How Much Should I Charge for a Website?
A website price depends on scope: number of pages, whether it needs a store or bookings, who writes the content and how many rounds of changes are included. Estimate the hours for each part, multiply by your rate and add any paid tools.
Reference Rates: Web Design
Based on a reference of $100 an hour for web design & development at an intermediate level, in a state with average living costs. These are starting points, before materials, travel and card fees.
| Experience | Per hour | Small business site (40 h) | Landing page (12 h) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Just Starting less than 1 year | $70 | $2,800 | $840 |
| Intermediate 1 to 3 years | $100 | $4,000 | $1,200 |
| Experienced 3 to 8 years | $135 | $5,400 | $1,650 |
| Expert top of your field | $180 | $7,200 | $2,200 |
By State (Intermediate Level)
| State | Per hour | Small business site (40 h) | Landing page (12 h) |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | $112 | $4,500 | $1,350 |
| New York | $108 | $4,350 | $1,300 |
| Texas | $97 | $3,900 | $1,200 |
| Florida | $102 | $4,100 | $1,250 |
| Illinois | $100 | $4,000 | $1,200 |
| Pennsylvania | $96 | $3,850 | $1,200 |
| Ohio | $90 | $3,600 | $1,100 |
| Georgia | $94 | $3,800 | $1,150 |
Working in a big city or its metro area, add about 8%. For your exact case, including any other state, use the calculator above.
Break the Project Into Parts
Estimate each step on its own: planning, design, building the pages, content entry, forms and integrations, testing on phones and launch. Adding them up gives you a much better number than a guess for the whole site.
Content is the classic delay. Say in the quote who writes the text and supplies the photos, and what happens if they arrive late.
Hosting and Maintenance
Domain, hosting, premium themes and plugins are costs, so add them under "Materials" or have the client pay for them directly. A monthly maintenance plan (updates, backups, small edits) is recurring income and keeps you as the go-to person for the site.
What's Usually Included
- Planning and page structure
- Design and build of the agreed pages
- Mobile-friendly layout
- Basic on-page SEO
- Launch
What to Charge Extra For
- Writing content and copy
- Online store or bookings
- Domain, hosting and paid plugins
- Monthly maintenance
- Extra pages and changes after launch
Common Pricing Mistakes
- Quoting without a clear list of pages and features
- No limit on changes
- Paying for hosting and plugins yourself
- Waiting weeks for content without a plan
Frequently Asked Questions
How much should I charge for a small business website?
A simple 5-page site often takes 30 to 50 hours from start to launch. Multiply by your hourly rate and add any paid tools.
Should I charge for maintenance?
Yes. Updates, backups and small edits take time every month. A monthly plan is fair to both sides.
How do I handle changes after launch?
Include a short period of fixes in the quote, like 2 weeks. After that, new changes are charged by the hour.