“How much does a website cost?” is usually the first question a business owner asks us, and the honest answer is “it depends” — which isn’t very helpful on its own. So this guide explains what it depends on. By the end you should be able to tell which kind of website you need, which way of building it fits your business, and what to budget for after launch, not just on day one.
We’re a web design and development company in Nampa, Idaho, and we’ve been building WordPress websites since 2016 for businesses in Boise, Meridian and across the Treasure Valley, as well as brands nationwide. The ranges below come from published sources (linked at the end), not from guesswork.
The short answer
A business website has two kinds of cost:
- The build — designing and setting up the site. This can be close to zero if you do it yourself on a website builder, a few hundred to a few thousand dollars with a freelancer, or more with an agency or for a complex store.
- The running costs — domain, hosting or a builder subscription, security, updates and changes. These continue every year the site is online.
For a sense of scale, GoDaddy’s 2026 cost guide lists a small business website at about $640 and up as a one-time fee with a web designer, small to medium eCommerce sites at $5,000 and up, and large custom sites at $15,000 and up. Treat those as starting points: they come from a company that sells builders, hosting and design services, and real projects vary widely.
Three ways to get a website built
1. Do it yourself on a website builder
Website builders such as WordPress.com, Squarespace, Wix and Shopify let you pick a template and edit it in your browser. You pay a monthly or annual subscription instead of a design fee.
As of October 2026, for example, WordPress.com’s pricing page lists its Business plan at $40/month billed monthly, or $25/month billed yearly, and its Personal plan from $9/month billed monthly. Squarespace and Wix publish similar tiered plans, and the cheapest prices on each usually require paying for a year or more up front.
Good fit if: you have more time than budget, need a simple brochure site, and are comfortable writing your own copy and choosing your own photos.
Watch for: the hidden cost is your time. A template looks finished in the demo, but planning pages, writing content, setting up forms and making it look right on phones takes far longer than most owners expect. Moving off a builder later can also mean starting over.
2. Hire a freelancer
An independent designer or developer can build a custom site for less than an agency typically charges, because there’s less overhead. Quality and process vary a lot from one freelancer to the next.
For context on what this kind of skilled work is worth, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a median wage of $47.85 per hour for web developers and digital designers (May 2025). A freelancer’s rate also covers their own taxes, software and unbilled time, so expect project quotes to reflect more than salary-equivalent pay.
Good fit if: your site is straightforward and you’ve found someone with a portfolio you like and solid references.
Watch for: what happens after launch. Ask who will update the site, fix it if something breaks, and whether you’ll own your domain, hosting account and content if the freelancer moves on.
3. Work with a web design agency
An agency brings a team and a process: planning, design, development, content help, testing and launch support. You pay more than you would for a template, but you’re paying for a site planned around your business goals and someone accountable when things need to change.
Good fit if: your website is a main source of leads or sales, you need features like online booking, payments, a store or integrations, or you don’t have time to manage the project yourself.
Watch for: make sure the proposal spells out what’s included (number of pages, who writes the content, revisions, training) and what isn’t.
What drives the price up or down
Two quotes for “a website” can be thousands of dollars apart because they describe different projects. These are the factors that move the number most:
Number of pages and templates
A five-page site (Home, About, Services, Contact, plus one more) is a very different job from a 40-page site with a service page for every offering and a page for each location you serve. More unique page layouts mean more design and build time.
Custom design vs. a template
Starting from a pre-built theme is faster and cheaper. A custom design built around your brand, your customers and your goals takes more time, but it fits your business instead of forcing your business into someone else’s layout. We build most WordPress sites with the Divi theme framework, which gives us a flexible starting point while keeping the design custom.
Content: who writes it and who supplies the photos
Content is the most commonly underestimated part of a website project. If you’ll write your own copy and supply your own photos, the budget goes further. If you need help with writing, photography or graphics, plan for it up front.
Features and integrations
Contact forms are standard. Online booking, member areas, calculators, payment forms, CRM or email-marketing connections and custom search all add time. Each integration also needs to be maintained.
eCommerce
Online stores cost more because there’s more to build and test: product setup, variations, shipping rules, taxes, payment gateways, customer accounts and order emails. Platform choice matters too — WooCommerce on WordPress, Shopify and BigCommerce each have different ongoing fees and trade-offs (we compare them in WooCommerce vs Shopify vs BigCommerce). Stores in regulated categories, such as many firearms and outdoor brands, also need to plan around payment processor approval and shipping restrictions before the build starts.
Industry requirements
Some businesses have extra requirements. Healthcare practices, for example, need to think carefully about what patient information their forms collect and where it goes; the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services publishes guidance on HIPAA rules for covered entities and their vendors. Planning for this early is cheaper than retrofitting it later.
Search visibility and accessibility built in
A site that loads quickly, works well on phones, has a clean page structure and is usable by people with disabilities costs a little more to build carefully — and much more to fix after the fact. We explain what should be built into a new site in our guide to website design with SEO.
Don’t forget the ongoing costs
The build is a one-time expense; the website itself is not. Budget for these every year:
- Domain name. Typically around $20 a year according to GoDaddy’s guide. Watch for first-year promotions: Namecheap, for example, listed a .com renewal at $18.48 in October 2026, higher than its introductory price.
- Hosting or a builder subscription. Website builders bundle hosting into the subscription. For a WordPress site, you pay for hosting separately; GoDaddy’s guide lists hosting from $5.99 to $300+ a month depending on the type and how much traffic and support you need.
- SSL certificate. Many hosts include one; otherwise it’s an extra yearly cost.
- Premium plugins, themes and apps. Many charge annual licenses.
- Maintenance and security. Software updates, backups, security monitoring and fixes when something breaks. GoDaddy’s guide suggests most businesses budget up to $500 or more a year for maintenance, and a busy store or larger site can need more. For WordPress sites, our sister service Rocket Web Support offers monthly care plans that handle updates, backups and security for you.
- Content updates. New services, staff, photos, hours and promotions. Decide whether you’ll make these changes yourself or have someone do them.
A useful habit: compare options on a three-year cost basis — build cost plus three years of running costs — rather than on day-one price alone. A cheap launch with expensive upkeep, or a template you outgrow in a year, often ends up costing more.
How to get an accurate quote
The more specific you can be, the more accurate (and comparable) your quotes will be. Before you talk to any designer, jot down:
- The goal. More calls? Online bookings? Store sales? Recruiting?
- Your must-have pages and features. List them, plus any nice-to-haves.
- Examples you like. Two or three websites (from any industry) and what you like about them.
- Content status. Do you have copy, photos and a logo, or will you need help?
- Your current site. If you have one, what’s working and what isn’t?
- Timeline and budget range. A realistic range helps a designer recommend the right approach instead of guessing.
Then compare proposals on what’s included — pages, content help, revisions, training, launch support and who maintains the site afterward — not just the total.
How we price projects at Rocket Web
Every project we quote is based on scope, so we don’t publish one-size-fits-all package prices. We start with a conversation about your business, goals and must-haves, then recommend the approach that fits, including when a simpler site makes more sense than a bigger one.
Our services include custom WordPress and WooCommerce websites, Shopify and BigCommerce stores, redesigns and ongoing care. You can see the kinds of sites we build in our portfolio, read more about us, or learn about our web design for Nampa businesses if you’re local. We work with businesses throughout the Treasure Valley and nationwide.
Get a straight answer for your project
If you’d like to know what your website should cost, tell us what you need and we’ll walk you through the options and trade-offs, with no pressure. Book a free consultation with Rocket Web Development, or contact us with your questions.
Sources (checked October 19, 2026)
- GoDaddy, “How much does a website cost in 2026?” (Stacey Hartman, Feb 27, 2026; updated Aug 2026): https://www.godaddy.com/resources/skills/how-much-does-a-website-cost
- WordPress.com plans and pricing: https://wordpress.com/pricing/
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook, Web Developers and Digital Designers (May 2025 wage data): https://www.bls.gov/ooh/computer-and-information-technology/web-developers.htm
- Namecheap domain pricing (.com register/renew): https://www.namecheap.com/domains/
- HHS, HIPAA for Professionals: https://www.hhs.gov/hipaa/for-professionals/index.html
