"How much does a website cost?" is the first question almost every Rhode Island business asks us, and the honest answer is the one nobody likes: it depends. This guide explains what it depends on, so that when you get a quote from us or from anyone else, you can tell what you are paying for and what is missing.
We have built websites for Rhode Island businesses since 2005, more than 500 of them, and the price has never come down to the number of pages alone.
Here is our own answer before the explanation, because a guide that dodges the question is not worth reading. Our websites start at $2,500, and a typical small business site lands somewhere between $2,500 and $10,000. Larger builds, ecommerce and sites with custom functionality go above that, and we price every one of them in a written proposal rather than a package. The rest of this guide is what moves a project from one end of that range to the other, which is the part worth understanding whoever you hire.
Why website quotes vary so much
Two quotes for "a website" can describe completely different projects. One is a template with your logo dropped in. The other includes planning, custom design, written content, photography, search setup, and redirects from your old site. Both are called a website. Only one of them is built to bring in customers.
Most of the gap between two quotes comes from a few decisions, and once you know what they are, quotes get much easier to compare.
What moves the price of a website
How many kinds of pages you need
The page count matters less than the number of different page types. A site with many service pages that share one layout costs less to design than a smaller site where every page works differently. A restaurant needs a menu that is easy to update. A contractor needs service pages and town pages. A law firm needs attorney bios and practice areas. Each distinct layout is design and development time.
Custom design or a template
A template gives you a head start and a site that looks like a lot of other sites. Custom design starts from your business: your customers, your competitors, and what makes someone pick up the phone. It takes longer and costs more, and it is usually the difference between a site that exists and a site that sells.
Who writes the words
Content is where projects stall. If you write it yourself, budget your own time honestly, because writing is usually the slowest part of the schedule. If we write it, it is written for search and for the person reading it, and it gets done. Either way, someone has to do it.
Photography and video
Stock photos are cheap, and customers recognize them. Real photos of your team, your work, and your space do more for trust than almost anything else on the page. If you already have good photos, use them. If not, a shoot belongs in the budget. We do photo and video in house for exactly this reason.
Features beyond pages
Online booking, quote forms that route to the right person, a menu or catalog you can update yourself, a client portal, or a connection to your scheduling software or CRM. Every feature raises two questions: what does it connect to, and who maintains it. Selling products online is its own category, covered on our ecommerce website design page.
Moving from your old site
If your current site gets any search traffic, a redesign has to protect it. That means mapping every old address to its new one with 301 redirects, keeping the pages that rank, and checking that nothing broke after launch. Skipping this step is one of the most expensive mistakes a business can make, because the cost shows up months later as calls that stopped coming.
Search setup
A site can launch with the basics done right: page titles, descriptions, headings, fast load times, structured data, a sitemap, and Google Search Console connected. Or it can launch without them and need fixing later. Ask which one you are getting.
What a website costs after launch
The build is the big number, but it is not the only one.
- Domain name. A yearly renewal. Make sure it is registered in your name.
- Hosting. Monthly or yearly, depending on the host. Cheap hosting is one of the most common reasons a site is slow, which we cover in why your website is slow.
- Maintenance. WordPress, plugins, and themes need regular updates. Someone should be running them, backing up the site, and watching for problems.
- Licenses. Premium plugins, fonts, booking tools, and some themes renew every year.
- Marketing. A website does not bring traffic by itself. SEO, Google Ads, and social media are what send people to it.
Build it yourself, hire a freelancer, or hire an agency
Each path fits a different kind of business.
Building it yourself on Squarespace, Wix, or a similar builder costs the least money and the most time. It can be the right call for a new business testing an idea. It is rarely the right call for an established business that depends on search traffic and phone calls.
A freelancer can be a good fit for a straightforward site, and a good freelancer does excellent work. Ask what happens when they get busy, take a full time job, or stop answering email. Some of the sites we rebuild belong to businesses whose web person simply disappeared.
An agency costs more up front and gives you a team: design, development, writing, photography, and marketing under one roof, with someone accountable after launch. For a business that needs its website to produce customers, that is usually where the money does the most work.
Questions to ask before you sign anything
- Who owns the site, the domain, and the content? You should. Some low monthly "website included" deals keep the site when you leave.
- What exactly is included? Pages, layouts, content writing, photos, forms, search setup, and training. Get it in writing.
- How many rounds of revisions are included?
- What happens to the search traffic my current site gets? Listen for the words 301 redirects.
- Who hosts the site, and who updates it after launch?
- How long will it take? A standard small business site takes four to six weeks of our build time once we have the content, and a large or complex build runs three to six months. The calendar time depends on how fast content and approvals come back. Be wary of anyone who promises a complex site in a week or two.
- Can I edit it myself? Updating hours, menus, staff, and news without calling anyone matters to most businesses.
- What will it cost every month after launch?
Warning signs in a website quote
- A price with no list of what it includes.
- No mention of redirects on a redesign.
- A site built on a platform you cannot leave with your content.
- A promise of first page rankings by a certain date. Nobody controls Google.
- No written proposal at all.
How we price a website
We price every project in a written proposal once we understand what the site has to do, which is why the range above is a range and not a menu. The proposal lists the pages, the features, the content, and the timeline, so you can compare it line by line with any other quote you get. Our web design page shows where projects start and what is included in every build.
If you want a number for your own project, tell us what you need or call (401) 339-4155. You will get a straight answer, and you will know exactly what it covers.
