours.
Your website should make you money, not cost you opportunities.
The Real Cost Isn't the Price Tag
The real question isn't "why does a website cost so much?"
The real question is: what's it costing you right now not to have a website that works?
You're already paying in:
Lost customers. How many people Google businesses like yours every week and choose someone else because their website is better than yours?
Wasted time. How many hours do you spend answering the same questions over and over that a good website would answer automatically?
Missed opportunities. How many potential clients never contact you because your website doesn't make it clear what you do or why they should choose you?
Your actual time. If you try to build it yourself, you're trading 40-60 hours that you could spend serving paying customers to struggle with something you're not trained to do.
You wear enough hats already. You don't need to add "web designer" to the list.
Your website isn't an expense. It's a tool that should be bringing you customers while you sleep, answering questions while you're with other clients, and making people confident enough to hire you before they ever pick up the phone.
Common Questions About Website Costs
How much should a small business website cost? $3,000-$10,000 for a professional build, depending on how many pages you need and how complex your business is. This includes strategy, design, content writing, and setup in a platform like Squarespace.
Why do websites cost so much? Because building one that brings you customers requires 40-60 hours of work across strategy, design, content writing, technical setup, and testing. You're paying for expertise you don't have and buying back time you'd otherwise waste learning it yourself.
Can I build my own website to save money? You can, but it'll cost you 40-60 hours of your time (worth $3,000-$6,000 if you bill $75/hour), plus the opportunity cost of customers choosing competitors while you figure it out. Most small business owners are better off paying a professional and spending that time serving customers.
Why is there a monthly fee after my website is built? That's hosting—rent for where your website lives on the internet. It covers your site being online 24/7, security updates, technical support, and making sure it loads fast. For Squarespace, it's typically $20-40/month. You can either pay Squarespace directly and manage the account yourself, or we can host it on our account (completely hands-off for you) and you pay us monthly or annually. The hands-off option means one less thing to worry about, and we can quickly fix it if you accidentally break something.
How long does it take to build a website? 6-8 weeks for a professional build. Week 1-2 is understanding your business, weeks 2-4 are design and content, weeks 4-6 are building and testing, and weeks 6-8 are final touches and launch.
What if I just use a cheap template? Templates work if you customize them properly, write good content, and know how to optimize for SEO. Most business owners don't have time to learn all that, so template sites end up looking generic and not bringing in customers. You save $3,000 but lose the customers who would've paid you $20,000+.
What to Look for in a Website Investment
If you're going to invest in a real website, here's what to expect from whoever builds it:
They ask about your business, not just what colors you like. Strategy comes first. A questionnaire or discovery process that digs into what makes you different and who you're trying to reach.
They make the process easy to follow. Everything organized in one place (not scattered across 47 email threads), clear deadlines, and you know exactly what's happening when.
They handle the content writing, not just the design. You shouldn't have to stare at a blank page wondering what to write. They should take what you give them—even if it's messy—and turn it into clear, conversion-focused copy.
They explain what they're doing and why. No jargon, no gatekeeping—just clear explanations of how your site will work and why certain decisions matter.
They set you up to maintain it yourself for basic updates. You shouldn't need to pay someone $100 every time you want to change your hours or swap a photo.
They're honest about timeline and pricing upfront. No surprise charges, no "that'll be extra," and they explain what the ongoing costs are (like hosting) before you're locked in. Bonus points if they offer a hands-off hosting option so you have one less thing to manage.
They make ongoing support easy. Whether that's training you to handle updates yourself, offering a hands-off hosting option where they manage everything, or being available for quick fixes when you need them.
Bottom Line
Websites cost what they cost because building one that actually works takes time, skill, and strategy.
The question isn't whether you can afford to invest in a good website. It's whether you can afford not to—while your competitors are capturing the customers who never found you.
Not sure what makes sense for your business? Let's figure it out together. No pressure, just a straight conversation about what you actually need.
Ready to talk about your website? Get in touch and we'll walk through what makes sense for your business—no corporate speak, no pressure, just real answers.
Sources
This article references industry research and data from multiple authoritative sources:
Website Costs:
Forbes research found that professional small business website design costs between $2,000 and $9,000 on average
Business.com reports that small businesses typically spend between $500 and $3,000 for basic sites, while larger businesses spend $3,000 to $5,000
Industry research shows experienced web designers charge $5,000-$10,000 for professional small business websites in 2025, with potential costs up to $20,000 for complex projects
Time Investment:
Sitemile research shows simple websites require 50-100 hours to build, medium complexity sites take 120-250 hours, and complex projects require 300-800 hours
Ripcord Design reports that a standard 10-page business website typically requires 20-40 hours for design and development
Squarespace Hosting:
Squarespace pricing starts at $16/month for the Basic plan and goes up to $99/month for the Advanced plan when billed annually
After the first free year, Squarespace domain renewals typically cost $10-$20 per year for standard domains
