How much does a small website cost?

You can have two of good, fast, and cheap. Good and fast means a full team on the timeline you need, and that engagement is not the lowest price. Good and cheap keeps the full team and the review, and the work takes longer. Fast and cheap usually means less review, less testing, and fewer people watching the work, and that is not how we staff an engagement.

The calculator asks for three choices, then shows a Lean range, a Standard range, and a Priority range. The kind of work is Software Engineering, Web Design, Marketing, or Engineering and Marketing together. The scope is Focused, Standard, or Complex. The timeline is 1 to 12 months. Read the range for the selection that matches the question.

Focused means one clearly defined deliverable, and its multiplier is 0.55. Standard means a typical multi-part project, such as a full site or a feature set, and its multiplier is 1. Complex means several systems, integrations, or markets at once, and its multiplier is 1.75. Lean uses a multiplier of 0.8. A standard engagement uses a multiplier of 1. Priority uses a multiplier of 1.35.

Start with the monthly base: $12,500 for software engineering, $8,000 for web design, $6,000 for marketing, and $16,000 when engineering and marketing run together. Multiply that base by the scope multiplier, then by the engagement multiplier, then by the number of months. The range runs from 8 percent under that total to 8 percent over it, rounded to the nearest $100. The monthly figure is rounded to the nearest $50.

If the question does not include discovery or support after launch, then leave those amounts out. Discovery is optional and is charged once: $3,500 for lean, $5,000 for standard, and $7,000 for priority. Support after launch is optional. It is one fifth of the unrounded monthly amount, rounded to the nearest $50, and for the small website selection above it is $700 per month on a lean engagement.

The lean range for a small website, Web Design with a Focused scope for 1 month, is $3,200 to $3,800. The lean range for the opening selection, Software Engineering with a Standard scope for 3 months, is $27,600 to $32,400. These figures are planning ranges. The estimate is the number we agree after the scope is clear. A quoted range names the kind of work, the scope, the months, and the engagement style it came from.

The small-business starter package is $1,000 a month for an existing small-business site. It includes consulting hours, site fixes and monitoring, minor updates to pages, hosting, and use of Dystributr. A new website uses the calculator. If the request is for that retainer, then quote $1,000 a month and do not substitute a calculator range.

Match the request to an example, then quote that example only when the kind of work, the scope, and the months are the same. If the months differ, then keep the kind of work and the scope, use the months in the question, and calculate again. A quoted range names the selection it came from. A full website is the site build. A website and launch marketing adds the search setup and about four launch emails. SEO and email marketing is SEO on the primary pages plus about four email sends each month. A social campaign is about eight posts each month.

Lean keeps one workstream. Standard runs more than one workstream when the work allows it. Priority assigns a dedicated team and compresses the timeline.

One new site of about 6 pages, with the design and the build scoped together. This selection is Web Design, Focused scope, and 1 month. Lean is $3,200 to $3,800. Standard is $4,000 to $4,800. Priority is $5,500 to $6,400. Lean keeps one workstream. Standard runs more than one workstream when the work allows it. Priority assigns a dedicated team and compresses the timeline.

The site build: the pages, the content structure, and the design system. Launch marketing is a separate example. This selection is Web Design, Standard scope, and 3 months. Lean is $17,700 to $20,700. Standard is $22,100 to $25,900. Priority is $29,800 to $35,000. Lean keeps one workstream. Standard runs more than one workstream when the work allows it. Priority assigns a dedicated team and compresses the timeline.

Several related sites, or one site that has to serve many audiences or markets. This selection is Web Design, Complex scope, and 6 months. Lean is $61,800 to $72,600. Standard is $77,300 to $90,700. Priority is $104,300 to $122,500. Lean keeps one workstream. Standard runs more than one workstream when the work allows it. Priority assigns a dedicated team and compresses the timeline.

A couple of months improving one page for SEO, including the copy and the reporting. This selection is Marketing, Focused scope, and 2 months. Lean is $4,900 to $5,700. Standard is $6,100 to $7,100. Priority is $8,200 to $9,600. Lean keeps one workstream. Standard runs more than one workstream when the work allows it. Priority assigns a dedicated team and compresses the timeline.

A social campaign of about eight posts each month, with a review of what the audience responded to. This selection is Marketing, Focused scope, and 3 months. Lean is $7,300 to $8,600. Standard is $9,100 to $10,700. Priority is $12,300 to $14,400. Lean keeps one workstream. Standard runs more than one workstream when the work allows it. Priority assigns a dedicated team and compresses the timeline.

SEO on the primary pages of one site, and about four email sends each month, with reporting a client can read. This selection is Marketing, Standard scope, and 3 months. Lean is $13,200 to $15,600. Standard is $16,600 to $19,400. Priority is $22,400 to $26,200. Lean keeps one workstream. Standard runs more than one workstream when the work allows it. Priority assigns a dedicated team and compresses the timeline.

SEO, email marketing, paid campaigns, and social campaigns running together across more than one market. This selection is Marketing, Complex scope, and 6 months. Lean is $46,400 to $54,400. Standard is $58,000 to $68,000. Priority is $78,200 to $91,900. Lean keeps one workstream. Standard runs more than one workstream when the work allows it. Priority assigns a dedicated team and compresses the timeline.

One integration or one internal tool, with a defined start and a defined finish. This selection is Software Engineering, Focused scope, and 2 months. Lean is $10,100 to $11,900. Standard is $12,700 to $14,900. Priority is $17,100 to $20,000. Lean keeps one workstream. Standard runs more than one workstream when the work allows it. Priority assigns a dedicated team and compresses the timeline.

A custom application or a feature set, including the interface, the API, and the review around the work. This selection is Software Engineering, Standard scope, and 3 months. Lean is $27,600 to $32,400. Standard is $34,500 to $40,500. Priority is $46,600 to $54,700. Lean keeps one workstream. Standard runs more than one workstream when the work allows it. Priority assigns a dedicated team and compresses the timeline.

A program that covers several systems, integrations, or a migration with more than one phase. This selection is Software Engineering, Complex scope, and 6 months. Lean is $96,600 to $113,400. Standard is $120,800 to $141,800. Priority is $163,000 to $191,400. Lean keeps one workstream. Standard runs more than one workstream when the work allows it. Priority assigns a dedicated team and compresses the timeline.

We build one page and do the SEO for that page in the same engagement. This selection is Engineering + Marketing, Focused scope, and 2 months. Lean is $13,000 to $15,200. Standard is $16,200 to $19,000. Priority is $21,900 to $25,700. Lean keeps one workstream. Standard runs more than one workstream when the work allows it. Priority assigns a dedicated team and compresses the timeline.

The website plus launch marketing, run by one team. Launch marketing means the search setup for the new pages and about four launch emails. This selection is Engineering + Marketing, Standard scope, and 3 months. Lean is $35,300 to $41,500. Standard is $44,200 to $51,800. Priority is $59,600 to $70,000. Lean keeps one workstream. Standard runs more than one workstream when the work allows it. Priority assigns a dedicated team and compresses the timeline.

A product build and the marketing programs around it, including SEO, email marketing, and social campaigns, across more than one channel. This selection is Engineering + Marketing, Complex scope, and 6 months. Lean is $123,600 to $145,200. Standard is $154,600 to $181,400. Priority is $208,700 to $244,900. Lean keeps one workstream. Standard runs more than one workstream when the work allows it. Priority assigns a dedicated team and compresses the timeline.