How Much Should a Contractor Website Cost in 2026

94% of users form their first impression of your business based on your website design. That stat should frame every dollar you spend on your contractor website, because a cheap site that looks cheap is actively costing you jobs.

But “don’t go cheap” isn’t helpful advice when prices range from $500 to $60,000. The contractor website market is full of agencies charging premium prices for template sites and DIY platforms promising professional results that never materialize.

Here’s what websites actually cost in 2026, what you get at each price point, and where most contractors should land.

The four pricing tiers

Basic: $1,000-2,500

At this level, you’re getting a template-based site on WordPress, Squarespace, or Wix. Someone picks a theme, swaps in your logo and photos, writes basic copy for 5-7 pages, and hands you the keys.

What you get: a homepage, a few service pages, an about page, a contact page, and basic mobile responsiveness. The design is functional but generic. You’ll look like a professional business, which puts you ahead of contractors with no website, but you won’t stand out.

What you don’t get: custom design, SEO optimization beyond the basics, conversion-focused copywriting, or service area pages targeting specific cities. Speed optimization is usually minimal. Schema markup is rarely included.

This tier works for: contractors just starting out who need a web presence fast and plan to upgrade within 12-18 months. Solo operators whose business comes primarily through referrals and who need a website mainly for credibility.

Mid-range: $2,500-10,000

This is where most contractors should land. At this price point, you’re paying for a designer and developer who understand local service businesses and build sites that actually generate leads.

A $5,000-7,000 build typically includes custom design tailored to your brand, 10-15 pages including individual service pages and service area pages, SEO-optimized copy written by someone who understands your industry, mobile-first design and speed optimization, basic schema markup for local business, a contact form with lead notifications, and Google Analytics setup.

The difference between $2,500 and $10,000 usually comes down to the amount of custom content, the number of service area pages, and whether you’re getting professional photography. A 10-page site with stock photos sits at the lower end. A 25-page site with professional photos, video, and detailed service area content pushes toward $10,000.

At this tier, you should expect your site to rank for your business name and primary service + city keywords within a few months. Page speed should be optimized enough that you’re not losing visitors to slow load times.

High-end custom: $5,000-60,000

The wide range here reflects a wide spectrum. $5,000-15,000 gets you a highly customized site with advanced features like online booking, chat integration, and a robust blog. $15,000-60,000 enters agency territory with brand strategy, professional video, custom photography, advanced SEO campaigns, and ongoing content creation.

Multi-location contractors and companies doing $5M+ in revenue often justify this spend because the website supports a larger marketing operation. If you’re running $20,000 a month in Google Ads, a $30,000 website that converts 1% better pays for itself in months.

This tier works for: established contractors with significant ad spend, multi-location businesses, and companies preparing for sale where online presence affects valuation.

Most single-location contractors spending $60,000 on a website are overpaying. That money would generate more jobs if split between a solid $7,000 site and $53,000 in targeted advertising.

Monthly subscription: $200-500/month

This model has gotten popular with marketing agencies targeting contractors. You pay nothing upfront (or a small setup fee), and they build and host your website for a monthly fee.

Over three years, a $300/month subscription costs $10,800. A $500/month subscription runs $18,000. For a site that would cost $3,000-5,000 as a one-time build.

The bigger problem: you don’t own the website. Cancel the subscription and the site disappears. Your domain might transfer, but the design, content, and SEO authority you’ve built stays with the agency. You’re renting, not buying.

Some subscription models include ongoing SEO work, content updates, and hosting, which adds legitimate value. But many are just financing a basic website at a significant markup with a lock-in clause.

If you go the subscription route, read the contract carefully. Understand what happens if you cancel. Ask who owns the domain, the content, and the design files. Get answers in writing.

What drives the price

Design complexity

A template site with your colors and logo costs far less than a custom design built from scratch. For most contractors, a well-customized template looks just as professional. Homeowners aren’t comparing your website to Apple’s. They’re comparing it to three other contractor websites, most of which look worse than you’d expect.

Custom illustrations, animations, and interactive elements push costs up fast. Unless your brand demands it, skip the fancy stuff and invest in better photography instead. A real photo of your team beats a custom animation every time.

Content and copywriting

Generic copy like “We provide quality plumbing services to the greater metro area” doesn’t convert and doesn’t rank. Professional copywriting from someone who understands home services costs $100-300 per page, and every dollar is worth it.

Good copy answers the questions homeowners actually have. How much will this cost? How long will it take? What’s the process? What if something goes wrong? Pages that address these questions directly convert significantly better than pages full of vague promises.

The amount of content also affects cost. Five pages is a different project than twenty-five pages with location-specific content for each city in your service territory.

SEO foundation

Basic on-page SEO (title tags, meta descriptions, heading structure) should be included in any website build above $2,000. If a developer quotes you extra for “SEO optimization” that just means writing proper title tags, find someone else.

Advanced SEO work including keyword research, competitor analysis, schema markup, and content strategy adds legitimate cost. This is the difference between a site that looks good and a site that actually shows up when homeowners search.

Your choice of platform also affects ongoing SEO costs. WordPress gives you maximum control but requires more maintenance. Managed platforms handle updates automatically but limit what you can customize.

Photography

Professional photos of your team, trucks, and completed work cost $500-2,000 depending on your market and the photographer. Stock photos are free but make your site look like every other contractor site.

If budget is tight, take photos yourself. Modern phones produce good enough quality for a website. Clean trucks, organized job sites, and finished projects photographed in good lighting beat stock images of models pretending to be plumbers.

Ongoing costs most contractors forget

The website build is one expense. Running it is another.

Hosting: $15-50/month. Shared hosting at $15/month works for low-traffic sites. Managed WordPress hosting at $30-50/month provides better speed, security, and support. Platforms like Squarespace and Wix include hosting in their subscription fees ($16-46/month).

Domain registration: $12-20/year. Buy your domain from a registrar like Namecheap or Google Domains, not through your web developer. This ensures you always control your domain even if you switch providers.

SSL certificate: Free to $200/year. Most hosts include free SSL through Let’s Encrypt. If someone charges you $200 for an SSL certificate, they’re taking advantage of your lack of technical knowledge.

Maintenance and updates: $0-150/month. WordPress sites need regular updates to plugins, themes, and core software. Security patches matter. If you’re not comfortable doing this yourself, budget $50-150/month for a maintenance plan. Managed platforms like Squarespace handle this automatically.

Content updates: varies. Adding blog posts, updating service pages, and refreshing photos keeps your site relevant. Some contractors handle this themselves. Others pay their web developer $75-150/hour for updates.

How to evaluate a web developer

Get three quotes minimum. Ask each one to show you contractor websites they’ve built. Not mockups. Live sites you can visit on your phone.

Check page speed on the sites they’ve built. Go to Google PageSpeed Insights and test them. If their portfolio sites score below 50 on mobile, they’re building slow websites and they’ll build you one too.

Ask about their process. A good developer asks you questions about your customers, your service area, and your competitive landscape before they start designing. If they jump straight to showing you templates, they’re building a generic site.

Questions to ask:

Who owns the website files and content if we part ways? The answer should be “you do.”

What platform will you build on and why? They should have a reason beyond “it’s what we use.” Your tech stack matters for long-term maintainability.

What’s included in the quoted price and what costs extra? Get specifics on number of pages, rounds of revisions, SEO setup, mobile optimization, and training on how to make your own updates.

How long will the build take? A quality contractor website takes 4-8 weeks. Anyone promising a custom site in a week is using a template and calling it custom.

What happens after launch? Will they help with issues? Is there a warranty period? What does ongoing support cost?

Where contractors waste money

Paying for features you’ll never use. An e-commerce integration for a plumber who doesn’t sell products online. A booking system you’ll never check. A blog you’ll never write for. Buy what you’ll actually use and add features later when you need them.

Redesigning too often. Your website doesn’t need a redesign every two years. It needs consistent content updates, fresh photos, and occasional layout improvements. A full redesign every 3-5 years is reasonable if the industry has moved forward.

Overpaying for hosting. A contractor website doesn’t need a dedicated server. Managed hosting at $30-50/month handles the traffic volume of any single-location contractor. Anyone selling you $200/month hosting is overselling.

The bottom line

A contractor who spends $5,000-7,000 on a well-built website with solid SEO foundations, professional copy, and proper mobile optimization has a site that generates leads for years. Add $50-100/month for hosting and maintenance, and your three-year total cost of ownership runs $6,800-10,600.

Compare that to a $300/month subscription model at $10,800 over three years, where you own nothing at the end.

The cheapest option isn’t the $1,000 template site. The cheapest option is the mid-range site that actually converts visitors into calls. A $5,000 site that converts at 4% generates twice the leads of a $1,500 site that converts at 2%. At an average job value of $2,000, that extra 2% pays for the website in the first month.

Spend enough to get it right the first time. Not so much that you’re paying for features and design elements that don’t move the needle on booked jobs.