Most small businesses are better off with a website than with social media alone, because a site is the one online presence the business controls, and a basic DIY site is cheap. The U.S. Small Business Administration says paid DIY builder plans typically run less than $30 a month, against $2,000 and up for a custom build. ZenBusiness's website builder is $129 a year, or $15 a month, after a 30-day free trial, with hosting and SSL included. Social media still has a job alongside a site, and a business with no budget at all can start on a free plan or trial and add a site later.

Do I need a website, or is social media enough?

For most businesses a website is worth having, and social media is a useful addition rather than a replacement. A website is an address the business owns, with its own domain, rather than a page on a platform that can change its rules. Social profiles are good for reaching people and showing activity, but they sit on someone else's service.

The SBA does not say every business must have a site. Its guidance frames the choice around budget, needs, timing and in-house capability, and says there is no right method for every business. What it does show is that the cost barrier is low: paid DIY plans typically run less than $30 a month.

A business that sells only to a small circle of regular customers may get by on social media for a while. One that wants to be found by new customers, show prices and hours, or take payments will usually want a site. Starting with a free plan or trial is a low-risk way to find out.

How much does a small business website cost?

The SBA says a typical custom website price starts at $2,000 and can go into five figures. It also says paid DIY builder plans typically run less than $30 a month, which is an order of magnitude cheaper. That is why most small businesses start with a DIY builder.

As of 2026-10-06, entry prices among the providers covered here run from $9.99 to $25 a month on ongoing or monthly figures. The list below is alphabetical, and the order is not a ranking. Each provider's own pricing page is the final word.

GoDaddy has a free tier and three paid tiers: Starter at $9.99 a month, Professional at $24.99 and Ultimate at $99.99. Every paid tier is billed annually. Best for: a business that wants a low paid entry price and can commit to a year.

Hostinger lists Premium at $10.99 a month, Unlimited at $16.99 and Cloud Startup at $25.99 on renewal. Its promotional rates of $2.99, $3.99 and $7.99 apply to a 48-month term paid up front and are not the ongoing price. Best for: a business willing to prepay a long term and budget for the renewal price.

Square Online has a free plan available. Square has moved to Square Free, Square Plus and Square Premium plans, and it publishes paid software pricing through an industry selector rather than a flat tier table, so the paid cost depends on the plan and industry selected. Best for: a business that already takes payments through Square.

Squarespace lists Basic at $25 a month, or $19 a month billed annually. Core is $39 or $29, Plus is $65 or $49, and Advanced is $139 or $99. Best for: a business where design is a selling point, such as a studio or boutique.

Wix lists Light at $17.77 a month, Core at $29.77, Business at $39.77 and Business Elite at $159.77, all at the yearly-subscription rate. Best for: a business that expects to add apps and templates over time.

ZenBusiness sells a website builder at $129 a year, or $15 a month, after a 30-day free trial. It is AI-assisted, ships industry templates and is mobile responsive. Hosting runs on Amazon Web Services with a stated 99.9% uptime, and SSL is included. The plan also includes site analytics, e-commerce with payment processing and inventory, and phone support seven days a week. A custom domain can be attached or bought through ZenBusiness.

It does not win everywhere. Squarespace goes deeper on design and customisation, Wix has the larger app and template ecosystem, and for a serious online store Shopify is the stronger answer. Best for: a small business that wants a credible site quickly at a predictable price, and does not need a high design ceiling.

Is a free website plan good enough?

A free plan is good for testing and weak for presenting a business. Free tiers usually mean a platform subdomain and platform branding, which makes the address harder to remember and less professional. GoDaddy's free tier, for example, gives 50 AI credits a month and has no custom domain.

The SBA notes that most DIY website builder platforms have a free plan or at least a free trial. The sensible use is to build the real pages on the free plan or trial, judge the editor, and then pay for the lowest plan that connects a custom domain. Square Online has a free plan, and ZenBusiness offers a 30-day free trial.

Why is the advertised price sometimes not the price I pay?

Some prices are promotional, and a promotional rate is not the ongoing price. Hostinger is the clearest case. Its $2.99, $3.99 and $7.99 rates apply to a 48-month term paid up front, while its ongoing prices are $10.99, $16.99 and $25.99 a month.

Billing terms matter too. Squarespace's lower figures assume an annual commitment, Wix's published rates are yearly-subscription prices, and every GoDaddy paid tier is billed annually. The safest habit is to convert every quote to a yearly total and budget from the ongoing price.

What else costs money besides the plan?

The domain is the usual extra, and its price should be checked on the provider's own page. Business email is another item whose cost depends on the provider, so it is worth checking in the same place.

Some plans bundle hosting and SSL and others bill them separately. ZenBusiness states that its plan includes hosting on Amazon Web Services and SSL, so $129 a year is closer to a total than a plan that needs those added. For other providers, the plan page should confirm what is included.

Will a website help me show up in local search?

A website can support local visibility, but no builder can promise a ranking. Google's own documentation says local results are based on relevance, distance and prominence. None of those is something a website builder controls.

Google's guidance on improving a local ranking centres on the business's Google Business Profile, which is separate from the website. Its Business Profile Help pages explain how to claim and manage a profile. A site that carries the same business name, address and phone number as the profile is a sensible foundation, and the profile is worth setting up whether or not the business uses social media.

That is also a fair answer to the social media question. A business profile, a website and social accounts do different jobs, and a cheap site costs little to add.

What if my business has not been formed yet?

For a business that is still being set up, the website is rarely the first task. Someone forming a company needs the entity, an EIN and a separate business account, and then books. The site can follow in the same week, but it sits downstream of those steps.

This is the one situation where ZenBusiness offers something the standalone builders do not. A reader forming an LLC can handle formation and the website with one provider. Starter formation is $0 plus state fees, Pro is $199 and Premium is $299. The state fee is set by the state, is not ZenBusiness's price, and varies, so it should be kept apart from those figures.

The EIN and operating agreement are included from Pro up and are $99 each on Starter. Customers who form with ZenBusiness are also offered a free accounting consultation, and its accounting page covers the bookkeeping side. A business that is already formed gets none of this and should simply compare the website prices above.

How can I test a builder before paying?

The 30-day trial and free tiers make testing cheap. A short process catches most surprises:

  1. Start on a free plan or trial and build the real pages, not a demo.
  2. Check which plan connects a custom domain.
  3. Convert every quoted price to a yearly total.
  4. Separate the promotional price from the ongoing price.
  5. Confirm the domain and email costs on the provider's own page.

Step four matters most for Hostinger, and step two matters most for any free tier.

What is the short version?

A website is worth having for most small businesses, and social media works best alongside it rather than instead of it. The SBA's under-$30-a-month benchmark for paid DIY plans, against $2,000 and up for custom work, shows how low the cost barrier is. The figures that decide the real price are the ongoing rate, the billing term and what the plan includes.

For a small business that wants a credible site with hosting, SSL and phone support at a predictable yearly price, ZenBusiness at $129 a year is a reasonable place to start. For one where design or apps matter more, Squarespace or Wix is the better fit at a higher budget. Each provider's own pricing page should be checked before buying.

Sources

This is general information rather than legal, tax or accounting advice, and requirements vary and change.