The honest answer to "how much does a business website cost" is: anything from a small monthly fee to a large one-off bill. The difference is not about looks - it is about who does the work, what you end up owning and what you keep paying later. Here are the four ways.
Way 1. A website builder with a subscription
You build the site yourself on a service like Wix. Starting is cheap, but you pay every month for as long as the site is online - after a few years the subscription often adds up to more than a ready-made site would have cost.
Worth knowing: the site belongs to the service. Stop paying and it goes offline, and usually it cannot be moved anywhere else.
Way 2. A freelancer
The price depends heavily on the person. You can get an excellent site - or one with no admin panel, where nothing changes without that same freelancer.
- Ask to see live sites, not mock-ups.
- Make sure you can change texts, prices and photos yourself.
- Put in writing that the site and all the logins are yours.
Way 3. A web studio
A studio builds the whole thing - design, content and setup - usually for the highest price of the four, and over several weeks at least. Worth it for a complex system or a one-of-a-kind brand. For a clinic, a tradesperson or a small shop it is often more than needed.
Way 4. A ready-made site that becomes yours
The middle ground between a builder and a studio: the site is already built by professionals, you pick a version for your field, change the texts and photos - and the site moves to your own account. No monthly payment to us.
That is how SHio Basic works: a full business site with a builder, paid once. Shopify stores get the same with our Shopify themes - installed in your own store, paid once. The current price is on each product page, in your currency.
What else goes into the cost of a website
Beyond the site itself, count the costs that come with every way:
- A domain (the site address) - usually a small yearly fee.
- Hosting - for a small site often free or a small monthly fee.
- Photos and texts - if you are not writing and shooting them yourself.
- Changes later on: who will make them, and for how much.
How to choose, in short
- Fast, affordable and you change it yourself - a ready-made site.
- A complex project with its own system - a studio.
- Just trying things out - a website builder, but remember the monthly fee.