“How much does a website cost?” is the first question almost every business owner asks, and the honest answer is that the number on the quote tells you less than you'd think. Two sites with the same price can cost very different amounts over three years. So instead of a single figure, here's how to think about the whole cost.
The four ways to get a website
Most small businesses end up with one of these. None is wrong for everyone; they just trade money, time and control differently.
| Option | Up front | Ongoing | Who owns it |
|---|---|---|---|
| DIY website builder | Low, but you pay in your own time | A monthly plan for as long as the site exists | You rent it. Leaving usually means starting again |
| Template set up by a freelancer | Lower than custom | Theme and plugin licences, updates | Varies. Check who holds the accounts |
| Agency | Highest | Often a retainer, sometimes hourly support | Usually you, but read the contract |
| Hand-built, flat price | One agreed number | Domain and hosting, plus optional care | You, if the accounts are in your name |
What you keep paying after launch
Every website has some running costs. The question is whether they're reasonable and whether you can see them.
- Domain name. Renewed every year. It should be registered in your name, not your designer's.
- Hosting. Where the site lives. Simple, fast sites don't need expensive hosting.
- Platform fees. If your site is on a builder, the monthly plan never ends. Over a few years, that often adds up to more than a custom build.
- Licences. Premium themes and plugins often renew yearly, and a template site can depend on several.
- Edits and upkeep. Either your time, an hourly rate, or a flat monthly plan.
The hidden costs
These rarely show up on the first quote, but they're where budgets go wrong.
Hourly billing
An hourly quote is an estimate, not a price. Every question, change and “quick fix” adds up, and you don't know the final number until the end.
Being locked in
If your designer owns the domain, the hosting account or the files, leaving can mean paying again to rebuild. Ask who holds the logins before you sign anything.
A slow site
A site that takes seconds to load on a phone quietly loses visitors who never call. It's a real cost, even though it never appears on an invoice.
Questions to ask any quote
- Is this a fixed price, or an estimate?
- What exactly is included, and what costs extra?
- Are revisions included? How many?
- Whose name will the domain, hosting and files be in?
- What will I pay every month or year after launch?
- If we stop working together, what happens to my site?
A good provider will answer all six without hesitating. If the answers are vague, that tells you something.
What Northcraft charges
Since this is our blog, here are our own numbers, on the page like everything else:
- New website: $1,500 CAD, one flat price.
- Website rebuild: $950 CAD, one flat price.
- Care plan: $45 CAD a month, optional, cancel anytime.
- Website Assistant: $450 CAD setup, then $79 a month.
Whoever you choose, compare quotes on the whole cost over a few years, not just the first invoice.