What a Small Business Website Costs
Custom sites from Miles Media run $4,000 to $10,000, at one fixed price quoted before any work starts.
That number does not move unless you ask for something outside what we agreed. There is no hourly billing and no final invoice bigger than the quote.
Below is what sets the price, what the other routes cost, what you pay after launch, and what you own at the end. The ranges for other options come from published pricing we looked up in November 2026, so treat them as a guide rather than a quote.
Four Ways to Get a Website
Most small businesses end up on one of these routes. The prices are what each one publishes, and each route makes sense for somebody.
Do it yourself on a site builder
About $16 to $39 a month on the common plans of the large site builders, billed yearly. You pick a template and fill it in yourself.
It is the cheapest way to get something online quickly, and fine for a placeholder or a one-page presence. What it leaves out is everything you would otherwise pay someone for: the writing, the page structure, the local search setup and your own hours. You also rent it, so the site stops when the subscription does.
A template site from a low-cost shop
Pittsburgh firms in public directories list minimums starting at $1,000, and local pricing guides put freelancers at about $1,500 to $4,500. Template vendors that serve one industry often charge $2,000 to $8,000 up front plus $100 to $400 a month.
You get a site someone else set up, usually quickly. The trade is a layout shared with every other client on the same template, and with some vendors a site you cannot take with you if you leave.
A custom site from a small studio
Small agencies generally quote about $3,000 to $15,000 for a basic business site. Miles Media sits inside that at $4,000 to $10,000.
The site is designed around your business and written for the searches your customers make. Ask any studio who owns the finished site and what it costs to keep online, because the answers vary.
A large agency
In Pittsburgh, larger design firms list minimum projects of $10,000 to $25,000, and one says a typical project starts around $50,000. Hourly rates at most local firms run $100 to $199.
You get a team, a long discovery process and room for complex work. For a local service business that mostly needs the phone to ring, much of that budget goes into process you will not use.
What Moves the Price Up or Down
Every site we build is custom, so the price follows the work. Three things set most of it.
How many pages you need. A contractor with one service and one town needs fewer pages than one with six services and four service areas. Restaurants with several menus, locations or concepts land higher for the same reason.
Features beyond the pages. Online ordering, a booking system, a members area or a store each add build work. A store changes the number most, which is worth talking through before assuming you need one. For a small catalog we usually recommend something lighter than a full store.
Who writes the content. If you supply your copy and photos, the project costs less. If we write it, that is part of the quote. If you have no photos or written content, say so early, because it changes the plan and the price. Finding out halfway through stalls the project.
Design complexity matters too, though less than people expect. Once we know what the site has to do, you get one fixed number for the whole project. Custom website design has more on what every build includes.
What It Costs After Launch
Hosting a custom site costs a few dollars a month, plus the yearly renewal on your domain. There is no platform subscription underneath it, no plugins and no theme updates to pay someone to apply.
You can update text, images and pages yourself in a simple editor, so routine changes cost nothing. Most owners handle their own hours, staff and service updates within a week of launch.
If you want us to look after the site, or run search or social for you, that is a flat monthly retainer quoted after we see what you have.
Payment for the build itself is split across the work, typically a deposit to start and the balance at launch. The exact split is written in the proposal you sign.
What You Own at the End
All of it. The domain stays in your name, the site is yours, and you get the files and the code. Your content sits in a full version history, so any edit can be put back the way it was.
If you ever leave, everything goes with you and any competent developer can pick it up. That is worth asking about before you sign with anyone, because with a rented template or a site builder the answer is sometimes no.
You can see the sites we have built, each linked to the live site, and read how a project runs from the first conversation to launch.
F.A.Q.
Website Cost Questions
How much does a website cost for a small business?
It depends on the route. A site builder runs about $16 to $39 a month and you do the work. Small studios generally charge $3,000 to $15,000 for a basic business site. A custom site from Miles Media runs $4,000 to $10,000, at one fixed price quoted before work starts.
How much does web design cost in Pittsburgh?
Local pricing guides put freelancers at about $1,500 to $4,500 and small agencies at about $3,000 to $10,000, and larger design firms list minimums of $10,000 to $25,000. Our custom sites run $4,000 to $10,000 for most Pittsburgh small businesses.
Why is a custom website worth more than a site builder?
With a builder, you pay for the software and do the rest yourself. With a custom site, you pay for the writing, the page structure, the local search setup and a site with nothing extra in it, so it loads fast on a phone. You also own it outright instead of renting it.
Will the price change once the project starts?
No. You get one fixed price for the whole project before any work starts, and it only changes if you ask for something outside what we agreed. There is no hourly billing.
Do I have to pay everything up front?
No. Projects are typically a deposit to start and the balance at launch. The exact split is written in the proposal you sign.
Are there monthly fees after launch?
Hosting is a few dollars a month and your domain renews yearly. Anything beyond that, such as site care, SEO or social media, is optional, quoted as a flat monthly fee.
More answers on contracts, ownership and timelines are on the FAQ page.
Want a Real Number for Your Site?
Start with a free homepage preview: tell us about your business and we will mock up a new homepage for it in about three business days. If you would rather hear what is wrong with the site you have, ask for a free teardown video instead.