What you need before you start

Before you pick a website builder or content management system, decide what your site actually needs to do. A plumber's site that shows hours, a photo, and a phone number is a different project from an online store that processes payments. Write down: what pages you need, whether you'll sell things, how often you'll update content, and whether you want to manage it yourself or hire someone.

You'll also need a domain name — the address people type to find you, like yourname.com. Most website builders include a free domain for the first year, then charge $10 to $15 yearly. You can buy a domain separately from a registrar like GoDaddy or Namecheap if you want to keep it even if you switch builders later. A business email address (you@yourcompany.com instead of you@gmail.com) costs extra through most builders, usually $5 to $10 per month per address.

Gather the actual content before you start building: business description, photos, service or product details, your phone number, address, and hours. If you're selling online, you'll need product photos and prices. Having this ready means you won't stare at a blank page wondering what to write.

Key Takeaways

  • Website builders like Wix and Squarespace are fastest for small businesses because they handle hosting and updates automatically, but you're locked into their system if you want to move later.
  • WordPress.com and Shopify are better if you think you'll outgrow a basic site or want more control over how your site works and looks.
  • You need a domain name ($10 to $15 per year), business email ($5 to $10 per month per address), and SSL security (usually free), plus any paid apps or plugins your business requires.
  • Most builders offer free templates you customize with your own photos and text, so you don't need design skills to launch a professional-looking site.
  • Plan to spend 10 to 20 hours setting up a basic site yourself, or hire a freelancer for $500 to $2,000 depending on complexity.

Website builders for businesses that don't need much customization

If you need a site up in days and don't plan to change it constantly, a website builder like Wix, Squarespace, or Weebly works well. You pick a template, add your photos and text, and publish. No coding, no server management, no monthly updates to worry about. The builder handles everything behind the scenes — security, backups, hosting speed.

Wix and Squarespace both start around $12 to $17 per month for a basic business site. Wix includes a free domain for the first year and lets you add an online store later if you need it. Squarespace includes hosting and a domain, and its templates tend to look more polished out of the box. Weebly is cheaper (around $6 per month) but has fewer template options and less powerful tools for selling online.

The tradeoff: you own your content, but the builder owns the structure. If you want to move your site to a different platform in two years, you'll have to rebuild it from scratch. Your site also lives on their servers, so you can't move it elsewhere. This matters less if you're a small business that won't change much, but it matters a lot if you think you'll need more power later.

WordPress.com and self-hosted WordPress for growing businesses

WordPress powers roughly 40 percent of all websites because it's flexible and you can take it with you. WordPress.com (the hosted version) starts around $4 per month and handles hosting and updates for you, similar to a website builder. You can move your site to a different host later if you want, though it takes some technical work.

Self-hosted WordPress (where you rent server space separately and install WordPress yourself) costs $3 to $10 per month for hosting plus the cost of any plugins or themes you buy. It's more work to set up and maintain, but you have complete control. You can customize almost anything, add complex features, and move your site anywhere. Most people hire a freelancer or developer to set this up, which costs $500 to $2,000 depending on what you need.

WordPress makes sense if you plan to add features over time — a blog, a mailing list signup, a booking system, or a store. The plugin ecosystem is enormous, so almost any feature you think of exists. The downside is that more features mean more things that can break, and you're responsible for keeping WordPress and plugins updated.

Shopify and other platforms if you're selling online

If your main goal is to sell products, Shopify is built specifically for that. It starts at $29 per month and includes hosting, payment processing, inventory tracking, and shipping label printing. You don't need to know code, and the platform handles the parts that scare most people — taking credit cards safely, calculating tax, managing returns.

Shopify takes a percentage of each sale (2.9 percent plus 30 cents per transaction if you use their payment processor) on top of the monthly fee. For a business selling $5,000 per month, that's roughly $145 in transaction fees plus $29 in hosting, so $174 total. A website builder with a store add-on (like Wix or Squarespace) is cheaper if you're selling less than $2,000 per month, but Shopify's tools are more powerful if you're selling more.

WooCommerce is a free WordPress plugin that turns a WordPress site into a store. It's cheaper than Shopify if you already have WordPress hosting, but you manage everything yourself — payment setup, shipping calculations, security updates. Most people using WooCommerce hire a developer to set it up, which costs $1,000 to $3,000.

What to actually do: the step-by-step process

Start by buying your domain name. You can do this through the builder itself (easiest) or through a separate registrar. If you buy through the builder, write down the login information — you'll need it if you ever switch platforms.

Pick your builder or platform. If you're unsure, start with Wix or Squarespace because they're the fastest to learn. You can always rebuild on WordPress later if you need to. Sign up, and the builder will walk you through picking a template.

Choose a template that matches your industry. Don't overthink this — you can change colors, fonts, and layout later. Pick one that has the page types you need (a contact form, a services page, a store, whatever applies to you).

Replace the placeholder text and images with your own content. Add your business description, photos, phone number, and hours. Write a short "about" section explaining who you are and why someone should hire you or buy from you. This is the most time-consuming part and usually takes 5 to 10 hours for a basic site.

Set up a business email address through your builder or a service like Google Workspace ($6 per month per address). This looks more professional than a Gmail address and keeps your business email separate from personal email.

Test the site on a phone. Most people will visit on mobile, so make sure buttons are clickable, text is readable, and images load. Most builders automatically adjust your site for phones, but check it yourself.

Publish when you're ready. You don't need everything perfect — you can update it anytime. Most builders let you preview the site before it goes live, so you can catch obvious mistakes.

Hiring someone to build your site

If you don't want to build it yourself, a freelancer on Upwork or Fiverr can do it for $300 to $1,000 for a basic site. A local web designer or agency will charge $1,500 to $5,000 or more. The difference is usually in how much custom design work they do — a template-based site is cheaper, a fully custom design is more expensive.

Before you hire someone, have your content ready and be clear about what you need. "I need a site that shows my services and lets people contact me" is clear. "I need a professional website" is vague and will cost more because the designer has to guess what you want.

Ask to see examples of sites they've built. Ask whether they'll hand over the login information and domain when they're done — you want to own your site, not rent it from them. Ask what happens if you need changes later and whether they charge for updates.

Costs and ongoing maintenance

A basic business website costs roughly $15 to $30 per month for hosting and domain, plus $5 to $10 per month for business email. If you use paid plugins or apps (like a booking system or email marketing tool), add $10 to $50 per month depending on what you use. If you hired someone to build it, add that one-time cost ($300 to $5,000).

After launch, you'll spend a few hours per month updating content — adding new photos, changing hours, writing a blog post if you have one. Most builders make this straightforward enough that you don't need technical skills. If you use WordPress, you should check for updates monthly and install them, which takes 15 to 30 minutes.

Plan to refresh your site every 2 to 3 years. Technology changes, browsers update, and what looked modern five years ago looks dated now. You don't need to rebuild from scratch — usually updating the template and refreshing photos is enough.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to know how to code to build a website?

No. Website builders and WordPress.com are designed for people with no coding experience. You drag and drop content, pick colors, and write text. If you want to customize something beyond what the builder offers, you'd need to hire someone or learn code, but most small businesses don't need that.

Can I move my site to a different platform later?

It depends on the platform. WordPress.com and self-hosted WordPress let you export your content and move it elsewhere, though it takes some work. Wix and Squarespace don't make this straightforward — you'd have to rebuild on the new platform. This matters if you think you'll outgrow your current choice, but most small businesses stay on the same platform for years.

How long does it take to build a basic site?

If you're doing it yourself with a website builder, 10 to 20 hours spread over a few weeks. Most of that time is writing content and taking photos, not actually building the site. If you hire someone, it usually takes 1 to 4 weeks depending on how busy they are and how many revisions you request.

What if I want to sell things online but I'm not sure how much?

Start with a website builder's store add-on (Wix or Squarespace). It's cheaper than Shopify if you're selling less than $2,000 per month, and you can move to Shopify later if you grow. Most builders let you add a store after you've already built the site, so you don't have to decide right away.

Do I need SSL security and an SSL certificate?

Yes, but most builders include it for free. SSL is the "s" in "https" — it encrypts information people send you (like credit card numbers or contact forms). Every legitimate website builder includes this automatically. You don't have to do anything or pay extra.