Four ways to get a website
| Who builds it | Cost | Right when | Wrong when |
|---|---|---|---|
Do it yourself | $16 to $49 / month Your own time | You have more hours than money and the site is a placeholder. | Every hour you spend fighting a template is an hour not spent on the business. |
Luminest That's us | $100 / month No setup fee | You want it handled, want to edit your own hours, and want to stop thinking about it. | You need something bespoke enough that a monthly plan stops making sense. |
Freelancer, one-off | $3,000 to $8,000 Hosting extra | You want to own it outright and already know who maintains it afterwards. | Nobody answers when it breaks in eighteen months. |
Agency | $15,000 to $40,000+ Retainer on top | You have a marketing team, a brand system and a budget to match. | For a five-page site, you are mostly funding the agency. |
Ranges reflect what we see quoted in central Indiana. We broke the whole market down, with named platforms and current prices, in this post.
What moves the number
Page count is the thing everyone asks about and the thing that matters least. These are what actually change the quote.
Number of real page types
Five pages that share one layout cost less than five that do not. A menu, a booking flow and an inventory filter are three different builds.
Whether you sell online
Taking payments adds a checkout, tax handling and a support surface. It is the single biggest jump in scope.
Who writes the words
We write if you want. It is faster and better if you talk to us for an hour and we draft from that.
Photography
Real photos of your shop beat stock every time. If you have none, budget for a half-day shoot.
Integrations
Toast, Square, Frazer, a CRM, a booking system. Each one is real work, and each one is worth pricing separately.
The questions behind the question.
How much should a small business website cost?
For a straightforward five-page site, somewhere between $100 a month and $8,000 up front, depending on who builds it and who maintains it afterwards. Below that you are doing it yourself. Above $15,000 you should be getting a brand system and a marketing team, not just a website.
Why is yours monthly instead of a one-time fee?
Because a website is not finished when it launches. Hosting, updates, security patches and the small changes you actually need are all in the $100. A one-off fee prices the launch and leaves the next two years unpriced.
Is there a setup fee?
No. No setup fee, no contract, no minimum term. If we are not earning it you cancel and take the site with you.
What is not included?
Your domain, roughly $12 to $20 a year, and paid photography if you need it. Ongoing SEO is separate from $600 a month. Everything else in the build is in the monthly number.
When are you the wrong choice?
If you need a large content operation, a design system across many products, or a team of five on site next quarter, hire an agency. If your site is one page and you enjoy building it, use Squarespace and keep your money.
Get a real number in thirty minutes.
Describe what you sell and who buys it. You leave with a price and a date, and we will tell you if one of the other three options above suits you better.