Short answer: a professional website for a home service business typically runs anywhere from a few hundred dollars a year for a do-it-yourself site to $6,000+ for a full agency build. Most local contractors land somewhere in the middle. Here's how the options really break down.

The four ways to get a website (and what each costs)

1. Do it yourself with a website builder — $0 to $400/year

Platforms like Wix, Squarespace, and GoDaddy let you build a site yourself using templates. Plans usually run $15–$35 per month, which comes to roughly $180–$420 a year once you add a custom domain.

This is the cheapest option on paper, but the real cost is your time. Expect to spend 20–40 hours learning the tools, writing content, and fighting with templates — time you could be spending on paying jobs. The results also tend to look like a template, and they're rarely set up well for showing up in local search.

2. Hire a freelancer — $500 to $2,500

A freelance web designer from Upwork, Fiverr, or a local referral can build you a custom-looking site for a one-time fee. Quality varies enormously. A $500 freelancer and a $2,500 freelancer can produce very different work, so always ask to see sites they've built for other service businesses.

The risk with freelancers is what happens after launch. Many disappear once the invoice is paid, leaving you stuck when you need an update or something breaks.

3. Work with a specialist — $1,000 to $4,000

A designer or small studio that focuses on home service contractors sits in the sweet spot for most trades. You get a custom, mobile-friendly site built around how customers actually find and hire contractors — click-to-call buttons, service-area pages, and local SEO baked in — plus someone who sticks around to support it.

This is where our own packages live: $1,200 for an essential site up to $3,800 for a comprehensive build. You can see exactly what's included on our Services & Pricing page.

4. Hire a full agency — $5,000 to $15,000+

Larger marketing agencies build websites as part of bigger retainers. The work is usually excellent, but the price reflects overhead you may not need as a local contractor. Agencies make the most sense for multi-location companies with big advertising budgets.

What actually drives the price

  • Number of pages. A 3-page site costs less than a 10-page site with a page for every service.
  • Custom design vs. template. A design built for your brand costs more than a stock template — but it looks more trustworthy to customers.
  • Local SEO setup. Proper on-page SEO and Google Business Profile setup is what gets you found. It's worth paying for.
  • Features. Online booking, quote calculators, and galleries add cost.
  • Ongoing support. Someone to call when you need a change is worth its weight in gold.

Don't forget the ongoing costs

Whatever you choose, budget for a few recurring items: a domain name (about $12–$20/year), hosting ($10–$25/month), and optional maintenance if you'd rather not manage updates yourself. These are small compared to the value of one or two extra jobs a month from your site.

The bottom line

For most Albany-area contractors, a professional site in the $1,200–$3,000 range pays for itself quickly. One new customer from a plumbing, roofing, or HVAC job often covers the entire cost of the website. The question isn't really "how much does a website cost" — it's "how much is it costing me not to have one that works?"