As little as Squarespace’s Basic plan, $19 a month billed annually, if you build it yourself. Pay someone to design and write it and you’re looking at $750 to $1,500 or more, which is where Mayfly’s one-time buyouts sit. The fixed costs are tiny. A .com domain wholesales for $10.97 a year from November 1, 2026, and SSL can be free.
Everything else is labor. Understand that part before you sign anything.
Which parts of a website have a fixed price?
Four things have a price you can look up. Most are free or cheap.
First, your domain. Verisign, which runs .com, is raising the wholesale price from $10.26 to $10.97 per domain per year starting November 1, 2026. That’s the floor. Your registrar (GoDaddy, Namecheap, Squarespace and so on) adds its own markup, so you’ll pay a bit more.
Next, SSL. That’s the padlock in the browser bar, the thing that makes your address start with https. Let’s Encrypt is a nonprofit certificate authority, run by the Internet Security Research Group, and it hands out certificates for free. If a quote has a separate “security fee,” ask what it covers. Setup time is a fair charge. The certificate doesn’t have to cost a dime.
You can add or claim your Google Business Profile through Google. Nobody should be selling you the listing. Our guide on how to get your Google Business Profile set up walks through it.
Hosting is the last fixed piece. On a builder, it’s bundled into the subscription. Squarespace’s published prices are $19, $29, $49 and $99 a month billed annually, or $25, $39, $65 and $139 billed month to month.
Add it up. For a basic site, the fixed part is a few hundred dollars a year at most.
Where does the rest of the money go?
Labor. Someone has to design the layout, write the words, build the pages, wire up the forms, test it on phones and launch it. If that someone is you, it’s free in dollars and expensive in evenings.
To see what that time is worth, start with the Bureau of Labor Statistics. It puts the median web developer wage at $92,650 a year as of May 2025. That’s an employee’s pay, not a freelance rate. Freelancers and agencies charge more to cover software, insurance and the hours they spend not billing.
Treat that wage as a sanity check on any hourly rate you’re quoted, not as a quote itself.
Mobile layout belongs in that labor, not on a list of extras. Google moved to ranking sites based on their mobile content, an approach called mobile-first indexing. A site that only looks right on a desktop works against you in search. If a quote charges extra for “mobile responsive,” push back.
How do the options compare on price?
Every number here comes from published prices: Squarespace’s pricing page and our own plans. Prices change, so check them before you buy.
| Option | Published price |
|---|---|
| DIY: Squarespace Basic or Core, billed annually | $19 or $29 a month |
| DIY: your own hours (writing, design, upkeep) | Not counted |
| Mayfly Starter, monthly | $59 a month, six-month minimum |
| Mayfly Starter, annual | $599 a year |
| Mayfly Starter, buyout | $750 one-time, see the Mayfly pricing page for what’s included |
| Mayfly Business, monthly | $99 a month |
| Mayfly Business, annual | $999 a year |
| Mayfly Business, buyout | $1,500 one-time |
The rows above leave out domain fees. Budget at least the $10.97 wholesale .com price per year, plus your registrar’s markup.
On cash, a DIY builder wins. No contest. The trade is that you become the designer, copywriter and maintenance crew. And on Squarespace’s annual plans, the free domain only lasts the first year, then it renews at the standard rate.
A managed plan is different. You pay monthly or annually, and someone else handles the build and upkeep. Ours have a six-month minimum term, so the smallest commitment on the Starter monthly plan is six months at $59. Want to hand the whole thing off? Here’s how our website design service works.
The buyout is a one-time price: $750 for Starter or $1,500 for Business. The pricing page spells out what it covers, and that’s the version to go by.
What do features like booking, forms and payments add to the price?
Features are where quotes quietly grow. Here’s every Mayfly add-on with its real price:
- Additional section: $49
- Additional page: $149
- Lead form: $49 setup, then $9 a month
- Online booking: $99 setup, then $29 a month
- Payments: $299 setup, then $39 a month
- Google Business Profile setup: $199
Say you run a service business and want customers to book appointments and send questions from the site. On the Business plan billed monthly, that’s the $99 plan fee plus $29 for booking and $9 for the lead form every month, and $99 plus $49 in one-time setup.
Bill the Business plan annually and it’s $999 a year instead. The booking and lead form fees still bill monthly on top, and the setup fees stay the same.
Payments need a second look. The $39 a month is only part of it, because card processors also take a fee on each transaction. Ask whoever builds your site which processor they use and what it charges. If customers mostly pay you in person after the job’s done, skip online payments at first.
How much does it cost to keep a small business website running?
Building is a one-time question. Running the site is a yearly one.
Three costs come back every year. Your domain renews, and the .com increase applies to renewals as well as new registrations. Your hosting or plan fee keeps going. And any feature billed monthly keeps billing.
On a DIY builder, remember the free first-year domain. From year two it’s on you at the standard renewal rate.
Marketing is optional and it’s a separate line. Our Local SEO service is $299 a month. Most owners don’t need it on day one. Get the site live and your Google Business Profile filled out, then decide. Google publishes a document called “Do you need an SEO?” for exactly that decision, alongside its SEO Starter Guide for new site owners. Give it 15 minutes before you hire anyone, us included.
What should you ask before you sign a website quote?
Surprise costs tend to hide in the fine print. These questions catch them early:
- Who owns the domain, and whose account is it registered under?
- Is SSL billed separately? It can be free.
- Is the Google Business Profile being sold to you, or just the setup?
- Does the site work on phones without an extra charge?
- What exactly does the monthly fee cover?
- What’s the minimum term?
- What happens to the site and domain if you cancel?
If a quote can’t answer all seven in writing, keep shopping. For Montana-specific context on what local businesses face, see our Montana website cost guide.
Frequently asked questions
Is it cheaper to build a small business website yourself?
In cash, yes. Squarespace's Core plan is $29 a month billed annually, compared with $599 a year for Mayfly's Starter plan billed annually. The catch is time. You write the copy, take the photos, set up the pages and keep everything current, and those hours don't show up on any invoice.
Do I have to pay for an SSL certificate or a Google Business Profile?
No. Let's Encrypt, a nonprofit certificate authority, issues SSL certificates for free, and Google lets you add or claim a Business Profile at no cost. If a quote lists either one as a separate charge, ask what you're paying for. Setup labor is a fair charge. The certificate and the listing themselves aren't.
Is a monthly website plan better value than paying once?
Mayfly's Starter plan is $59 a month billed monthly, $599 a year billed annually, or $750 once as a buyout. Monthly keeps your upfront cost low and has a six-month minimum. Annual costs less per year than paying monthly. Check what the buyout includes on the pricing page before comparing.
Should I renew my .com before November 1, 2026?
The .com increase applies to renewals as well as new registrations, and renewals completed before November 1, 2026 are charged the old wholesale fee of $10.26. Your registrar adds its own markup, so the number you see will be higher. Log in, check your renewal date and the price shown, and decide before the deadline.
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