How much does a small business website cost in 2026?
By Jennie Tewell
A small business website in 2026 can cost anywhere from a monthly subscription on a do-it-yourself builder to a few thousand dollars for a custom design, plus an ongoing cost to keep it online. At Made by Crane, custom websites are $999, $1,499 or $2,299, and care plans with hosting start at $29 a month. A ready-made site for your industry is $399 to launch, then $49 a month, or $490 a year with the launch included.
That's the short answer. The longer one is worth a few minutes, because the build price is only part of what you'll pay.
The two costs every website has
Every website has a one-time cost and an ongoing cost.
The one-time cost is the design and build. That's the work of planning your pages, designing how they look, loading in your words and photos, and launching.
The ongoing cost is what keeps the site online and healthy: hosting, security updates, backups, and someone to fix things when they break. On a do-it-yourself builder, that's your monthly subscription plus your own time. With a studio, it's usually a care plan.
When you compare quotes, compare both. A cheap build with an expensive or unclear monthly cost isn't cheap.
What a custom website costs with us
We keep it to three packages with the prices on the page, so you don't have to add up a menu.
- Essential, $999. Up to 5 pages and 2 rounds of revisions. A polished site that covers the basics.
- Signature, $1,499. Up to 8 pages, a blog or events (your pick), a gallery or portfolio, lead capture with an auto-reply, and 3 rounds of revisions. Most businesses pick this one.
- Premier, $2,299. Up to 12 pages, a blog and events, a gallery or portfolio, lead capture with an auto-reply, a follow-up email sequence, a Brand Starter (palette, fonts and a text logo), and 3 rounds of revisions.
Every package includes a custom design that works on phones, an editor for your text and photos, a contact form with email alerts, basic SEO and Google setup, and a launch walkthrough video.
You can pay a 50% deposit to book your start date and the rest before launch, or split any package into three monthly payments. Signature works out to $500 a month that way.
What it costs to keep it running
Every site we build is hosted by us, so every site has a care plan.
- Hosting Only, $29 a month. Hosting, SSL, daily backups, security updates and the editor. You make your own changes, and changes we make are billed in 15-minute blocks.
- Site Care, $59 a month. Adds uptime monitoring, 30 minutes of changes a month and replies within 2 business days.
- Site Care Plus, $99 a month. 90 minutes of changes a month, replies within 1 business day, and a quarterly check-in on your traffic and leads.
- App Care, from $175 a month. For sites with a storefront or custom app.
Pay yearly and you get 2 months free.
The first-year math
Here's what the first year looks like for a few common combinations, with care paid yearly.
| What you choose | Build | First year of care | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Essential + Hosting Only | $999 | $290 | $1,289 |
| Signature + Site Care | $1,499 | $590 | $2,089 |
| Premier + Site Care Plus | $2,299 | $990 | $3,289 |
| Ready-made, paid yearly | Included | $490 | $490 |
After the first year, you only pay for care. A Signature site on Site Care is $590 a year from then on.
The ready-made option
If a custom design is more than you need, a ready-made site is a finished design for your industry, with an editor built for it. You send your logo, words and photos, and we set it up and launch it within 7 days of getting everything.
It's $399 to launch, then $49 a month, or $490 a year with the launch included. The monthly price covers hosting, backups, security, the editor and email support. Extra features are $10 to $30 a month each. Ready-made sites are available for any kind of small business.
If you outgrow it, your content carries over into a custom design and your launch fee is credited.
The costs people forget
A few things that are easy to leave out of the budget:
- Extra pages. Beyond your package's limit, each extra page is $150.
- Branding. If you don't have a logo or colors yet, Brand Starter is $299 and Brand Kit (a custom logo, palette, fonts, a one-page brand guide and social images) is $599.
- Changes beyond your plan. Extra work is $75 an hour in 15-minute blocks, or a flat quote.
- Your own time. Gathering words and photos takes real hours. We ask for them within 14 days of booking.
- Your domain. You register and own your domain, usually about $10 to $20 a year with any registrar. Most owners already have one. We connect it to your site for you.
So what should you budget?
If you want something simple and you're happy to make your own changes, plan on roughly $1,300 for the first year with Essential and Hosting Only. If you want a site that brings in inquiries and someone to make changes for you, Signature with Site Care is about $2,100 for the first year. If you need a finished site fast, a ready-made site starts at $490 a year.
Want a number for your business? Tell us what you're working on and we'll set up a 20-minute call. Or see the packages side by side.
Quick answers
How much does a custom small business website cost at Made by Crane?
$999 for Essential, $1,499 for Signature or $2,299 for Premier, plus a care plan from $29 a month.
Is hosting included in the website price?
Hosting is part of the care plan, which every site we build needs. Plans start at $29 a month, with 2 months free when you pay yearly.
Can I pay for my website in installments?
Yes. Any package can be split into three monthly payments, or you can pay a 50% deposit and the rest before launch.
What's the cheapest way to get a site from Made by Crane?
A ready-made site paid yearly: $490 a year with the launch included. It's available for any kind of small business.