How much should a contractor website cost?
The honest answer depends on what the site needs to do. Here are the typical ranges, what you get at each level, and the questions to ask before you pay anyone.
By the founder of SiteFlow Digital ·
If you've asked three people what a website costs, you've probably gotten three answers that differ by a factor of ten. That's not because anyone is lying. “A website” covers everything from a one-page template to a custom, search-optimized site with dozens of pages.
Here's a plain breakdown of the options a trade or home service business actually has, what each tends to cost, and what you're really paying for.
The four common options
| Option | Typical cost | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| DIY builder (Wix, Squarespace, GoDaddy) | Roughly $15–$50/month, plus your time | Brand-new businesses on a very tight budget |
| Freelancer or small studio | Roughly $400–$5,000 one-time | Most owner-operated trade businesses |
| Local marketing agency | Roughly $5,000–$25,000+ | Larger companies with multiple crews and ad budgets |
| Subscription “website + marketing” plans | Often $200–$600/month, sometimes with a contract | Owners who want someone else to handle everything, and read the contract |
These ranges vary a lot by market and provider. Treat them as a sense of scale, not a quote.
What actually drives the price
1. Number of pages, especially service and location pages
A five-page site (home, services, about, gallery, contact) is quick to build. A site with a separate page for every service and every town you serve takes much more writing and planning. It's also the kind of site that tends to rank better in local search, because each page can target a specific search. See our local SEO overview for why.
2. Who writes the content
Copywriting is often the hidden cost. If you're handed an empty template and told to “add your text,” the site will probably sit half-finished for months. Ask whether writing is included.
3. Custom design vs. template
Templates are cheaper and faster. Custom design costs more but makes you look different from every competitor using the same theme. For trades, where trust decides who gets the call, that difference is often worth it.
4. SEO and Google Business Profile setup
Some builders deliver a pretty site with no titles, descriptions, schema markup or Business Profile connection. It looks finished and doesn't show up anywhere. Make sure this is on the list of deliverables.
5. Extras: booking, chat, estimators, galleries
Online booking, an AI chat assistant, instant estimate tools and photo galleries you can update yourself all add time. Each can pay for itself if it brings in leads you'd otherwise miss.
Hidden costs to ask about
- Hosting and domain: usually a modest yearly cost. Ask who pays it and whose name the domain is registered in. It should be yours.
- Ownership: on some subscription plans you don't own the site. Cancel, and it disappears.
- Change fees: what does it cost to update a phone number or add a service later?
- Contracts: watch for 12- to 24-month commitments with cancellation fees.
So what should a trade business spend?
For most owner-operated trade businesses, a custom, well-structured site in the low-to-mid hundreds up to a few thousand dollars is the sweet spot. Spend more on the pages that bring in work (your main services and towns) and less on features nobody uses.
For reference, our own packages start at $399 for a fast 5-page site and $799 for a complete site with Google Business Profile setup and an AI lead-capture chatbot. Full details are on the pricing page. Or, if you'd like an honest opinion on whether your current site needs replacing at all, request a free website check.