Most homepages show no price
On November 12 and 13, 2026 we read the homepages of 99 web design and marketing companies that Google Maps lists around the Twin Cities. 82 of them printed no dollar figure on the homepage. 17 printed at least one.
That is the first thing to know. A few have a pricing page further in. For most, you have to ask.
What the printed prices were
We then read the pricing pages of four of the companies that do print what a site costs. No company is named here, because the point is the range.
| How it was priced | What the page printed |
|---|---|
| A one-time build, lowest printed | About $1,500, as a "starting at" price |
| A one-time build, highest printed | About $11,500 |
| A site sold as a monthly plan | About $500 to $1,000 a month for a year |
| A custom site | Around $24,000 |
We counted only prices printed for building a website. Logos, ad budgets, search plans and add-ons are left out. These are printed prices, not what anyone paid, and a "starting at" price is a floor.
Hosting was priced separately where it was printed at all: from $29 a month on one page to between $95 and $250 a month on another.
What the money buys
A website bill has four parts, and a quote that names only one of them is not finished.
The build. Design, writing and putting the pages together. Paid once, or spread over a year as above. Twelve payments of $500 come to $6,000.
The domain. Your address, such as yourbusiness.com. A small yearly fee. What matters more than the fee is whose name it is registered in.
Hosting. The computer that serves the site. Monthly or yearly, for as long as the site is live.
Upkeep. Edits, updates and backups. Some owners do it themselves, and some pay a monthly plan.
Ads are a fifth thing and not part of the website. Ad spend goes to Google or Meta.
What to ask before you pay
| Ask | Why |
|---|---|
| Is the price in writing before work starts? | A figure said on a call can change. |
| Whose name is the domain in? | If it is not yours, you cannot leave with it. |
| What do I pay each month after launch, and for what? | Hosting and upkeep can cost more over three years than the build. |
| On a monthly plan, what happens in month 13? | Find out whether you then own the site or keep paying. |
| Who holds the logins? | You should hold the top-level ones. |
| What is not included? | Ask about photos, writing and extra pages by name. |
Our own price
A website from us is $600. Winter price for sites booked by March 1. After that, $1,000. A $300 deposit books your spot. It is on the prices page with what it covers, and you get it in writing on the first call. Ask us the six questions above. Call or write.
Sources
- Our own reading of 99 company homepages found on Google Maps around the Twin Cities, November 12 and 13, 2026.
- The pricing pages of four of those companies, read on November 13, 2026. Prices change, so ask each company for its current one.
