How much does a small business website cost?

A small business website has three costs: a domain, hosting, and the work of building it. The first two are small and predictable. The third depends on who does it.

The domain

Common endings like .com usually cost somewhere between $10 and $20 a year. Some endings are much more expensive, and some providers offer a cheap first year followed by a higher renewal price, so check what you will pay in year two, not only today.

Hosting

For a small business site, hosting typically costs a few dollars a month. Paying for a longer term usually lowers the monthly price. What matters more than the headline price:

• The renewal price. Some introductory prices rise sharply at renewal.
• Automatic renewal. Know whether your card will be charged without asking.
• Backups and SSL. Both should be included. SSL (the padlock and https) should never be an extra charge.
• Support. Who answers when something breaks, and how.

Design and building

This is where prices vary the most. Doing it yourself with a good template costs mainly your time. Hiring a freelancer or agency can cost anything from a few hundred to several thousand dollars, depending on how much is custom. For most small businesses, a well-made template with your own words and photos is enough to start.

Costs people forget

• Email at your domain ([email protected]) is often a separate service with its own monthly fee.
• Paid plugins or themes with yearly licences.
• Your time to write the pages and keep them current.
• Online payments, if you sell online, which usually take a percentage per sale.

A realistic small-business budget

For a simple site you build from a template: a domain at roughly $10 to $20 a year, hosting at a few dollars a month, and a weekend of your time. That is enough to have a professional site that answers your customers' questions.

What it costs on Almulx

Plans are paid for the whole term and never renew on their own. Starter (one website) is $2.09 a month on a 36-month term, billed $75.24 upfront; shorter terms cost more per month. With Starter for 36 months, or Pro Business and Cloud for 24 or 36 months, a standard domain is free for the first year, then renews at the normal price. SSL, nightly backups and the setup wizard are included, and new plans come with a 15-day money-back guarantee. See all plans.