What a website really costs
A builder gives you a blank template and a monthly bill. We give you a finished site, written and set up for your business. Here's how the options compare.
| Option | What you get | Ongoing work | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Website | A finished site: up to 6 service pages, 10 town pages, 2 website tools, lead forms and a leads dashboard | You handle marketing. Edits after launch are $49 each. Call tracking not included. | $399 one time. Hosting optional at $9/month. You own the site. |
| Website + Marketing | Everything in Website, bigger: up to 12 service pages, 50 town pages and every tool for your trade | Hosting, call tracking, local SEO, Google Business Profile upkeep, 2 blog posts and 2 edits each month | $699/month. No setup fee, cancel anytime. You own the site. |
| DIY website builder | A blank template. You write the copy and set up forms and tools. | You maintain it, or pay someone to | A monthly subscription. Check renewal prices and export limits. |
| Marketing agency | Depends on the written scope | SEO, content and ads may be bundled or extra | Many agency marketing packages cost $1,000+ a month and lock you into a contract. |
The numbers side by side
$399 Website
$399 if you host it yourself. With our $9/month hosting: $507 for the first year, $723 over three years.
Website + Marketing
$699/month, or $8,388 over 12 months, including the marketing work. Compare it with an agency retainer, not a website alone.
Not in these numbers
Your domain, taxes, add-ons and any ad budget. An ad budget is a separate monthly charge, shown with the total before you pay, and no ads run until you approve them. How ad budgets work.
Got a monthly quote for a website only? Compare it with the $399 Website →
Five questions to ask any provider
- Who writes the pages, and how many are included?
- Which tools and reports stop working if I cancel?
- Who owns the domain, content, code and ad accounts?
- Is ad spend separate from the fee, and who approves campaigns?
- Are results guaranteed, or is the promise a set amount of work?
Our answer to the last one: we can't promise rankings or a set number of leads, but we can promise the work. We check every page before launch, run checks on every blog post and never run ads without your approval.
See my free homepage See both plans