How much does a website cost for a contractor?

Two widely read 2026 guides give the ranges below. Treat them as rough markers: GoDaddy sells website builders, and some of its own figures don't line up with each other.

• Number of pages: a plumber with six services in four towns needs far more pages than a one page brochure. Service and city pages are where contractor sites earn calls, and each one takes time to write well.
• Copywriting: someone has to write about water heaters in Mesa or hail damage in Wichita. If the designer writes it, the price goes up, and usually so does the result.
• Photos: your own job photos beat stock, but someone has to collect, edit and caption them.
• Lead handling: call tracking, routing forms into a CRM, missed call text back and online booking all add setup time.
• Custom design or template: a template is faster and cheaper. Custom design costs more and should earn its keep in calls, not looks.
• SEO setup: title tags, local business structured data and matching your Google Business Profile. Skipping it saves money now and costs calls later.

The build is a one time cost. After that the site needs hosting, a domain, updates, security and fresh content. Forbes Advisor puts hosting and apps at $15 to $150 a month, and GoDaddy suggests budgeting up to $500 or more a year for maintenance.

Ask exactly what any monthly fee covers. A fair plan should include hosting, backups, security updates, small edits and a person to call when something breaks. New pages and content updates are often billed separately.

Whatever the arrangement, make sure the domain is registered in your business name and that you can get a copy of your content and photos if you ever move on.

Judge a website by the jobs it brings in, not the invoice. Here is a simple way to think about it.

For example, with made up numbers: say each water heater install earns you $1,200 in gross profit. A site that costs $3,000 more than a cheap template, but brings in three extra installs a year, covers that difference in the first year. A site that looks fine but brings no calls costs more than its price, because it also costs you the jobs you never heard about.

Cheap sites tend to fall short in the same places: one page for every service, no city pages, a buried phone number and no tracking. If you start cheap, plan to add those pieces as soon as you can.

• Who owns the domain and the content? It should be your business.
• How many service and city pages are included? Get the number in writing.
• Who writes the copy? And will it name your towns, your services and your license?
• How fast will it load on a phone? BrightLocal's 2026 study found 73% of local searches started on mobile.
• Where do form leads and calls go? Your phone, an inbox or a CRM?
• What does the monthly fee cover, and how long is the contract?
• Can I see contractor sites you built that get calls? Not just pretty ones.

A website is one part of getting calls. It works alongside your Google profile, reviews and fast follow up in the four part contractor lead system, and the SEO built on top of it takes months, so start early.

• Brand new solo operator: a small, clean site listing your main jobs and towns is enough to back up your Google profile. The handyman website guide shows what to include.
• Established crew ready to grow: a professional build with full service and city pages, call tracking and review links. See contractor website design.
• High ticket trades: roofers, HVAC companies and remodelers need deeper pages, financing details and project galleries. Start with roofing website design or HVAC website design.