What a web designer costs depends less on the designer and more on how they charge and what the price includes. Two quotes for "a five-page website" can be thousands of dollars apart and still be fair, because one includes the writing, hosting and a year of help, and the other is the design alone.
For scale: the US Bureau of Labor Statistics puts the 2025 median pay for web developers and digital designers at $47.85 an hour. That's what employees earn, and freelancers set their own rates, but it's a useful anchor when you see an hourly price. My own prices are fixed: $2,500 for the build plus $100 a month, or $250 a month for 18 months, then $100 a month.
- Brief
- Quotes
- Compare line by line
- Written agreement
- Build and launch
Send a brief, get quotes, compare them line by line, agree in writing, then build and launch.
How web designers charge
| Model | How it works | Good for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hourly | You pay for the hours worked | Small fixes and changes | No ceiling unless you agree one |
| Project price | One price for an agreed scope | A new website with clear pages | What's left out of the scope |
| Monthly | One monthly fee covers the build and the upkeep | Spreading the cost | The minimum term and what happens if you leave |
None of these is better in general. A project price is easiest to compare. A monthly price is easiest on cash flow. Hourly makes sense once the site exists and you need small changes.
Freelancer, agency, studio or website builder?
Who you hire changes the price more than anything else:
| Option | What you get | Good for | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|---|
| Website builder (no one) | A template you fill in yourself | Tight budgets, simple sites, people who like doing it | All the work and every fix is yours |
| Freelancer | One person who designs and builds | A clear project with a defined scope | Availability after launch varies |
| Agency | A team: design, development, marketing, project manager | Larger sites, ongoing marketing | Higher prices, more layers between you and the work |
| Small studio | One person or a small team that builds and looks after the site | Small businesses that want one contact for years | Smaller capacity, so earlier booking |
There's no wrong answer here, only a wrong match. A one-page site for a new business doesn't need an agency, and a site that takes thousands of orders a month shouldn't depend on a builder template you set up on a weekend. If you're replacing a site you already have, start with what a redesign costs.
To see what a small studio builds, my case studies explain my role in each project.
How to read a quote
A good quote reads like a plan: what you'll get, when, and what it costs. A vague one reads like a price. Compare these:
- Vague: "Website design, $2,000."
- Clear: "Five pages (home, services, about, gallery, contact), designed for phones. Two rounds of changes. Hosting and domain for the first year, in your name. An editor and a walkthrough. Launch about two weeks after content is ready. $2,000, half upfront. Care afterwards: $X a month, covering updates, security and 30 minutes of changes."
If a quote looks like the first one, ask for the second before you compare it with anything.
What the price should include
Ask for a written list. A complete quote for a small business website covers:
- The number of pages and what goes on each one
- Design for phones and computers
- How many rounds of changes are included
- Who writes the text, and the price if it's them
- Hosting and the domain: who pays, and whose name they're in
- A way for you to edit your own text
- Basics for Google: page titles, a sitemap, Search Console
- A contact form and where the messages go
- What happens after launch: updates, security, small changes, and what they cost
If a cheaper quote leaves several of these out, it isn't cheaper. You'll pay for them later, in money or in your own time.
Red flags
- The domain is registered in their name. ICANN is clear that the person who registers a domain is responsible for it. Your domain should be in your name, with your login.
- No written scope. "A nice website" isn't a scope. Pages, revisions and deadlines should be in writing.
- You can't change a sentence without them. Unless you want them to handle every change, you should get a way to edit your own text.
- No answer on what happens if you leave. Can you take the website with you? What does it cost?
- Unlimited everything. Unlimited revisions or pages usually means nobody has thought about the scope yet.
Questions to ask before you hire
- What exactly is included, and what costs extra?
- How many rounds of changes do I get?
- Who writes the text?
- Whose name will the domain and hosting be in?
- Can I edit the website myself? Will you show me how?
- What happens after launch, and what does it cost each month? (My care plan answers this one in writing.)
- How long will it take, and what do you need from me? (A realistic website timeline helps you judge the answer.)
- If I want to leave, can I take the website with me, and on what terms?
A good designer answers all eight without hesitating. If the answers are vague now, they'll be vague later.
What a fair agreement covers
You don't need a lawyer for a five-page website, but you do need the basics in writing. A fair agreement covers:
- Scope: the pages, features and number of revision rounds.
- Timeline: the target launch date, and what moves it, like late content.
- Payment: how much, when, and what each payment covers.
- Ownership: that the domain and your content are yours, and when the finished website becomes yours.
- Leaving: how you take the site with you, and what it costs, if anything.
- Care after launch: what's included each month and how to cancel. Maintenance plans vary a lot, so get this part in writing.
If the designer doesn't offer an agreement, write these six points in an email and ask them to confirm. It takes ten minutes and saves arguments later.
Questions people ask about hiring a web designer
Should I pay everything upfront? Not usually. A deposit to start and the rest at launch is common, and some designers offer monthly payments. Paying everything upfront to someone you've never worked with puts all the risk on you.
Who owns my website? Your domain and your content should be yours from day one. The design and code usually become yours once the build is paid, but that depends on the agreement, so get it in writing.
Is hourly or a fixed price better? For a new website, a fixed price is easier to plan and compare. Hourly works for small changes once the site exists.
Is a cheap web designer worth it? Sometimes. Cheap is fine when the scope is clear and the quote covers what you need. It's a problem when the low price comes from leaving out hosting, the domain or any help after launch.
What I charge
- Pay upfront: $2,500 for the build, then $100 a month for care. You can take the website elsewhere once the build is paid, and cancel care with 30 days' notice.
- Pay monthly: $250 a month for 18 months, then $100 a month or take the website. Leaving early with the website means paying $150 per remaining month toward the build, and the care charges stop.
Both include up to five pages, two rounds of design changes, hosting, an editor, a contact form, a privacy policy, analytics, Search Console and 30 minutes of small updates every month. Extras have fixed prices on my services page.
To compare these numbers with a website builder and with other quotes over three years, use the calculator in what a small business website costs. And if you're still at the beginning, start with what a small business website needs.
