If you’ve asked three people what a website costs, you’ve gotten three wildly different answers — $500, $5,000, $50,000. All of them are “right,” which is exactly why it’s confusing. Here’s the straight version for a San Diego contractor.
The short answer
For a trades business that wants a site that actually brings in leads — not just an online business card — you’re looking at $2,500 to $8,000 for a build, depending on how many pages and how much custom work. A bare template you set up yourself runs a few hundred. A big custom marketing site runs five figures.
The price isn’t really about the website. It’s about whether the thing books jobs.
What actually drives the cost
Three things move the number more than anything else:
- How many pages. A five-page site is fast. A site with a page for every service and every city you work in takes longer to build — but it’s also what ranks in local search.
- Whether it’s built to convert. A pretty site that doesn’t ask people to call is just decoration. Click-to-call, quote forms, and clear next steps take real design work.
- Whether it’s wired for search. Local SEO, fast load times, your Google Business Profile, and tracking all need to be set up right from day one. Skip it and you’ll pay for it later in lost leads.
What to watch out for
The cheapest option usually costs the most. A $500 template that loads slow, looks dated on a phone, and never shows up on Google isn’t a deal — it’s a year of missed calls. The most expensive option isn’t automatically better either. What you want is a site sized to your business: enough pages to rank, built to turn a visitor into a phone call, and easy enough for you to keep growing.
The bottom line
Don’t shop on price alone. Ask one question instead: will this site bring me jobs, and how will we know? If the answer is vague, keep looking.
Want a straight read on what your site is costing you in missed leads? Book a free marketing audit and we’ll show you exactly where the gaps are.