If you're a Maine business owner researching website costs, you've probably encountered wildly different prices—from $500 DIY website builders to $50,000+ agency quotes. This comprehensive guide breaks down exactly what websites cost in 2025, what you get for your money, and how to make the right choice for your business.
The Short Answer: What Does a Website Actually Cost?
Let's start with realistic numbers for Maine small businesses:
DIY Website Builders (Wix, Squarespace, WordPress.com):
- $12-$40/month for the platform
- $100-$500 for premium themes
- $200-$1,000 for stock photos and content
- Total first year: $500-$2,000
- Your time investment: 40-100 hours
WordPress Website (Freelancer or Agency):
- $2,000-$8,000 upfront design and development
- $50-$200/month for hosting, security, backups
- $500-$2,000/year for updates, maintenance, plugin renewals
- Total first year: $3,000-$12,000
- Ongoing: $1,500-$4,000 annually
Professional Hand-Coded Website (Modern Approach):
- $0-$2,500 upfront (depending on pricing model)
- $150-$300/month all-inclusive (hosting, support, unlimited edits)
- No hidden costs for updates, security, or maintenance
- Total first year: $1,800-$6,100
- Ongoing: $1,800-$3,600 annually
The "best" option isn't always the cheapest—it's the one that delivers results without ongoing headaches. Let's dive into what really drives website costs and which option makes sense for Maine businesses.
What Affects Website Pricing?
1. Website Complexity and Page Count
Not all websites are created equal. A simple 5-page informational site costs dramatically less than a 50-page e-commerce site with custom functionality.
Basic Website (5-10 pages): Typical for service providers, restaurants, professional services
- Home
- About
- Services/Menu
- Contact
- Gallery or Testimonials
Mid-Size Website (10-20 pages): Typical for multi-location businesses, larger service providers
- Everything above plus:
- Individual service pages
- Team member profiles
- Blog section
- Location-specific pages
Complex Website (20+ pages or custom functionality): E-commerce, membership sites, booking systems
- Product catalogs with filtering
- User accounts and dashboards
- Payment processing
- Inventory management
- Appointment scheduling systems
Reality Check: Most Maine small businesses only need 5-8 pages. Restaurants don't need 20 pages—they need menu, location, hours, and online ordering. Contractors don't need complex sites—they need services, gallery, contact form, and service area map.
If someone quotes $15,000 for a basic business website, they're either including features you don't need or charging inflated prices.
2. Custom Design vs. Templates
Template-Based Sites:
- Pre-designed layouts modified with your branding
- Faster to launch (1-3 weeks)
- Lower cost ($1,000-$3,000)
- Looks similar to thousands of other sites
- Limited customization options
Custom Design:
- Built specifically for your brand and needs
- Longer timeline (4-8 weeks)
- Higher cost ($3,000-$10,000+)
- Unique appearance and functionality
- Perfectly aligned with your business goals
The Middle Ground (Smart Choice for Most): Hand-coded websites using modern frameworks offer custom design without the premium price tag. You get a completely unique site that performs better than templates—without the $10,000+ agency quote.
3. Functionality and Features
Basic features that should be standard (not upcharges):
- Mobile-responsive design
- Contact forms
- Google Maps integration
- Photo galleries
- Social media links
- SSL security certificate
- Basic SEO optimization
Features that legitimately cost more:
- E-commerce: Product catalogs, shopping carts, payment processing ($2,000-$8,000 additional)
- Membership/Login Systems: User accounts, dashboards, subscriptions ($3,000-$12,000)
- Booking/Scheduling: Appointment calendars, automated confirmations ($1,500-$5,000)
- Custom Integrations: Connecting to third-party software, APIs ($1,000-$5,000 per integration)
- Multi-language Support: Full translations for tourist businesses ($500-$2,000 per language)
Warning: Some providers charge separately for features that should be included. If someone quotes you $2,500 for the website then charges $500 extra for "mobile optimization" or $300 for "contact forms," you're being nickel-and-dimed. These should be standard.
4. Content Creation
Who writes your website content makes a huge difference in cost and results.
Option 1: You Provide Everything
- You write all text
- You provide all photos
- Lower cost, longer timeline
- Risk: amateur writing hurts conversions
Option 2: Stock Content and Photos
- Freelancer writes generic content
- Stock photos from image libraries
- Mid-range cost
- Risk: looks generic, doesn't reflect your actual business
Option 3: Professional Content Creation
- Copywriter crafts persuasive, SEO-optimized text
- Professional photographer captures your business
- Higher upfront cost ($1,000-$3,000)
- Result: converts significantly better
Maine-Specific Consideration: Tourism businesses (hotels, restaurants, attractions) should invest in professional photography. A Portland restaurant with stunning food photography converts 3x better than one with iPhone photos. A Kennebunkport B&B with professional room shots books more reservations.
For service providers (contractors, landscapers, accountants), before/after photos you take yourself work fine. Invest your budget in professional copywriting instead.
5. Ongoing Maintenance and Support
The upfront cost is only part of the picture. Websites require ongoing work:
WordPress Maintenance Reality:
- Weekly: Plugin updates (miss one, security vulnerability)
- Monthly: Theme updates, compatibility checks
- Quarterly: WordPress core updates
- Annually: SSL renewal, hosting migration, plugin renewals
- Randomly: Conflicts breaking your site at 2 AM
Maintenance costs:
- DIY: Your time (4-8 hours/month learning and troubleshooting)
- Freelancer maintenance plan: $50-$200/month
- Agency retainer: $150-$500/month
Hand-Coded Site Maintenance:
- Zero plugin vulnerabilities (no plugins exist)
- Zero compatibility issues (no themes or updates)
- Zero surprise breakages
- Maintenance included in monthly fee
Over three years, WordPress maintenance costs ($1,800-$18,000) often exceed the initial development cost.
Breaking Down Common Pricing Models
Model 1: Large Upfront Payment ($3,000-$10,000)
Traditional Agency/Freelancer Approach:
- $5,000-$10,000 upfront for design and development
- $100-$300/month for hosting and support
- Edits billed hourly at $75-$150/hour
Best For:
- Businesses with available capital
- Those who want to "own" the site outright
- Companies with in-house tech support
Watch Out For:
- Hidden ongoing costs (hosting, updates, security)
- Hourly billing for minor edits adds up fast
- Expensive redesigns every 2-3 years
Real Example: A Portland retail shop paid $7,500 for a WordPress site. Over two years they spent an additional $3,200 on hosting ($75/mo), maintenance ($100/mo), and hourly edits. Total two-year cost: $10,700.
Model 2: Monthly Subscription ($150-$300/month)
Modern All-Inclusive Approach:
- $0-$500 upfront (minimal startup cost)
- $150-$300/month including everything
- Unlimited edits, hosting, support, updates included
- 12-month minimum commitment typical
Best For:
- Businesses preferring predictable monthly expenses
- Those who want ongoing support included
- Companies without technical staff
- Seasonal businesses (pay-as-you-go, no $5,000 winter expense)
Watch Out For:
- Long-term commitments (read the contract)
- Ownership questions (what happens if you cancel?)
- Ensure unlimited edits truly means unlimited
Real Example: A Kennebunk restaurant pays $150/month for hand-coded site with hosting, unlimited menu updates, seasonal photo swaps, and 24/7 support. Two-year cost: $3,600. They update their menu weekly without worrying about hourly fees.
Model 3: DIY Website Builders ($300-$1,000/year)
Wix, Squarespace, GoDaddy Website Builder:
- $16-$40/month for platform
- $50-$200 for premium features
- Your time building and maintaining
Best For:
- Extremely tight budgets
- Very simple sites (1-5 pages)
- Tech-savvy owners willing to invest time
Watch Out For:
- Limited customization and design control
- Slow loading speeds (Google penalizes in search rankings)
- Difficulty leaving platform (locked in)
- Poor SEO compared to custom sites
- Time cost (40-100 hours is valuable)
Real Example: A Biddeford yoga studio spent $480/year on Squarespace. Site looked decent but loaded slowly (5 seconds), ranked poorly on Google, and the owner spent 3-5 hours monthly updating it. After two years, switched to professional site and bookings increased 180%.
WordPress vs. Hand-Coded: The Real Cost Comparison
Let's break down actual three-year costs for a typical Maine small business website:
WordPress Website (Typical Path)
Year 1:
- Initial development: $5,000
- Hosting: $900 ($75/month)
- Maintenance plan: $1,200 ($100/month)
- SSL and security plugins: $200
- Premium plugins: $300
- Year 1 Total: $7,600
Year 2:
- Hosting: $900
- Maintenance: $1,200
- Plugin renewals: $300
- Emergency fixes (theme conflict): $400
- Hourly edits (12 hours × $100): $1,200
- Year 2 Total: $4,000
Year 3:
- Hosting: $900
- Maintenance: $1,200
- Plugin renewals: $300
- Minor redesign (outdated look): $2,500
- Hourly edits: $800
- Year 3 Total: $5,700
Three-Year WordPress Total: $17,300
Hand-Coded Website (Modern Approach)
Year 1:
- Initial setup: $0 (monthly model)
- Monthly fee: $1,800 ($150 × 12)
- Year 1 Total: $1,800
Year 2:
- Monthly fee: $1,800
- (All updates, edits, hosting included)
- Year 2 Total: $1,800
Year 3:
- Monthly fee: $1,800
- (Design refreshes included)
- Year 3 Total: $1,800
Three-Year Hand-Coded Total: $5,400
Savings: $11,900 over three years
This doesn't account for:
- Peace of mind (no 2 AM "site is down" panics)
- Time saved (no learning WordPress, troubleshooting plugins)
- Better performance (faster loading, higher Google rankings, more conversions)
Hidden Costs That Surprise Business Owners
1. Premium Plugins and Subscriptions
WordPress sites often need paid plugins for functionality:
- SEO plugin (Yoast Premium): $99/year
- Contact form (Gravity Forms): $59/year
- Backup solution (UpdraftPlus Premium): $70/year
- Security (Wordfence Premium): $119/year
- Page builder (Elementor Pro): $59/year
- E-commerce (WooCommerce extensions): $200-$500/year
Annual plugin costs for typical business site: $300-$800/year
Hand-coded sites don't use plugins. This functionality is built-in with zero ongoing fees.
2. Platform Migration Costs
Switching platforms (Wix to WordPress, WordPress to custom) costs money:
- Content migration: $500-$1,500
- Redesign to match new platform: $2,000-$5,000
- Testing and QA: $300-$800
- SEO preservation (redirects, rankings): $500-$1,500
Total migration cost: $3,300-$8,800
Businesses often feel locked into their platform to avoid migration costs—even when the platform underperforms.
3. Emergency Fixes and Downtime
WordPress sites break at inconvenient times:
- Plugin conflict after update: $150-$400 to fix
- Site hacked/malware removal: $300-$1,000
- Theme breaks after WordPress update: $200-$600
- Lost revenue during downtime: Impossible to quantify
A Portland hotel with a broken booking system for two days during peak season lost an estimated $3,500 in direct bookings. The fix cost $400 and took 36 hours.
Hand-coded sites don't have these vulnerabilities. No plugins = no conflicts. No themes = no compatibility issues.
4. Hourly Billing for Simple Updates
Many developers charge hourly for updates after the site launches:
- Changing business hours: $50-$100
- Adding a staff member: $75-$150
- Updating menu items: $50-$100 per update
- Adding seasonal photos: $100-$200
A Bar Harbor restaurant paid $1,400 in hourly fees over six months just updating their menu seasonally and changing specials. With an unlimited-edits plan, these updates would be free.
What You Should Actually Pay (Maine Business Guidelines)
Service Businesses (Contractors, Lawyers, Accountants, Real Estate)
Recommended Budget:
- Small firms (1-5 employees): $150-$200/month or $2,500-$4,000 upfront
- Mid-size firms (5-20 employees): $200-$300/month or $4,000-$7,000 upfront
- Features needed: 5-8 pages, contact forms, service descriptions, testimonials, blog
Restaurants, Cafes, Bars
Recommended Budget:
- Small independent restaurants: $150-$200/month or $2,500-$4,000 upfront
- Multi-location or franchises: $250-$350/month or $5,000-$8,000 upfront
- Features needed: Online menu, hours, location, reservations/waitlist, photo gallery
E-commerce Addition (Online Ordering):
- Add $100-$150/month or $2,000-$4,000 upfront
Hotels, B&Bs, Vacation Rentals
Recommended Budget:
- Small B&Bs (under 10 rooms): $200-$300/month or $3,500-$6,000 upfront
- Hotels (10+ rooms): $300-$500/month or $6,000-$12,000 upfront
- Features needed: Room galleries, availability calendar, booking system, guest reviews, local attraction guides
Retail Shops
Recommended Budget:
- Basic informational site: $150-$200/month or $2,500-$4,000 upfront
- E-commerce site (under 100 products): $300-$400/month or $5,000-$10,000 upfront
- E-commerce site (100-500 products): $400-$600/month or $8,000-$15,000 upfront
Tourism and Attractions
Recommended Budget:
- Small attractions/tours: $200-$300/month or $3,000-$6,000 upfront
- Larger attractions with booking: $300-$500/month or $6,000-$12,000 upfront
- Features needed: Photo/video galleries, booking system, ticket sales, seasonal hours, weather updates
Red Flags: When You're Being Overcharged
Warning Sign 1: Charging Separately for Standard Features
If a quote lists these as separate line items, you're being nickel-and-dimed:
- "Mobile responsive design: +$500"
- "Contact form: +$300"
- "Google Maps integration: +$200"
- "SSL certificate: +$150/year"
- "SEO-friendly URLs: +$400"
These should be standard, included features.
Warning Sign 2: Vague "Maintenance" Fees
"$150/month maintenance" should include specifics:
- What exactly is maintained?
- How many edits/updates are included?
- What's the response time for fixes?
- Who's responsible if the site breaks?
Vague maintenance plans often mean "we'll charge hourly for anything you need."
Warning Sign 3: Extremely Low Upfront, Hidden Ongoing
"$500 website!" sounds great until you read the fine print:
- $500 setup
- $200/month hosting (extremely overpriced)
- $75/hour for any edits
- $300/year for "premium support"
Over two years, that "$500 website" costs $5,900.
Warning Sign 4: Ownership Questions
Ask directly: "If I cancel service, what happens to my website?"
Red flag answers:
- "The website stays on our servers" (you don't own it)
- "We own the code, you license it" (not truly yours)
- "We can provide files for $1,500 export fee" (holding you hostage)
You should own your content, images, and domain always. The code question is more complex (hand-coded vs. WordPress), but you should never be locked in.
Warning Sign 5: Lack of Portfolio or References
"We've built hundreds of sites" but can't show you 5-10 examples? Red flag.
Ask for:
- Portfolio of recent work
- 2-3 client references you can contact
- Examples of sites for businesses similar to yours
Legitimate designers happily provide this. Scammers or inexperienced developers dodge the question.
How to Choose the Right Option for Your Business
Choose DIY Website Builders If:
- Your budget is under $100/month
- You need a 1-3 page extremely simple site
- You're tech-savvy and enjoy learning platforms
- You're okay with slow loading speeds
- Local SEO isn't critical for your business (rare)
Choose WordPress If:
- You want to hire the cheapest freelancer available
- You're okay managing plugins and updates yourself
- You have in-house technical staff
- Your business can handle occasional downtime
Reality Check: We don't actually recommend WordPress for Maine small businesses. The ongoing maintenance burden and hidden costs make it a poor value. But if you insist on this route, hire a developer who specializes in WordPress, not a generalist.
Choose Hand-Coded Professional Website If:
- You want predictable monthly costs with no surprises
- Speed and Google rankings matter for your business
- You prefer ongoing support included (not hourly billing)
- You don't want to think about plugins, updates, or security
- You need a site that works perfectly on mobile (critical for Maine tourism)
- You value quality over rock-bottom pricing
Best For: 90% of Maine small businesses fall into this category.
Making the Decision: Questions to Ask
Before hiring a web designer or choosing a platform, ask:
What's the total first-year cost including everything? (Setup, monthly fees, hosting, edits, maintenance)
What's included in ongoing support? (How many edits? Response time? What's charged extra?)
Who owns the website content, design, and code? (Can you leave without penalty?)
What happens if the site breaks? (Who fixes it? Cost? Timeframe?)
How fast will my site load? (Ask for PageSpeed score proof)
How will the site rank on Google? (Ask about SEO strategy, not just "SEO-friendly" promises)
Can you show me 5 sites you've built for businesses like mine? (Portfolio proof)
What's your typical timeline? (2-4 weeks is reasonable for small business sites)
How do edits and updates work after launch? (Process, cost, turnaround time)
What platform/technology will you use and why? (WordPress? Hand-coded? Framework?)
The Maine Business Advantage
Maine businesses have unique advantages that smart website investments amplify:
Tourism Traffic: 37 million annual visitors searching online for restaurants, hotels, activities. A fast, mobile-friendly site captures this traffic.
Local Community: Strong community connections and word-of-mouth. Your website should showcase testimonials and local involvement.
Seasonal Opportunities: Many Maine businesses are seasonal. Monthly pricing lets you maintain an active web presence year-round without massive winter expenses.
Less Competition: Small-town Maine markets are less competitive than Boston or New York. Investing in a professional site helps you dominate local search results.
Authenticity Matters: Maine customers value authenticity and quality craftsmanship. Your website should reflect these values with custom design and real photos—not generic templates and stock images.
Bottom Line: What Should You Actually Spend?
For most Maine small businesses, the sweet spot is:
$150-$300/month all-inclusive (hand-coded, unlimited edits, hosting, support included)
OR
$2,500-$6,000 upfront (custom design, professional development) + $100-$200/month (hosting, support, maintenance)
This budget gets you:
- Professional custom design
- Fast loading speeds (under 2 seconds)
- Mobile-first responsive layout
- SEO optimization for local search
- Ongoing support and updates
- Peace of mind
Cheaper options (DIY builders, bargain freelancers) seem attractive upfront but cost more in time, frustration, and lost business over the long run.
More expensive options (large agencies, complex WordPress builds) rarely provide ROI for small businesses. You're paying for overhead and bloated processes, not better results.
Ready to invest in a website that drives real results for your Maine business? Contact us for a free consultation and transparent pricing—no hidden fees, no surprises, just honest answers about what your website should cost and what you'll get for your investment.