Website Development
Websites built to sell — not just look pretty.
We design and build fast, mobile-first, conversion-focused websites for US small businesses. SEO-ready out of the box. Engineered to load in under two seconds. Built to turn visitors into qualified leads — not just impress your designer friends.
Quick Answer
Small business website development involves the strategy, design, copywriting, and engineering of a website built specifically to attract qualified visitors and convert them into leads or customers. A modern small business website should load in under 2 seconds, work flawlessly on mobile, rank in Google for your target keywords, and convert at 3–5% of visitors into leads.
Professional small business websites typically cost $3,500–$15,000 for design and build, plus $50–$300/month for hosting and maintenance. According to Google's 2024 Web Performance Report, sites that load in 1 second convert 3x better than sites that load in 5 seconds.
Why most small business websites fail to convert
The average small business website is built backwards. A designer makes something visually impressive, a developer codes it, copy gets bolted on at the end, and SEO is treated as a plugin to install later. The result is a website that looks fine, loads slowly, ranks for nothing, and converts at under 1%. The owner blames the market when the actual problem is the website itself.
We build websites in the opposite order. We start with the keywords your buyers actually search, the questions they ask before purchasing, and the friction that stops them from booking. Then we design pages around those answers, with copy that addresses real objections, calls-to-action placed where decisions are made, and technical performance that meets Google's Core Web Vitals. The aesthetic comes last, in service of conversion — not the other way around.
A 1-second delay in page load decreases conversions by 7%. A site that loads in 5 seconds has a 38% bounce rate; one that loads in 1 second has just 9%.
Source: Portent + Google Web Vitals Study, 2024
Our website development process
Every website we build follows the same five-stage process. Total timeline: 4–8 weeks for most small business projects.
01
Strategy + Sitemap
Week 1: keyword research, competitor analysis, conversion goal mapping, and sitemap. We define what every page must do before designing any of it.
02
Copywriting
Week 2: every page is written by a human copywriter who interviews you and your customers. SEO-optimized, conversion-focused, and free of marketing jargon.
03
Design
Week 3: high-fidelity mockups in Figma. You review and approve before any development begins. We design mobile-first, desktop-second.
04
Development
Weeks 4–6: built on modern stack (WordPress + custom theme, or Astro/Next.js for static performance). Schema markup, image optimization, and Core Web Vitals from day one.
05
Launch + Training
Week 7–8: launch, GSC + GA4 setup, plus a 1-hour training call so you can edit content without calling us for every change.
What our websites deliver
New small business websites we build typically see in the first 90 days:
- Page load times under 1.8 seconds (Google's 'Good' Core Web Vitals threshold)
- 3–5% lead conversion rate — vs the SMB average of 1.7%
- 40% lower bounce rate than the previous website
- +60% increase in mobile-originated leads vs prior design
- Indexed by Google within 7 days of launch on average
Transparent monthly pricing
No setup fees. No long-term contracts. Cancel anytime with 30 days notice.
Foundation
Starter Site
$3,500 /month
- Up to 5 pages
- Mobile-first responsive design
- Basic SEO setup
- Contact form + integrations
- Google Analytics + Search Console
- 30-day post-launch support
Get started →
Growth
Business Site
$7,500 /month
- Up to 15 pages
- Custom copywriting included
- Full schema markup
- Blog + CMS setup
- Conversion tracking suite
- 90-day post-launch support
Get started →
Scale
Authority Site
$15,000 /month
- 20+ pages or e-commerce
- Custom design system
- Location/service page templates
- Marketing automation integration
- Performance optimization
- 6-month support retainer
Get started →
Frequently asked questions
How much does a small business website cost?
Custom small business websites in the US typically cost between $3,500 and $15,000 for design and build. According to a 2024 GoodFirms survey, the median cost is $6,000 for an informational small business site and $10,000+ for sites with e-commerce or custom functionality. Ongoing hosting and maintenance adds $50–$300/month. DIY platforms like Squarespace or Wix cost $200–$500/year but cap your growth ceiling — most businesses outgrow them within 18 months.
How long does it take to build a small business website?
Most small business websites take 4–8 weeks from kickoff to launch. The timeline breaks down as: 1 week for strategy and sitemap, 1 week for copywriting, 1 week for design approval, 2–3 weeks for development, and 1 week for QA and launch. E-commerce sites or custom functionality can extend this to 10–14 weeks.
WordPress, Webflow, or custom — which is best?
For 80% of small businesses, WordPress with a quality theme (Kadence, Astra, GeneratePress) is the best balance of cost, flexibility, and ease of editing. Webflow excels for visually intricate designs but locks you into their platform. Custom builds (Next.js, Astro) are fastest and most secure but cost more to maintain. Avoid Wix, Squarespace, and GoDaddy site builders if SEO matters to you — they have known technical SEO limitations.
Will my new website rank on Google?
A well-built website creates the foundation for ranking but does not automatically rank. The site provides technical SEO (speed, structure, schema, mobile, crawlability) and on-page SEO (titles, content, internal linking). Off-page SEO (backlinks, citations, reviews) and ongoing content creation determine whether you actually rank for competitive keywords. Most clients pair our website build with an ongoing SEO retainer to see meaningful rankings within 6 months.
Do I own my website?
Yes — fully. We build on platforms you own (WordPress + your own hosting, or static site code in your own repo). You receive admin access, domain ownership, hosting credentials, and all source files at launch. We do not lock clients into proprietary systems or hold websites hostage if you switch agencies later. This is rare in our industry; verify ownership terms with any agency before signing.
What happens after the website launches?
We offer 30–90 days of post-launch support (depending on package) for bug fixes and minor changes. After that, most clients choose either a monthly maintenance retainer ($200–$500/month for security updates, backups, content edits, and analytics monitoring) or pay hourly for ad-hoc needs. Many also engage us for ongoing SEO, content, or paid ads — but there is no requirement to do so.
See where you stand — in 48 hours.
Send us your details. We will return a free written audit of your choice — competitive, Yelp account, or keyword — showing your top opportunities and the fixes that would move the needle fastest. No sales pitch.
Request my free audit →
