When it comes time to create a website, small business owners face a crucial decision: Do you go the DIY route or invest in professional web design services? Building a website from scratch with a platform like WordPress is genuinely hard if you’re not a professional—there’s a steep learning curve, and the platform’s power comes with complexity. If you have the budget, hiring a pro is almost always the best way to secure a stable, scalable, and high-performing site that’s truly yours.
But if you’re determined (usually for cost reasons) to use a website builder like Wix, our strongest advice is: keep your website as simple as possible. The more features and integrations you add, the more likely you are to hit limitations, extra fees, and frustrations that drive up your overall cost. DIY website builders are designed for simplicity, but their flexibility and scalability are limited by design—which may cost you more as your business grows.
One of our strongest recommendations: always keep your domain name and email separate from your website builder. Don’t use the “free” domain that platforms like Wix offer, because eventually you WILL outgrow Wix and your domain could be locked in their system, making it difficult and expensive to move. Always get your email service directly from a reputable provider like GSuite or Microsoft 365, and register your domain with a trusted registrar like GoDaddy. This separation gives you freedom and flexibility as your business grows and prevents future migration nightmares.
Understanding website costs, design costs, and the factors that influence website costs is essential before you create a website. The truth is, most major website builder platforms—like WordPress, Wix, Square, and Weebly—charge similar annual fees for their best business plans. The difference? What you actually get for your money, and how much flexibility you have as you design your website and grow your small business.
Website Builder Comparison: Website Design Cost Per Platform
When you set out to create your website, it’s important to understand how website builder platforms structure their pricing—and what’s really included. Most platforms bundle their “business” or “ecommerce website” plans with website hosting, a domain name (sometimes for the first year), basic security, and a handful of marketing tools. However, the true cost of building a site or launching an ecommerce website can be much higher than the advertised price.
Be especially cautious of hidden costs: many features that are free or low-cost with WordPress—like advanced SEO tools, custom forms, or robust ecommerce integrations—come with extra fees on other platforms. For example, you may need to pay more to connect your custom domain name, add advanced checkout options to your ecommerce website, or unlock integrations with third-party apps. Over time, these add-ons and upgrades can significantly increase the total price to create your website and maintain it as your business grows.
Wix Website Builder: Website Cost Per Month
- Annual Cost: $348+
- Add-ons: Ascend Marketing Tools ($100+), domain renewals ($15–$25/year)
- Limitations: Limited app integrations (most are paid), proprietary services, transaction fees, capped e-commerce features, and restricted design flexibility.
While WIX makes it easy to build a website and offers pre-built website templates, your business needs can significantly affect the average cost of your website.
Square Website Builder: Cost to Build a Website
- Annual Cost: $588+
- Add-ons: Domain registration, SMS fees, multi-location support, gift card fees, device-specific app fees, and limited support hours.
- Transaction Fees: 2.5% + 15¢ (in-person), 2.9% + 30¢ (online).
Square does have a Free level, which, in essence, gives you a website for free; however, you can not attach a custom domain to their free website.
Weebly Website Builder: Website Design Cost
- Annual Cost: $312+
- Add-ons: Domain renewal, limited app integrations, and basic e-commerce tools.
For many small business owners, a simple website on Wix or Weebly may cost around $300–$400 per year, but adding ecommerce or advanced features often comes at a higher cost due to required upgrades and paid add-ons. While the site can cost as little as $300/year, you’ll lose out on the ability to customize your website by picking the cheapest website builder.
WordPress Website Design: Cost of Building a Website
- Annual Cost: $540+ (based on premium hosting)
- Add-ons:
- Theme Editor (Elementor): Free–$199/year
- Forms (Gravity Forms): Free–$69/year
- SEO (Rank Math): Free–$69/year
- Domain: $15–$25/year
- Email (GSuite): $6–$12/month
- Unlimited integrations—choose your own providers
Factors That Influence Website Costs & Limitations When You Build Your Website
- Mobile Optimization: Of the platforms noted, WordPress and Square offer the best mobile optimization in our experience. Weebly and Wix have serious limitations when it comes to fixing responsive designs, which can be a deal-breaker for businesses that rely on mobile traffic.
- SEO: Wix and Weebly automate much of the behind-the-scenes technical SEO, which can be helpful for DIY business owners. However, these are one-size-fits-all solutions and prevent many areas from being tweaked the way a professional would want for true optimization. Square is a bit better, but WordPress is hands-down the best—thanks to powerful features in theme editors like Elementor and a huge range of plugins and add-ons (e.g., Rank Math, which is robust at the free level and amazing at the pro level).
- Integrations: Proprietary platforms severely limit plugins, add-ons, and integrations to their curated list. The pro? It’s almost impossible for the DIY professional to install something that will break their website. The con? You may be locked into paying for a pro-level app/add-on when a free one would fit your WordPress needs.
- Add-Ons & Hidden Costs: Add-ons add up fast. What might have felt like a savings at first can quickly spiral into unknown costs and issues. You may even be forced to change major business services you’re already tied to—like your POS, payment processor, email marketing tool, or bookings tool—just to fit the platform’s limitations.
Website Maintenance Costs: Why Maintenance Matters for Every Website
The more integrations and functions your website has, the more likely it is to need ongoing website maintenance on a monthly basis. Even small business websites with basic features will need an “oil change” at least once a year to update core technology like PHP and WordPress itself. Technology changes fast, and just like a car, your website won’t keep running smoothly without regular maintenance. Learn more about our maintenance services at North Star Design Studio: WordPress Website Maintenance.
Why WordPress Is the Best Way to Build and Maintain a Website for Your Small Business
- Freedom of Choice: Access to thousands of quality plugins and integrations—many with robust free levels.
- No Vendor Lock-In: Use your preferred payment processor, bank, or booking app.
- Ongoing Maintenance: WordPress does require periodic updates (“oil changes”), but you control when and how you maintain a website.
- No Surprise Feature Loss: Proprietary website builders may discontinue features or apps without notice—WordPress is open and community-driven.
Real-World Example: Upfront Costs, Website Content, and How Features Can Cost You
A real-world example of hidden costs and risks comes from Wix. When Wix discontinued its main forms and list features, small business owners lost core website functionality overnight—including the ability to collect website content and customer inquiries directly through their sites. Suddenly, features that were once included as part of the upfront costs of creating a website became unavailable, forcing business owners to scramble for replacements.
Some had to purchase third-party add-ons or rebuild sections of their sites, and in some cases, new features could cost more than the original solution. Replacement tools eventually arrived, but not without disruption to website content, lost leads, and additional expenses. This highlights how relying on proprietary platforms means you’re always vulnerable to changes—and that features can cost you more than expected over the life of your website.
The True Cost of “Cheap” Web Design
While $99 website designers exist, you get what you pay for, and the extra cost of a real professional may be worth it if you’re in a very competitive market and have a high-ticket offer. Many business owners come to us for help fixing issues left by bargain designers. Professional website design at North Star Design Studio averages $3,500–$6,500 and includes:
- Strategic planning to keep recurring costs low
- Branding and Logo Cleanup
- Using just enough tech to minimize future maintenance
- Elementor drag-and-drop editor for easy updates (with custom tutorial videos)
- Advanced SEO setup using aHREFs and NeuronWriter.AI to help you outrank local competitors
- Google Business Profile setup, Google Analytics, GSC, and site indexing
- On-page SEO, custom FAQs, and technical SEO mastery
*Suggested reading: How to Create a Google Business Profile
Hosting with WordPress: Options, Value, and Support
WordPress can be even more affordable depending on your hosting choice. We love WP Engine because their service is the best in the industry—business owners can talk to a real person at any time and don’t have to understand technical jargon to get help. Plus, their support team understands the technical details, making them a favorite among developers, too.
That said, SiteGround is another excellent platform, often offering major first-year discounts. Both WP Engine and SiteGround include essentials like SSL certificates and backups as part of their plans.
Other providers, like GoDaddy, offer very cheap hosting plans, but in our experience, their service is poor for business websites and they upcharge for everything—SSL, backups, and more—which are included by default with WP Engine and SiteGround.
Essential WordPress Plugins & Add-ons
- Activity Log (Free+)
- Email Log (Free+)
- Elementor Theme Builder (Free+)
- Rank Math (Free+)
- WP Rocket Caching ($69/year)
- Akismet AntiSpam ($15/month)
- GDPR Cookies (Free+)
- Gravity Forms (Free+)
- Google Reviews (Free+)
- CookiesYES (Free+)
- Broken Link Checker (Free+)
- Zapier (Free+)
Bottom Line: WordPress Delivers More Value and Flexibility
Choosing WordPress means you’re not locked into a single provider’s ecosystem, and you have the freedom to build the website that fits your business—now and as you grow. While all platforms have recurring costs, WordPress offers unmatched flexibility, scalability, and control.
Suggested Reading and Support for Small Business Owners:
SEO for Small Businesses in 2026: A Complete Guide
Small Business Websites in CT (2026 Edition): Getting Started
Google Removing Q&A from Business Profiles in 2025: What to Do Now
How to Create a LinkedIn Business Page (Desktop Version)
How to Create a Facebook Business Page (Desktop Version)
Your North Star: Tools We Use to Understand Your Website Before Our First Call
Your North Star: Understanding Your Website Design Proposal from North Star
Note: All prices and transaction fees are subject to change and may vary with third-party integrations. Data Collected 01-12-2026.