Does your small business need a website? What it should do, and what it should cost
Plenty of good local businesses still run on word of mouth and a Facebook page. That works until a customer searches your name, finds a competitor's site first, and calls them instead. Here is a plain look at whether you need a website, what it should do, and what it should cost.
What a small business website actually has to do
Forget the bells and whistles. A site earns its keep if it does four things:
- Shows up when people search for you. Your name, your trade, your town.
- Answers the first questions. What you do, where you work, your hours, and why someone should trust you.
- Makes it easy to reach you. A phone number that works on a phone, and a short form that lands in your inbox.
- Looks current. An out-of-date site tells customers the business might be out of date too.
What it should cost
Prices are all over the map. A friend-of-a-friend site can cost nothing and then sit unchanged for five years. An agency build can run several thousand dollars before hosting and updates. Do-it-yourself builders are cheap per month, but they cost you evenings.
A fair middle ground for most owners: a one-time build in the low hundreds, plus a monthly fee that covers hosting, security and changes, so the site never goes stale.
Questions to ask before you pay anyone
- Is the domain registered in my name?
- Can I cancel without a contract, and what happens to my site if I do?
- Who makes changes, how fast, and do they cost extra?
- Can I see what I am getting before I pay?
If the answers are vague, keep looking.
How we do it
We build a complete site for $49 a month, with nothing up front. That covers hosting, updates and changes. The domain is registered in your name, there is no contract, and you can cancel any time. You fill in a short form, and we build the site.
Get your website started here.
Sources
They did the reporting. The writing and the opinions here are ours.
