Website cost guide · 2026 · US and Illinois
How much does a website cost in 2026?
The honest answer is a range, and the range is wide. This guide shows what US small businesses actually pay, what moves the price, what it costs to keep a site running, and how to spot a bad quote. It also has our own count of Illinois prices, Chicagoland and the rest of the state. At the end you can estimate your own project in 30 seconds.
By David Abellán, co-founder · Updated · 12 min read
The short answer
A professionally built small business website in the US typically costs $2,000 to $10,000 up front with a freelancer or small studio, plus $500 to $3,000 a year for hosting and maintenance. A DIY builder costs $200 to $600 a year but you do the work. Online stores and web apps cost more, and large agencies start around $15,000.
Our own published prices start at $269 for a simple one-page site, and $449–$899 for a custom business website. They sit below the typical range because every package has a fixed scope and is built on our own component system, published as a static site.
The market
Who builds websites, and what they charge
These are the typical ranges we see in published price lists and proposals across the US market in 2026. They are broad on purpose: a quote outside them is not automatically wrong, but it should come with a reason.
| Option | To build | Every year after |
|---|---|---|
| DIY website builderWix, Squarespace, Shopify Basic | Your own time | $200–$600 a year in plan fees, plus apps |
| FreelancerOne designer or developer | $1,000–$6,000 | $300–$1,500 a year if they host and maintain it |
| Small studioA team of 2 to 15 people | $2,000–$15,000 | $500–$3,000 a year for hosting and care |
| Mid-size or large agencyStrategy, content and dev teams | $15,000–$75,000+ | $5,000+ a year in retainers |
When a DIY builder is the right call
If you need a few pages to prove you exist, have more time than budget, and do not depend on the site for leads, a builder is a sensible start. The costs show up later: premium plans and apps add up, speed is hard to tune, and moving away usually means rebuilding.
When it is worth hiring someone
If the site has to make the phone ring, sell products or replace a manual process, it is a sales tool, not a business card. Then speed, search visibility and a clear path to contact you matter more than the build price, and a professional build tends to pay for itself.
Illinois · our own data · November 2026
What a website costs in Illinois: Chicagoland vs the rest of the state
The ranges above describe the US market. These do not: in November 2026 we read the websites of 122 web design providers based in Illinois, one by one, and wrote down every published price. The first finding is that most publish none: only 34 of the 122 (28%) show a build price for a small-business website.
| Region | Sites read | Publish a build price | Median entry price |
|---|---|---|---|
| ChicagolandCook, DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry, Will, Kendall and Grundy | 38 | 16 (42%) | $525 |
| Illinois outside Chicagolandthe rest of the state | 84 | 18 (21%) | $849 |
| All of Illinois | 122 | 34 (28%) | $663 |
What the numbers say
In Chicagoland, 42 studios in 100 publish a build price; elsewhere in the state, 21. Among those that do, the median entry price is $525 in Chicagoland and $849 in the rest of the state, with very wide ranges in both. Each studio's lowest monthly plan (hosting, care or a required monthly fee) has a median of $60 and $45. Separately, 7 providers offer to rent you a site instead of selling it: no build fee and $75 to $258 a month (median $109).
Around Princeton
Sites of studios based in each area that we could read, and how many show a build price. With numbers this small, we give no median.
- Illinois Valley 3 of 7
- Sauk Valley 1 of 1
- Peoria area 1 of 13
- Quad Cities (Illinois side) 2 of 5
- Rockford area 1 of 12
How we collected this
In November 2026 we built a list of 290 web design businesses based in Illinois (from directories, chamber listings and searches), opened every website we could find for them and were able to read 122. A price counts only if we read it on the provider's own site: no directory figures, no search snippets. The list already leaves out out-of-state sellers with Illinois city pages, articles, media groups and franchises, and the few that an independent second check could not confirm. A "small-business website" is a brochure site of up to 20 pages and up to $10,000; stores, redesigns, SEO and hosting are out. Each studio counts once, at its entry price. We give a median only with 5 or more studios and a range with 3 or more. These are published prices, not what anyone quotes in private, and it is not a census: some sites would not load.
Our prices
What we charge, published
Most agencies hide their prices behind a call. Ours are the same ranges we use in proposals, and every project gets a fixed price in writing before work starts. Weeks are calendar weeks, not full-time effort. The full breakdown, with extras, lives on our pricing page, and our three fixed-price website packages spell out what each one includes. Each package includes its first 12 months of hosting, so year one costs the package price (Starter $269, Business $449, Growth $899), plus tax and a domain if you do not have one. From month 13: $15 a month to keep it hosted, or take it with you.
| Project | Price | Timeline |
|---|---|---|
| Simple website | $269 | 1–2 wks |
| Business website | $449–$899 | 2–4 wks |
| Multi-location or service-area site | $899–$2,240 | 4–8 wks |
| Online store | from $2,499 | 5–8 wks |
| Web or mobile app | $2,499–$14,999 | 10–16 wks |
| Portal or community | $3,499–$8,999 | 6–10 wks |
| SaaS platform | $9,999–$24,999 | 10–16 wks |
Every build includes a 90-day warranty: if something we built breaks, we fix it at no cost. See examples in our case studies, or how we build in custom development.
What drives the price
Why two similar sites can cost very different amounts
Page count is the number everybody asks about and the one that matters least. These are the eight things that actually move a quote, with what each one adds on our own price list.
Number of distinct templates, not pages
Ten service pages that share one layout cost far less than ten pages that each look different. Ask any quote to tell you how many templates it includes.
Custom design vs. a refined theme
A designed-from-scratch visual identity adds $349–$749 on our list. Many small businesses do not need it on day one.
Selling online
Payments, shipping rules, taxes, inventory and order emails are real engineering. A store starts where a business site ends.
Integrations
Connecting forms and bookings to Square, Jobber, a booking system or your CRM typically adds $499–$1,199. Payments and subscriptions add $799–$1,999.
Logins and private areas
User accounts, permissions and password recovery add $1,499–$3,499. If you only need a contact form, you do not need accounts.
Content: who writes it
Copy and photos are the most common reason projects slip. Having your text ready saves money; having it written for you costs it.
SEO done properly
Technical SEO, structured data and pages written to compete for real searches add $399–$999 as a one-off. Ongoing local SEO is a separate monthly service.
A second language
A real bilingual site has its own URLs, hreflang and content. Ours is included in the Business and Growth packages, and on the one-page Starter it adds $99. A translate widget is not the same thing.
After launch
The ongoing costs nobody mentions up front
A website runs on software that gets security patches every month. Budget for these from day one, so year two is not a surprise.
| Cost | Typical range |
|---|---|
| Domain name | $10–$25 a year |
| Hosting | $5–$50 a month |
| SSL certificate | Usually $0 |
| Business email | About $6–$15 per user a month |
| Maintenance and care | $40–$500 a month |
| Premium plugins or apps | $0–$300 a year |
What we charge to keep a site running
Hosting, SSL, daily backups and uptime monitoring. No updates or changes included.
Hosting, updates, backups and monitoring, plus up to 15 minutes of small changes a month.
Hosting, updates, backups and monitoring, plus up to 45 minutes of small changes a month.
Hosting, updates, backups and monitoring, plus up to 120 minutes of small changes a month.
Care plans are month to month, with no contract, and optional: a new website we build already includes 12 months of hosting. Local SEO, if you want it, is $199 a month, month to month, with a monthly report of inquiries and cost per inquiry. Details on managed hosting.
Red flags
Signs a cheap quote will get expensive
- The domain is registered in the agency’s name, not yours.
- No written scope: the price is a number with no list of what it includes.
- You can’t export or move the site if you leave (some proprietary builders and agency platforms lock you in).
- A monthly fee with no clear deliverable: no updates log, no backups, no report.
- “Guaranteed #1 on Google.” Nobody can promise that honestly.
- No mention of who writes the content or what happens if it is late.
- No warranty after launch, or one that ends before real traffic arrives.
Save money
Six ways to pay less without getting less
- Have your content ready. Text, photos and logo before kickoff. It is the single biggest saver.
- Start smaller, then grow. Launch the pages that bring in business first. Add the blog, the portal or the store later.
- Reuse templates. Design one great service page and use it for every service.
- Ask for a fixed price. Hourly billing moves the risk to you. A fixed price with a written scope keeps it with the builder.
- Skip features you will not use. Accounts, chat widgets and animations all cost money to build and to maintain.
- Own everything. Domain, hosting account and code in your name means switching later costs nothing.
Comparing quotes
Five questions to ask every web designer
How many templates does this price include?
It tells you more than the page count, and makes two quotes comparable.
Who writes the content, and what if it is late?
Content delays are the most common reason projects run over.
What happens after launch, and what does it cost?
Ask for the monthly fee, what it includes, and whether you can leave.
Will the domain, hosting account and code be in my name?
If the answer is anything but yes, keep looking.
Can I see three live sites you built?
Not mockups: real sites, with real URLs, that you can open on your phone.
Already have a site? Find out what to fix before you rebuild.
Sometimes the cheapest website is the one you already have, fixed. Send us your URL and a person on our team will email you a written teardown with your top 5 fixes, free, within 2 business days.
Website cost FAQ
How much does a small business website cost in 2026?
Most small business websites in the US cost between $2,000 and $10,000 to build with a freelancer or small studio, plus $500 to $3,000 a year to host and maintain. A DIY builder costs $200 to $600 a year in fees but takes your time. Our own prices start at $269 for a simple one-page site and $449–$899 for a custom business website.
How much does a website cost in Illinois?
Of the 122 Illinois web design providers whose websites we read in November 2026, 34 publish a build price for a small-business website. Among them, the median entry price is $525 in Chicagoland and $849 in the rest of the state, and the lowest monthly plan has a median of $60 and $45. Most studios quote on request, so ask each one for a written scope and compare line by line.
Why do website quotes vary so much?
Because two quotes for "a website" often describe different things: number of templates, custom design or theme, who writes the content, integrations, SEO, and whether hosting and maintenance are included. Ask every provider for a written scope and compare line by line.
Is Wix or Squarespace cheaper than hiring someone?
In cash, often yes for the first year. Over three to five years the gap shrinks once you add premium plans, apps and your own hours, and a builder site is harder to move or optimize for speed. For a hobby or a very simple site, a builder is fine. For a site that has to bring in customers, a professional build usually pays for itself.
How much does website maintenance cost per month?
Typically $40 to $500 a month depending on what is included. Our care plans are Hosting Only $15, Essential Care $49, Business Care $99, Growth Care $199 a month, month to month, with hosting included in all of them. A new website we build also comes with its first 12 months of hosting included.
How long does it take to build a website?
A simple site takes 1–2 wks and a custom business website 2–4 wks of calendar time on our schedule. Stores take 5–8 wks. The biggest variable is usually how quickly content and feedback arrive.
Do I own my website when it is finished?
You should. Make sure the contract says the domain, the code and the content are yours, and that you can take them to another host. With us they are, from launch day.
