Local Web Design Breakdown: A Clear Look at Each Website Option

Let’s be real – you don’t know websites. I’m not being harsh, but you wouldn’t have clicked on a link to read this if you weren’t curious (or 100% confident) about website options and cost. I say it all of the time – websites are tricky. This isn’t a product you can easily go to the store and compare prices. Most designers and agencies hide their prices. Not always because they are shady, but because websites can be pretty unique.

But others are a bit more transparent. Big box companies like Wix, Squarespace, and Go Daddy list prices. And every now and then, you will find a local web design company that will give you a price without forcing you into an hour long “discovery call”.

And because you are curious about local web design prices and offerings, let’s see if we can give you the best possible way to compare. It might not be as good as heading to your local store and checking out price tags and quality – but we will do our best.

Not All Website Options Are Created Equal

We are a company built to help small to medium-sized businesses. Yes, Strong Minded Agency spends 99% of our time working directly with business owners and marketing managers. We’ve talked with start-ups that don’t have the funds to build with us. They don’t even have the funds to build on Wix. We’ve also worked with companies that have plenty of marketing money and are rocking a ten-year-old GoDaddy website (yes, I’m kinda judging).

All website options are not equal. I’ve made recommendations for different platforms for different clients. Pricing is a pretty big factor, but we also want to look at your technical capability, the functionality of what you are asking for, and what things look like for you (the big picture).

And since things are getting crazier and crazier by the minute with generative AI, I’m not going to try and fool you to say “you CAN’T make a website”. Yes, it’s very possible that you can make your own website. How that will look and perform? It depends. And if that answer makes you a little queasy, might want to do a little more digging.

DIY Website Builders

Let’s dive into the big companies with marketing budgets.

I’m sure you’ve heard of GoDaddy from their Super Bowl commercial eons ago. Boy, talk about their millions paying off (great ad spend). These guys are really a hosting and domain company – but also offer a website builder.

And you know Wix and SquareSpace. They sponsor every YouTube video and Podcast on the planet (which means they might be actually sending me money for some of our podcast efforts). I better not trash them too hard. Kidding of course – I equally trash and praise regardless of sponsorship.

Oh – we also have Shopify.

There are more out there – but let’s focus on the giants of the industry.

GoDaddy Website Builder

GoDaddy’s website builder is built for speed and simplicity, but it leans even more toward “quick and easy” than most other platforms. It’s designed for someone who wants to answer a few questions, pick a layout, and have a site live the same day.

Everything is bundled together - hosting, templates, basic marketing tools - so there’s very little setup involved. The tradeoff is flexibility. Compared to platforms like Wix, GoDaddy is more structured and limited in how much you can customize, which makes it easier to use but also harder to create something that feels truly unique or tailored to your brand.

From a pricing standpoint, GoDaddy looks attractive at first glance. Plans typically start around $10–$15 per month for basic sites and can go up to $20–$25+ per month for ecommerce functionality, putting most users in the $120 to $300 per year range. That pricing usually includes hosting and access to the builder, which keeps things simple. But like most website platforms, the advertised price is just the starting point. Costs can increase with add-ons, premium features, or ecommerce needs, and renewal rates are often higher than the initial promotional pricing.

Where GoDaddy fits best is for small businesses or individuals who just need a clean, functional online presence without spending much time managing it. It handles the basics well - mobile-friendly design, simple editing, and built-in tools for things like appointments or basic marketing. But it’s not built for deep customization, advanced SEO work, or scaling a more complex website over time. It’s a strong option if the goal is to get online quickly and keep things simple. If the goal is long-term growth, customization, or building something more strategic, it can start to feel limiting fairly quickly.

Wix

Wix is built for people who want to get something live quickly without turning website development into a full-time job. It’s an all-in-one platform that handles hosting, design, and functionality in one place, which removes a lot of the friction that usually comes with building a site.

You can drag, drop, edit, and publish without touching code, and with AI tools and hundreds of templates, it’s realistic to go from nothing to a polished site in a day. That’s the real appeal here. It’s not about building the most complex website in the world, it’s about getting a strong, professional presence online without overcomplicating the process.

Pricing sits in a range that feels reasonable once you understand what you’re actually getting. There is a free plan, but it’s more of a sandbox than a real solution since it includes ads and a branded domain. Most users will land on a paid plan somewhere between about $17 and $36 per month, which puts you roughly in that $200 to $400 per year range. When you compare that to piecing together hosting, themes, plugins, and maintenance on something like WordPress, Wix starts to make more sense. You’re paying for simplicity, speed, and fewer headaches, which for a lot of business owners is a worthwhile trade.

Where Wix really delivers is in how everything works together. You’re not just building pages, you’re building a system that includes ecommerce, email marketing, automations, analytics, and integrations, all inside one dashboard. That said, there are tradeoffs. You’re locked into your template once you start, customization has limits compared to more open platforms, and costs can creep up as you add features.

It’s a strong fit for businesses that want something clean, functional, and fast without a lot of ongoing management. If the goal is control and scalability at a deeper level, there are better options. If the goal is getting a solid website up and running without friction, Wix does that very well.

SquareSpace

Squarespace is built for people who care about how their website looks just as much as how it functions. From the start, it leans into clean design, structured layouts, and a more guided experience compared to something like Wix. The templates are a major strength - modern, polished, and consistent across the board - which is why so many Squarespace sites immediately feel professional. The editor follows that same philosophy. It’s intuitive and streamlined, but also a bit more controlled, which helps avoid messy designs but can feel limiting if you want total creative freedom.

From a pricing standpoint, Squarespace sits in a similar range to other builders, typically starting around $16/month for a personal site and increasing as you add business or ecommerce functionality. The difference is how much is included upfront. Most core features - design tools, blogging, ecommerce capabilities, and integrations - are built into the platform rather than locked behind upgrades or add-ons. Pricing also scales logically, especially with ecommerce, where higher-tier plans reduce transaction fees instead of just adding features. It’s a cleaner model that aligns cost with growth instead of forcing upgrades just to unlock basics.

Where Squarespace stands out is in its all-in-one approach and overall experience. You get built-in marketing tools, email campaigns, social integrations, and analytics without needing a marketplace full of plugins. That keeps things simple and reduces the need to manage multiple tools.

The tradeoff is flexibility. There are fewer extensions, less customization at a deep level, and the platform isn’t built for highly complex or large-scale projects. It’s best suited for creatives, small businesses, and brands that want a clean, professional site without spending weeks building or maintaining it. If the priority is design and simplicity, Squarespace does that very well.

Shopify

Shopify is everywhere right now, and there’s a reason for that. It’s built for one thing - selling. If you want to launch an online store without getting buried in technical setup, Shopify makes that part easy. Hosting, security, payments, and inventory are all handled in one place, so you’re not duct-taping multiple tools together just to get a product live. For most business owners, that simplicity is what gets them moving quickly.

From a cost standpoint, Shopify sits in the middle of the pack. Plans typically start around $39/month, move to $105/month, and go up to $399/month depending on features and scale. That base price is only part of the equation. Most stores end up adding paid apps for things like email marketing, upsells, reviews, or advanced reporting. It’s not uncommon for businesses to spend an additional $50 to $200+ per month on apps alone. There are also transaction fees if you’re not using Shopify Payments, which can quietly eat into margins.

Where Shopify fits best is for businesses that value speed and reliability over total control. If your goal is to launch quickly, validate a product, and start selling without technical headaches, the cost is usually justified by the time saved. If you’re highly budget-conscious or want full customization without ongoing platform fees, it may not be the best long-term fit. Shopify delivers on convenience - you just need to decide if that convenience is worth the ongoing investment.

What Happens When You Outgrow DIY Builders

At some point, most businesses hit a ceiling with DIY platforms. It might be design limitations, SEO struggles, or just realizing the website isn’t actually helping generate leads. This is usually where the conversation shifts from “How do I build a website?” to “How do I build something that actually works?” And guess what? These guys do not transfer easily. The platform you select is the platform you will be sticking with. So if they want to raise their prices, you won’t be able to shop around – unless you want to design a whole new site.

And that sounds a bit biased (coming from a designer), but you might not care. The savings you might have in the first several years can easily justify this option.

DIY Website Builders Comparison

Platform	Best For	Design Flexibility	Starting Cost	Realistic Monthly Cost	5-Year Total Cost (Est.)	Key Tradeoff
GoDaddy	Quick, basic websites	Low	$10–$15/mo	$15–$30/mo	$900–$1,800	Limited customization and scalability
Wix	Small businesses, general use	Medium-High	$17–$36/mo	$25–$60+/mo	$1,500–$3,600	Costs increase with features, template lock-in
Squarespace	Design-focused brands	Medium	$16–$49/mo	$25–$60+/mo	$1,500–$3,600	Less flexibility, fewer integrations
Shopify	Ecommerce-first businesses	Medium	$39–$399/mo	$75–$250+/mo	$4,500–$15,000	App costs and transaction fees add up

Freelancers & Solo Web Designers

We are on the other side of DIY. Once you have a little more money than time (or you are 100% not a tech savvy individual), you might find yourself searching the internet for a local web designer or freelancer that can help you go next level. And truthfully, this is where it gets real tricky.

The drag and drop builders give you all of the pricing. The freelancers and Solo Web Designers won’t be listing their prices on their website. You gotta call them, email them, and maybe even text them. Once you explain your project, they will likely start to trickle out prices.

Guys – I’m being pretty direct here – I was a solo web designer. There is good reason why we have to be guarded with prices. Although a freelancer might be the most talented person in the world, it’s unlikely they are doing this full-time and/or have a well-oiled process. Even if they do, pricing and deliverables will be determined by what’s already in their queue. Want something rushed? That will be usually cost more.

Oh, and it also really matters what technology they are using. Some like to build from scratch and others are your DIY partners (making your site using Wix) and doing the work for you. And since these are vastly different, the pricing and quality can also be a huge range of outcomes.

Entry-Level Freelancers

This is usually where people land when they outgrow DIY but still want to keep costs low. Entry-level freelancers are typically working with Wix, Squarespace, or pre-built WordPress themes. They’re not building from scratch. They’re customizing what already exists and getting something live quickly.

Communication here is usually pretty loose. A few emails, maybe a call or two, and then the site starts coming together. There’s not always a defined process or timeline, which can be fine if expectations are simple.

From a pricing standpoint, you’re usually in that $500 to $1,500 range. You’re paying for someone to take the burden off your plate and make it look better than you would have on your own. The tradeoff is strategy. SEO, messaging, and long-term thinking usually aren’t part of the build. It looks good, it works, but it’s not necessarily built to grow. And you still have to pay for the hosting, domain, and the platform fee.

Mid-Level Freelancers

This is where things start to feel more intentional. Mid-level freelancers are usually working in WordPress or Webflow and actually thinking about how the site is structured, not just how it looks. They’re still using frameworks or themes, but they’re customizing them in a way that feels more tailored.

Communication also gets better here. You’ll usually have an onboarding call, some type of timeline, and a clearer idea of what’s happening and when. It’s not overly complex, but it’s not guesswork either.

Pricing typically falls between $2,000 and $5,000. And at this level, you’re starting to pay for thinking, not just building. You might get some SEO structure, better page flow, and guidance on content. The tradeoff is still scale. It’s one person. So while the quality is higher, there are limits to how fast things move and how deep they can go in every area.

High-End Freelancers

Now you’re getting into freelancers who operate a lot like small agencies. They’ve done this for a while, they have a process, and they’re thinking about your website as part of your business, not just a standalone project.

They’re usually working in WordPress, Webflow, or more custom setups, and they’re focused on performance, structure, and conversions. Communication is more dialed in. You’ll have scheduled calls, defined phases, and a clearer roadmap from start to finish.

Pricing usually starts around $5,000 and can go north of $10,000 depending on what you’re building. At this point, you’re paying for strategy, not just design. The tradeoff is you’re still hiring a person, not a full team. Even if they’re great, there’s only so much one person can handle long-term. That’s where the ceiling starts to show.

Freelancers Have Their Costs

Freelancers can be a really solid option. There are a lot of talented people out there doing great work. But this is also where things can get a little hit or miss, and that’s just the nature of hiring an individual instead of a team. You really have to do your homework. Look at their portfolio closely. Ask questions about how the site performs, not just how it looks. And don’t be afraid to ask how long projects actually took, because timelines can vary more than people expect.

One of the biggest gaps you’ll run into is how complete the service actually is. Some freelancers will design a great-looking site, but you’re left figuring out hosting, domains, and launch steps on your own. Others might build everything but expect you to provide content, images, or structure. And that’s where things can break down. A strong website isn’t just development. It needs good visuals, clean graphics, and clear messaging. Not every developer is a designer, and not every designer understands how to build or optimize a site. Those are questions worth asking upfront.

Location can also play a bigger role than people think. You can absolutely find freelancers on platforms like Fiverr, but that can create challenges for local businesses. They may not understand your market, your audience, or even how people in your area search and communicate. That doesn’t mean it can’t work, but it adds another layer of risk. At the end of the day, freelancers can be a great fit, but the success of the project usually comes down to how well you vet them and how clearly expectations are set from the start.

Tier	Best For	Design Flexibility	Starting Cost	Realistic Cost (Project + Ongoing)	5-Year Total Cost (Est.)	Key Tradeoff
Entry-Level	Basic sites, small budgets	Low-Medium	$500–$1,500	$100–$300/yr (hosting, minor edits)	$1,000–$3,000	Limited strategy, performance not prioritized
Mid-Level	Small to mid-sized businesses	Medium-High	$2,000–$5,000	$200–$800/yr (hosting, updates)	$3,000–$9,000	Still reliant on one person, limited scale
High-End	Strategy-focused, more complex builds	High	$5,000–$10,000+	$500–$1,500/yr (maintenance, updates)	$7,500–$17,500+	Near-agency pricing without full team support

Local Web Design Agencies

If you are buying TV commercials, billboards, and spending a good deal of money online to advertise – this is where you should probably be spending your time. There might not be a ton of difference between a high-end freelancer and a local web design agency, but there are differences. Agencies usually understand the entire web design process. Not just coding. Not just designing. They understand copywriting, analytics, and all of the media you need to capture to make your website look like a million bucks (and convert to make a million bucks).

Small to Mid-Sized Agencies

Agencies are where things start to feel more structured. Instead of relying on one person, you’re working with a team that typically includes design, development, and some level of strategy. Most agencies are building on platforms like WordPress, using proven frameworks and processes to create something custom without starting from scratch every time.

Communication is one of the biggest differences here. You’re usually going through a defined process - discovery, planning, design, development, and launch. There are timelines, checkpoints, and clear expectations. It might feel like more upfront work compared to a freelancer, but it also removes a lot of the guesswork and “what’s next?” moments.

From a pricing standpoint, most local agencies fall between $3,000 and $10,000 depending on the size of the site and what’s included. At this level, you’re not just paying for pages. You’re paying for structure, messaging, SEO setup, and a website that’s built to actually support your business. The tradeoff is involvement and cost. You’ll likely have more meetings and a higher upfront investment, but the end result is usually more complete and more aligned with your goals.

Higher-End Agencies & Custom Builds

Once you get into higher-end agencies, the conversation changes. This isn’t about “getting a website” anymore. It’s about building something that’s fully integrated into your business.

These agencies often handle everything - strategy, design, development, content, SEO, analytics, and integrations with tools like CRMs or marketing platforms. Some builds are fully custom, while others still use frameworks but with a much deeper level of customization and planning.

Pricing usually starts around $10,000 and can scale well beyond that depending on complexity. And at this level, you’re paying for depth. More research, more planning, more collaboration. The tradeoff is time and budget. These projects take longer and require more input, but they’re built to scale and perform at a higher level over time.

Although it’s possible that you can handle your own maintenance, these websites usually require some type of retainer or hiring the design firm to maintain. Custom builds sometimes are a bit more difficult on the backend to make changes or you rely on the developers to make the changes for you.

Are Agencies the Best? Maybe – Maybe Not

Agencies sound like a great idea if you want professionals, predictable outcomes. On the other hand, for a local business, this could be complete overkill. Custom builds (we are talking building from scratch in HTML) are pricey and time-consuming. These custom builds often lack the flexibility you might want and often require additional fees to have the developer on your payroll.

If you are a national company, you might not fret about these costs or restrictions. Having a deliberate design that matches your goals and needs can be a huge pro. But you also need to make sure you have everything in order when coming to the agency. Brand guides are absolutely necessary unless you are also willing to pay for the agency to define your brand and voice for you.

It's important to check the system. Find out how agencies build their sites, who you will be working with, and what time commitment you will need to dedicate to make sure you end up with a finished product.

Tier	Best For	Design Flexibility	Starting Cost	Realistic Cost (Project + Ongoing)	5-Year Total Cost (Est.)	Key Tradeoff
Small-Mid Agency	Growing businesses, lead generation sites	High	$3,000–$10,000	$500–$2,000/yr (hosting, SEO, updates)	$5,500–$20,000	More upfront cost and involvement
High-End Agency	Established businesses, complex builds	Very High	$10,000–$50,000+	$2,000–$10,000+/yr (marketing, SEO, dev)	$20,000–$100,000+	Higher cost, longer timelines, more complexity

How to Choose the Right Website Option

At this point, you’ve seen the range. DIY builders, freelancers, agencies. They all work. They all have a place. The difference comes down to where your business is right now and what you actually need your website to do.

Start with budget. If you’re under $1,000, you’re realistically looking at DIY or entry-level freelancers. That’s not a bad thing. It just means your goal is to get something live, not build a long-term growth engine. As your budget moves into the $2,000 to $5,000 range, you start unlocking better structure, better design, and some level of strategy. Once you get into the $5,000 to $10,000+ range, you’re no longer just building a website. You’re building something that should support your marketing and generate results.

Next is time and involvement. DIY builders save money but cost you time. Freelancers reduce your workload but still require input and coordination. Agencies take more upfront time with meetings and planning, but usually remove more of the day-to-day burden once things are moving. If you don’t have time to think through content, structure, and decisions, that matters just as much as budget.

Finally, think about expectations. If your goal is just to have a website, almost any option will work. If your goal is to generate leads, rank on Google, and support your business long-term, that’s a different conversation. That’s where strategy, structure, and ongoing support start to matter more than just design.

What Most People Get Wrong

Most people compare websites like they’re buying the same product at different prices. That’s where things fall apart.

A $1,000 website and a $5,000 website are not the same thing. A $5,000 website and a $10,000 website are not the same thing. They might both “look good,” but what’s happening behind the scenes is completely different.

Some builds are focused on appearance. Others are focused on performance. Some include SEO, structure, and content planning. Others leave that entirely up to you. If you’re only comparing price, you’re missing the part that actually determines whether the website works.

The Simple Way to Think About It

If you want something quick and affordable, go DIY.

If you want something custom without a huge investment, go freelancer.

If you want something that’s built to actually support your business, go agency.

There’s no perfect option. Just the right option for where you are right now.