Is a setup fee normal?

Yes. Most providers charge one for the build. Ours is set by how many pages your site has, and you get the exact price in writing before you sign up.

What does $150 for a new page cover?

One new page you ask for, up to about 1,000 words, built from your own facts and photos. It's quoted first and charged only when it goes live.

Do I pay for changes?

Page edits on your existing pages are included, up to 3 requests a business day (fair use). New pages and bigger jobs are quoted first and charged only when they go live, after you reply APPROVE to the preview.

What's custom work at $150 an hour?

Anything outside our listed items that we agree to take on. You get a written quote first, and no work starts until you reply APPROVE.

Will ChatGPT or Google's AI answers mention my business?

Nobody can promise that. AI answers change and differ from person to person. What you can do is make sure your site states your services, area and contact details clearly and the same way everywhere. Then check where you stand with our step-by-step guide: check what AI search says about your business.

What a small business website costs each month

Most small businesses pay a one-time fee to get the site built, then a monthly fee for hosting, upkeep and changes. Published 2026 care plans cluster around $100 to $200 a month. The cheaper plans usually cover software updates and automated checks. The pricier ones add someone who makes your changes and works on search. What's included matters more than the price: who makes changes, how fast, whether you own your domain, and how easy it is to leave.

What you're paying for

A monthly website fee usually covers some mix of these:

Hosting and security. The server your site lives on, the padlock (SSL), and someone keeping the software patched.
Updates. Software, plugins and themes kept current so the site doesn't break or get hacked.
Changes. New hours, a new photo, a price change, a new service. This is where plans differ most: some include it, some charge by the hour.
Search basics. Page titles, descriptions, a sitemap, and the details Google and AI tools read.
Your time. A plan where you log in and make the edits yourself costs less money, but more of your evenings.

One-time fee vs. monthly fee

Most providers charge for the build once, then charge monthly to keep it running. A low monthly price can be fine. Just ask what happens when you need a change. If every edit is billed by the hour, a $50 plan can cost more than a $150 plan by the end of the year.

What's normal in 2026

Two public price studies from this fall give a useful picture:

In October 2026, Chykalophia looked at the published prices of 72 US website care providers (187 plan tiers). The middle-priced entry plan (the median) was $99 a month, the middle mid-tier plan $224, and the middle top-tier plan $450. Across every tier, the middle price was $199 a month.
In September 2026, Teqri looked at 26 managed website subscriptions, where the provider builds the site and keeps looking after it. The middle price was $150 a month, or $1,800 for 12 months. Do-it-yourself builder plans in the same study came in around $123 a year, but you do all the work.

Two more findings from those studies are worth knowing. Only about 1 in 6 care providers say they test updates on a copy of your site before they go live (Chykalophia). And only 9 of 50 price pages said anything clear or partial about who owns the site, the domain and the content (Teqri).

These are published prices, not what every business pays. Quote-only agencies aren't in either study.

What should be included

Whatever you pay, look for these in writing:

Changes are included, or priced before the work starts. No surprise hourly bills.
You see changes before they go live. A preview link, not "we updated it, take a look."
Your domain and Google accounts are in your name. Not the agency's.
You can take your site with you. An export of your content and code when you leave.
A clear way out. You know how to cancel and how much notice it takes.

Red flags

The domain is registered in the agency's name.
Changes get billed with no quote first.
A long contract with no way out.
"SEO" in the plan, but no monthly report saying what was done.
You can't see a change until it's already live.

Our prices, in full

We put every price on our pricing page. Here's the short version:

Care: $149 a month. Your site rebuilt (or built new) and hosted, up to 100 pages. Your own AI employee by email. Page edits on up to 10 existing pages per request are included (up to 3 requests a business day under fair use). Every change you ask for goes live only after you reply APPROVE.
Grow: $599 a month. Everything in Care, plus SEO and AI-search work on your existing pages each month, a plain-English SEO email, up to 2 AI-suggested SEO pages a month at no extra charge (built only after you APPROVE), review-request emails you approve first, and a monthly leads report.
One-time setup fee, by page count: $1,500 for 1 to 10 pages (or a brand-new site), $2,500 for 11 to 25, $3,900 for 26 to 50, $5,900 for 51 to 100. Over 100 pages, we quote it before you pay anything.
New pages: $150 each, quoted first and charged only when they go live.
Custom work: $150 an hour, quoted in writing first, and no work starts until you reply APPROVE.

Your domain, Google accounts and content stay yours, and you can take an export of your site once it's paid in full.

Does AI search know your business?

Many people now ask ChatGPT or read Google's AI answers before they click a website. Ask one "who's a good roofer near me?" and it names a few businesses. Some owners have no idea whether theirs is one of them.

That matters when you're working out what a website is worth. A site isn't only for people anymore. AI tools read it too, and they tend to do better with clear, matching facts: what you do, where you work, your hours and how to reach you. If your site is thin, out of date or says different things on different pages, AI tools have less to go on.

Nobody can promise an AI tool will name you. Answers change from day to day and person to person. But you can check where you stand today and fix what's unclear. Our guide walks you through it: check what AI search says about your business. Or ask for a free site review, which includes an AI-mention check.

How to compare quotes

Send these five questions to any provider you're considering, us included:

1What's included each month, and what costs extra?
2If I ask for a change, how is it priced, and do I see the price first?
3Will I see a preview before anything goes live?
4Are my domain and Google accounts in my name?
5How do I cancel, and can I take my site with me?

A good provider will answer plainly. If the answer is vague, that tells you something too.

Or send us your site and we'll quote it.

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Common questions

Is a setup fee normal?: Yes. Most providers charge one for the build. Ours is set by how many pages your site has, and you get the exact price in writing before you sign up.
What does $150 for a new page cover?: One new page you ask for, up to about 1,000 words, built from your own facts and photos. It's quoted first and charged only when it goes live.
Do I pay for changes?: Page edits on your existing pages are included, up to 3 requests a business day (fair use). New pages and bigger jobs are quoted first and charged only when they go live, after you reply APPROVE to the preview.
What's custom work at $150 an hour?: Anything outside our listed items that we agree to take on. You get a written quote first, and no work starts until you reply APPROVE.
Will ChatGPT or Google's AI answers mention my business?: Nobody can promise that. AI answers change and differ from person to person. What you can do is make sure your site states your services, area and contact details clearly and the same way everywhere. Then check where you stand with our step-by-step guide: check what AI search says about your business.

Get my free site review

One page about your own site: the top 5 things we'd change, plus a quote.