The AL Results Blog

How Much Does a Small Business Website Cost in 2026?

Tue, 27 Oct 2026 01:29:26 GMT

Know the real price before you sign.

"How much does a website cost?" is the first question almost every business owner asks, and the honest answer is: it depends on who builds it and what's included. Quotes for what sounds like the same website can range from a few hundred dollars to tens of thousands. This guide breaks down what you're actually paying for in 2026, the monthly costs most quotes leave out, and how to tell whether a price is fair.

1. The three ways to get a website

Almost every small business website is built one of three ways, and each has a very different price and a very different amount of your time attached.

Do it yourself with a website builder

Builders like Wix, Squarespace and GoDaddy let you make a site yourself for a monthly subscription, usually somewhere around $20 to $50 a month. The cost in dollars is low. The cost in time is not. Most owners spend days or weeks choosing a template, writing pages and fiddling with layouts, and the result often looks fine but doesn't show up on Google or turn visitors into calls. DIY works well if you enjoy it and have the time. It works less well if your time is better spent running your business.

Hire a freelancer

A freelancer can build a simple site for anywhere from a few hundred dollars to a few thousand. Quality varies a lot. Some freelancers are excellent. Others hand you a site with no SEO setup, no plan for hosting or updates, and no way to reach them a year later. If you go this route, ask exactly what's included, who hosts the site, and what happens when something breaks.

Hire a web design studio or agency

A studio or agency typically charges from a few thousand dollars for a small business site to $10,000 or more for larger, custom projects. You're paying for a process: planning, copywriting, design, SEO setup, testing, launch, and someone accountable afterward. The best ones also tell you plainly what you'll pay each month after launch.

2. What actually drives the price

When two quotes look wildly different, it's usually because they include different things. These are the factors that move the number most:

Number of pages. A 5-page site (Home, Services, About, Contact, one more) costs less than a 15-page site with a page for every service and every town you serve.
Who writes the words. Writing good copy is real work. If the price includes copywriting, expect it to be higher, and expect the site to sell better.
SEO setup. Page titles, descriptions, headings, image alt text, structured data, a sitemap and Google Search Console. Some builders include this. Many don't, and you only find out when nobody can find you on Google.
Features. Online booking, quote forms, galleries, online payments and integrations with other tools all add time.
Photos. Good photos of your real work make a huge difference. Stock photos are cheaper but less convincing.
Revisions. Two rounds of changes is common. Unlimited revisions usually means a higher price or a slower project.

3. The monthly costs nobody mentions

The build price is only half the story. Every website has ongoing costs, and this is where many owners get surprised:

Domain name: usually $10 to $25 a year.
Hosting and security: keeping the site online, fast and protected with an SSL certificate (the padlock in your browser).
Updates and fixes: new photos, changed hours, a new service, a broken link.
SEO over time: a site that launches SEO-ready still needs regular checks and fresh content to keep climbing in search results.

Some companies bundle these into one monthly plan. Others bill them separately, or not at all, and leave you on your own. Either can be fine. What matters is that you know the full cost before you sign.

4. What a website costs with AL Results

We think pricing should be easy to understand, so here's ours:

Website build: $3,500. A custom site of up to 7 pages, with copy written with you, SEO set up at launch, forms and calls to action, 2 rounds of changes, and your domain and Google tools connected at launch.
Care: $199/month. Hosting, SSL, your own website dashboard, an on-page and technical SEO check every 2 weeks, and small fixes done for you.
Care + Growth: $499/month. Everything in Care, plus 2 new blog posts a month and 2 Google Business Profile posts a month (or social posts for vacation rentals).

You can see everything that's included on our pricing page .

5. How to tell if a quote is fair

Before you hire anyone, ask these five questions. A good web designer will answer all of them without hesitating:

What exactly is included, page by page?
Who writes the content, and who supplies the photos?
What SEO work is done before launch?
What will I pay every month after launch, and what does that cover?
If I ever leave, what do I keep?

If the answers are vague, the final bill usually isn't.

The bottom line

A small business website in 2026 can cost almost nothing or a small fortune. The right price is the one where you know exactly what you're getting, the site is built to be found on Google, and it turns visitors into calls and bookings. A cheap site that nobody finds isn't a bargain.

Not sure what your business needs? Get a free website review . We'll look at your current site (or your plans if you don't have one yet) and send you a plain-English summary with clear next steps, usually within 1 business day.

What Every Contractor Website Needs to Get More Calls

Tue, 27 Oct 2026 01:27:21 GMT

Turn website visitors into phone calls.

Most contractors get their best jobs from referrals. But even a referred customer usually looks you up before they call. If your website is slow, outdated or hard to use on a phone, some of those people quietly call someone else. And homeowners who don't know you yet are searching Google for things like "roofer near me" or "kitchen remodel Akron" right now. Here's what a contractor website needs to win both.

1. Your phone number and a button at the top of every page

Most people find contractors on their phones, often in the middle of a problem. Put your phone number in the header, make it tap-to-call on mobile, and add one clear button like "Get a Free Estimate" next to it. Don't make anyone scroll or hunt to contact you.

2. A headline that says what you do and where

"Quality you can trust" doesn't tell anyone anything. "Roof Replacement and Repair in Northeast Ohio" does. Visitors should know within a few seconds what you do, where you work, and what to do next. That same clarity helps Google understand which searches you should show up for.

3. A page for each main service

One "Services" page with a list of everything you do is hard to rank. A separate page for each main service, like roof replacement, roof repair and gutters, lets each page answer one kind of search and one kind of customer. Each page should explain the service, show photos of that work, answer common questions, and end with a way to get an estimate.

4. Photos of your real work

Stock photos of smiling models in hard hats don't build trust. Before-and-after photos of your actual jobs do. Take good photos on every job (wide shots in daylight, not blurry close-ups), and add a few to your website every month. A project gallery is one of the best-converting pages a contractor can have.

5. Proof you're the real deal

Homeowners are letting you into their house and trusting you with a lot of money. Show them why they can:

Real reviews from real customers, with first names and towns
Your license and insurance information
Years in business and any certifications or manufacturer approvals
A photo of you and your crew

Never make up reviews or numbers. Customers can tell, and so can Google.

6. A short, simple estimate form

Every extra field on a form costs you leads. Ask only for what you need to call them back: name, phone or email, and a short description of the project. You can get the details on the phone. Make sure every form submission goes straight to your inbox so nothing gets missed.

7. Your service area, spelled out

List the cities and towns you serve. If you work across a region, a short section like "Serving Akron, Canton, Cleveland and surrounding Northeast Ohio" helps customers know you'll come to them, and helps Google match you with local searches.

8. SEO set up from day one

Most contractor websites are invisible on Google because the basics were never done. Every page needs a clear title and description, one main heading, descriptive photo text (alt text), fast loading on phones, and structured data that tells Google your business name, services and area. Connect the site to Google Search Console so you can see what people search to find you.

Pair your website with a complete Google Business Profile . It's free, it puts you on Google Maps, and for many contractors it brings in as many calls as the website itself. Keep it active with photos and posts, and link it to your site.

9. Fresh content over time

A website isn't a one-time project. Sites that keep adding useful content, like project spotlights, seasonal tips and answers to common questions ("How long does a roof replacement take?"), tend to keep climbing in search results. Two good posts a month is plenty for most local businesses.

Want this done for you?

At AL Results, every website includes the essentials above: mobile-first design, click-to-call buttons, simple quote forms, service pages and SEO set up at launch. Builds start at $3,500 for up to 7 pages. Our Care + Growth plan ($499/month) adds 2 new blog posts and 2 Google Business Profile posts every month, plus an SEO check every 2 weeks. See everything on our pricing page .

Not sure how your current site stacks up? Get a free website review . We'll send you a plain-English list of what's working, what's costing you calls, and what to fix first, usually within 1 business day.

Vacation Rental Direct Booking Websites: How to Get Bookings Without Airbnb Fees

Tue, 27 Oct 2026 01:12:45 GMT

If you own a vacation rental, Airbnb and VRBO probably bring you most of your guests. They're great at that. But every booking through them comes with service fees, their rules, and a guest relationship that belongs more to the platform than to you. A direct booking website changes that. Here's how it works, what it takes, and why it doesn't mean leaving Airbnb or VRBO behind.

1. Why direct bookings matter

When a guest books through a platform, the platform takes a cut, sets the cancellation rules, controls the messaging, and can change its policies or search rankings at any time. You're renting space on someone else's storefront.

When a guest books on your own website, a few things change:

You keep more of each stay. No platform service fee on the booking, just the normal cost of your booking software and card processing.
You can offer a better price. Many owners pass part of the savings to guests as a "book direct" rate, which gives guests a real reason to book with you.
You own the guest relationship. You have their email, so you can invite them back next season.
You're less exposed. If a platform changes its algorithm or its fees, your business doesn't depend on it entirely.

2. Direct booking doesn't mean leaving Airbnb or VRBO

This is the part most owners worry about. You don't have to choose. The smart setup is to stay listed on Airbnb and VRBO for discovery, and use your website to capture repeat guests, referrals and people who find you on Google.

The key is a booking system that syncs calendars across every channel, so a stay booked on your website instantly blocks those dates on Airbnb and VRBO, and the other way around. Tools like OwnerRez and Lodgify do this. Your website then embeds their booking calendar and checkout, and guests pay securely online.

3. What a vacation rental website needs to get booked

A pretty site isn't enough. Guests compare you to the polished listing they just saw on Airbnb, so your site has to feel just as trustworthy and easy to book. These are the essentials:

Big, sharp photos. Use the full-size originals, not screenshots or thumbnails. Blurry photos are the fastest way to lose a booking.
The facts up front. Bedrooms, beds, baths, how many guests it sleeps, and how far you are from the things people come for.
Real reviews. Quote your actual guest reviews with first names, and show your rating. Never write reviews yourself.
Meet the host. A photo and a few friendly lines. Guests book people, not just houses.
A clear "Book" button on every page, with dates, prices and checkout in a couple of clicks.
House rules and FAQs. Check-in times, pets, parking, cancellation policy. Answer the questions before guests have to ask.
A "why book direct" note. Tell guests what they get by booking with you: a better rate, direct contact with the host, flexible requests.

4. How a vacation rental website gets found on Google

You won't outrank Airbnb for "vacation rentals in [your town]." That's fine. The searches you can win are more specific, and the people making them are closer to booking:

Your property's name. Guests who stayed before, or saw you on a platform, often search for you by name. Your website should be the first result.
Your neighborhood and features. Searches like "3 bedroom rental near [ski resort]" or "pet-friendly cabin with hot tub in [area]."
Things to do nearby. A good local guide page and regular blog posts about the area answer what travelers search for while planning a trip, and point them to your Book page.

Behind the scenes, the site needs proper page titles and descriptions, image alt text, fast mobile pages, and structured data that tells Google it's a vacation rental. One note: Google doesn't allow Business Profiles for vacation rentals, so social media and your website do the work a Google listing would do for other businesses.

5. What it costs

Expect three kinds of cost: building the website, a monthly booking system subscription, and hosting and upkeep for the site. With AL Results, a vacation rental website build is $3,500 for up to 7 pages, with hosting and SEO checks every 2 weeks on our Care plan at $199/month. Care + Growth at $499/month adds 2 blog posts a month about your area and 2 social posts a month to bring in more guests. The booking software is billed separately by the provider you choose. See the details on our pricing page .

For many owners, a handful of extra direct bookings a year covers the cost of the site, and every repeat guest after that is a stay you didn't pay a platform fee on.

The bottom line

Airbnb and VRBO are great for being discovered. Your own website is how you build a business you control. Done right, it books direct guests, brings past guests back, and works alongside your listings instead of against them.

Thinking about a direct booking website for your rental? Get a free website review . We'll look at your listing and tell you, in plain English, what a direct booking site could do for you. We work with vacation rental owners anywhere in the US.

The AL Results Blog

How Much Does a Small Business Website Cost in 2026?

Know the real price before you sign.

1. The three ways to get a website

Do it yourself with a website builder

Hire a freelancer

Hire a web design studio or agency

2. What actually drives the price

3. The monthly costs nobody mentions

4. What a website costs with AL Results

5. How to tell if a quote is fair

The bottom line

What Every Contractor Website Needs to Get More Calls

Turn website visitors into phone calls.

1. Your phone number and a button at the top of every page

2. A headline that says what you do and where

3. A page for each main service

4. Photos of your real work

5. Proof you're the real deal

6. A short, simple estimate form

7. Your service area, spelled out

8. SEO set up from day one

9. Fresh content over time

Want this done for you?

Vacation Rental Direct Booking Websites: How to Get Bookings Without Airbnb Fees

1. Why direct bookings matter

2. Direct booking doesn't mean leaving Airbnb or VRBO

3. What a vacation rental website needs to get booked

4. How a vacation rental website gets found on Google

5. What it costs

The bottom line

Stop paying Airbnb for every booking.