"How much is a website?" is one of the first questions contractors ask, and the honest answer is: it depends on what you're actually buying. A $0 template and a lead-generating site with SEO aren't the same product. This guide from The Net Building Company walks through the common options, what each includes, and the costs people forget.
There are four common routes: build it yourself, hire a freelancer, hire an agency for a one-time build, or pay a monthly plan that includes the site, hosting, and marketing.
Each one trades money for time and results differently.
DIY is the cheapest upfront, but you pay with your own time and usually with weaker results.
You pay a monthly subscription plus a domain. Check the builder's current pricing page, since plans change often. What you get is a template. What you don't get is someone who knows how plumbers, electricians, or roofers actually get found, how to structure service and town pages, or how to make the phone ring from mobile.
DIY makes sense if you're just starting out and need something live this week. It rarely makes sense if you're trying to grow.
A freelancer can build a good-looking site for a one-time fee, but ongoing SEO, hosting, and fixes are often extra or missing.
Quality and price vary a lot. Some freelancers are excellent. The common problems are: the site launches and then nobody touches it again, nobody is tracking calls, and when something breaks you can't reach the person who built it.
A traditional agency charges a larger upfront project fee, then bills separately for hosting, maintenance, and SEO.
You'll usually get a more polished process: discovery, design, copy, and launch. Ask what happens after launch. Many contractors pay for a big build, then pay again every month for "maintenance" that doesn't include new pages, reviews, or rankings work.
A monthly plan bundles the build, hosting, updates, and marketing into one predictable bill, usually with little or no upfront cost.
This is the model we use at The Net Building Company. The upside: no big check upfront, and someone is always responsible for keeping the site fast, secure, and growing. The downside to watch for: some companies lock you into long contracts or keep ownership of your domain. Read the agreement.
At minimum, a contractor website should include mobile-first design, hosting and security, tap-to-call, a quote form, and a page for each main service.
Here's a checklist to compare quotes against:
The costs people miss are domain renewals, plugin and theme licenses, paid fixes after launch, and the cost of a site that doesn't generate calls.
Compare the monthly cost to the profit from one or two extra jobs per month.
If your average job brings in a few hundred dollars of profit, and a better site and SEO bring you even one or two extra jobs a month, a monthly plan usually pays for itself. Track it: use call tracking, ask every new customer how they found you, and compare month over month. If you can't measure it, you can't tell whether you're overpaying.
Our plans are $199, $299, or $399 per month, with the first month free and no long-term contract.
Optional add-ons include Google LSA management ($150–$300/mo plus ad spend), the Nextdoor alert bot on Starter or Growth ($79/mo + $49 setup), after-hours answering on Starter or Growth ($149/mo), and a review showcase that pulls your latest Google and Yelp reviews onto your site ($29/mo + $49 setup). Setup fees range from $0 to $500 and are discussed with you before any work starts. We build your site before you pay.
Before you sign, get clear answers on ownership, contract length, what's included monthly, and how results are reported.
How much does a plumber or electrician website cost? It ranges from a low monthly DIY subscription to a large one-time agency fee; what matters is what's included and whether it brings in calls.
Is a monthly website plan better than paying once? It's better if you want hosting, updates, and SEO handled for you; paying once is fine if you'll maintain and market the site yourself.
Do I own my website if I cancel? It depends on the provider's agreement, so ask before signing and make sure the domain is in your name.
Do I need SEO if I already have a website? Yes, if you want to be found by people who don't already know your name; a site without SEO rarely ranks for local searches.
How long does it take to build a contractor website? A focused contractor site can launch in days to a few weeks, depending on how quickly content and photos are ready.
Wondering if your current site is worth keeping? Request a free website audit from The Net Building Company. We'll email you a plain-English report on speed, mobile, tap-to-call, Google basics, and AI-search readiness, with how to fix each issue.
We build your new site before you pay. First month free. No long-term contract.
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