If you run a business in Collin County or anywhere around Dallas, you have probably already collected a few website quotes and noticed they don’t agree. They can’t all be describing the same thing, and they aren’t.
The short answer: in 2026, a simple brochure site for a small business usually lands in the low thousands, a proper multi-page business site in the mid to high four figures or low five figures, and e-commerce or custom web apps go up from there. What you actually pay depends on who builds it, how much is custom, and who does the work nobody puts on the quote, like writing the copy. I’m based in Allen and build sites for businesses across Allen, Plano, McKinney, Frisco and Dallas, so this is the guide I wish more owners had before they started comparing proposals.
Website cost by type of site
The single biggest driver of price is what kind of site you need. Most small business projects fall into one of four buckets.
| Site type | What it usually includes | Typical 2026 range |
|---|---|---|
| Brochure site | 1 to 6 pages, contact form, basic analytics, often template-based | About $1,500 to $8,000 |
| Standard business site | 10 to 20 pages, a CMS you can edit, custom design, service and location pages, on-page SEO setup | About $5,000 to $15,000 with a freelancer or small studio; often $10,000 to $35,000 with an agency |
| E-commerce | Product catalog, checkout, payments, shipping and tax settings, inventory | About $8,000 to $25,000 for a starter store; much more with custom checkout or ERP integration |
| Custom web app or portal | Logins, dashboards, client or patient portals, booking engines, internal tools | Commonly starts around $30,000 to $50,000 and runs well into six figures |
The rows overlap. Treat the table as a map of where quotes usually cluster, not a price list.
If you are in healthcare, there are extra considerations (intake forms, privacy, referral pages) that shift the numbers. I wrote a separate breakdown of what a home health agency website costs for that reason.
Freelancer, DFW agency or DIY builder
Who builds the site matters almost as much as what you build. Each option is a reasonable choice for somebody.
DIY website builders
Tools like Wix, Squarespace or Shopify let you launch for a subscription that typically runs a few hundred dollars a year. The real cost is your time and the ceiling on what you can do. DIY works well when you need a credible presence quickly, your offer is simple, and you are comfortable writing your own copy. It works poorly when the site needs to rank in a competitive local market, integrate with your operations, or look distinct from every other business using the same template.
Independent freelancers and small studios
Freelancers usually cost less than agencies because there is less overhead, and you often work directly with the person doing the work. For context, the Bureau of Labor Statistics puts the median annual wage for web developers and digital designers at $99,520 as of May 2025. The trade-off is capacity: one person can be a single point of failure, so ask what happens if they are sick or booked up.
DFW agencies
An agency brings a team: strategist, designer, developer, copywriter, project manager. On a ten-page brochure site, you may be paying for process you don’t need. Agencies in Dallas and the northern suburbs tend to quote toward the upper end of the ranges above, and published guides commonly put US agency rates somewhere around $125 to $300 an hour.
Texas sales tax on website design
This is the line item that surprises Texas business owners, and it is worth understanding before you sign.
The Texas Comptroller treats website creation, maintenance and hosting as a taxable data processing service. Its taxable services publication lists “web hosting, web site creation and maintenance” as examples, and its data processing guide lists “creating web (home) page and providing server space.”
The key detail is that twenty percent of the charge for data processing services is exempt. In practice, that means sales tax applies to 80 percent of the charge. The Comptroller’s sales and use tax page sets the state rate at 6.25 percent, with local jurisdictions able to add up to 2 percent, for a combined maximum of 8.25 percent.
A worked example: on a $10,000 website build at a combined 8.25 percent rate, tax would apply to $8,000, which comes to $660. Monthly hosting and maintenance plans are generally treated the same way.
A few other points from the same guidance:
- Bundled services: if taxable services make up more than 5 percent of a contract and aren’t separately itemized, the whole charge can become taxable. Clear line items on the invoice matter.
- Logos and artwork: producing finished artwork, such as a logo, is treated as taxable in its own right, separate from the data processing rules, so a branding line item may be taxed differently from the build.
- Out-of-state providers: if your designer doesn’t collect Texas tax, you may owe Texas use tax yourself.
None of this should change which provider you pick, only how you budget.
Your real year-one cost
The build price is only part of what you spend in the first year. Here are the other pieces, again as typical ranges that vary by provider.
- Domain name: a standard .com usually costs somewhere around $10 to $30 a year. Register it in your own name, not your designer’s.
- Hosting: anywhere from free (small static sites on modern hosting platforms) to roughly $20 to $50 a month for managed WordPress, and more for high-traffic or e-commerce sites.
- Maintenance: updates, backups, security patches and small edits. Care plans commonly run from about $50 to a few hundred dollars a month, depending on the platform and how much editing is included.
- SEO and content: some businesses do this themselves; others pay a monthly retainer, which often starts in the hundreds and can reach a few thousand dollars a month for competitive markets.
- Tools: email marketing, booking software, a CRM, form tools and stock photography, each with its own subscription.
For a standard business site, it is common for year-one running costs to add a meaningful fraction of the build price on top. When you compare a cheap build with expensive hosting against a pricier build with low running costs, compare the totals over two or three years, not the upfront number.
What an extra few thousand dollars actually buys
When two quotes for “a ten-page website” differ by $5,000, the difference is usually in four places.
Custom design
A template gives you a layout someone else designed for a generic business. Custom design starts from your brand, your customers and what they need to see first. My background is in design (I hold an MFA in Design from Massachusetts College of Art and Design), so I am biased, but in a crowded local market being recognizable is worth money.
Copywriting
This is the most underrated line item. Most small business sites underperform because the words are vague, not because the design is weak. Professional copy clarifies what you do, who it is for and why someone should call you instead of the next result.
Performance
A fast site ranks better and converts better on phones. Building for speed from the start costs more than installing a theme and ten plugins, and it is much cheaper than fixing a slow site later. If the jargon is unfamiliar, I explain it in Core Web Vitals explained for business owners.
Integrations
Connecting the website to your CRM, booking system, payment processor or intake workflow is where a site stops being a brochure and starts doing work. Each integration adds cost, and each one can remove a manual step for your team every day.
Choosing a platform, briefly
Platform choice affects both the build price and the running costs. WordPress is flexible and widely supported but needs ongoing maintenance. Webflow and Framer are fast to design in and easy for teams to edit. Next.js gives you the most control and performance, and suits sites that will grow into something more custom. I use all four depending on the project, and I compare them in detail in Next.js vs WordPress vs Webflow vs Framer.
If you already have a WordPress site and are considering a rebuild, budget for protecting your search rankings during the move. I cover the steps in migrating WordPress to Next.js without losing SEO.
How to compare quotes fairly
Line the proposals up against the same questions.
- Scope: how many pages, templates and features are included? What counts as “extra”?
- Ownership: will you own the domain, the hosting account, the design files and the code? Can you leave and take everything with you?
- Revisions: how many rounds of design and content changes are included, and what does an extra round cost?
- Timeline: when does it launch, and what does the provider need from you and by when?
- Content: who writes the copy, and who supplies photos? “You provide content” can quietly add weeks and your own hours.
- SEO basics: are titles, descriptions, redirects, sitemaps and analytics set up? My technical SEO checklist for small businesses is a good list to hold proposals against, alongside Google’s own SEO starter guide.
- Post-launch support: what happens when something breaks in month three? Is there a warranty period, a care plan, or an hourly rate?
- Tax and invoicing: is Texas sales tax included or added, and are taxable items itemized?
Frequently asked questions
How much does a small business website cost in Dallas in 2026?
Typical 2026 ranges run from about $1,500 to $8,000 for a simple brochure site, roughly $5,000 to $15,000 for a standard multi-page business site with a freelancer or small studio, and often $10,000 to $35,000 or more with an agency. E-commerce and custom web apps cost more. These are market ranges that vary with scope, not fixed prices.
Do I pay sales tax on web design in Texas?
Generally, yes. The Texas Comptroller treats website creation, maintenance and hosting as a data processing service, and 20 percent of the charge is exempt, so tax applies to 80 percent. The combined rate can be up to 8.25 percent depending on location. Itemization and the exact services matter, so confirm the details with your accountant.
Is it cheaper to hire a freelancer or an agency in DFW?
A freelancer or small studio is usually cheaper for small and mid-sized sites because there is less overhead and you work directly with the builder. Agencies make more sense for large projects needing several specialists at once. Compare the named people doing the work, the scope and the support terms, not just the headline number.
What are the ongoing costs of a business website?
Expect a domain (often around $10 to $30 a year for a .com), hosting (free to roughly $50 a month for most small sites), maintenance or a care plan, and any tools like booking or email software. SEO and content work are optional but common. Budget for these as recurring costs alongside the build.
Should I use Wix or Squarespace instead of hiring someone?
A website builder is a sensible choice if you need a simple, credible site quickly, your offer is straightforward, and you are happy writing your own copy. Hire someone when your site needs to rank in a competitive local market, connect to your systems, or clearly stand apart from competitors using the same templates.
How long does it take to build a small business website?
Simple sites can launch in a few weeks. Standard multi-page business sites more often take one to three months, mostly depending on how quickly content, photos and feedback arrive. Custom apps and e-commerce builds take longer. Ask every provider for a timeline that lists what they need from you and when.
Getting a second opinion
If you have a few quotes on the table and can’t tell why they differ, I’m happy to look them over with you. I’m in Allen and work with businesses across North Texas as well as clients further afield, and I build on whichever platform fits the job. You can see recent sites in my portfolio or tell me what you are planning, and I’ll give you an honest read on what is reasonable, even if the answer is that the cheaper quote is fine.
