What a Website Actually Costs a One-Person Business in 2026
A one-page business website costs €3,000 to build professionally. Add hosting and a domain and you're looking at €150–€600/year. Ongoing management — updates, backups, security — adds €500/month.
Most solopreneurs underbudget because they plan for the build and forget everything that comes after.
How Much Does It Cost to Build a Business Website in 2026?
The build cost depends almost entirely on how many pages you need.
A one-page site costs €3,000 and takes about five working days. That covers a custom design, mobile layout, contact form, and deployment to a live URL. It's not a template — it's built for your business.
Each additional page costs €1,000 and adds roughly two days of build time. A two-page site runs €4,000. A five-page site runs €7,000.
What Add-ons Cost
Most solopreneurs add one or two extras at build time. Here's what they cost:
| Add-on | Cost | Build Time |
|---|---|---|
| Extra page | €1,000 | 2 days |
| Professional copywriting | €2,000 | Variable |
| Technical SEO setup | €1,500 | 2 days |
| Animations and transitions | €2,000 | 3 days |
| Booking system | €6,000 | 10 days |
| E-commerce (up to 20 products) | €10,000 | 20 days |
| Google Analytics + Ads tracking | €800 | 1 day |
A one-person business launching for the first time spends €5,000–€8,000 once copywriting and SEO are included. Both are worth having from day one — retrofitting them later costs more.
What Does Website Hosting and a Domain Cost Per Year?
A .ie domain costs €15–€25/year. A .com is slightly cheaper at €10–€15/year. For an Irish business, the .ie extension gives you a small local SEO advantage and signals to Irish customers that you're based here.
Hosting costs depend on how your site is built. A modern Next.js site on Vercel can start free and stay free for low-traffic builds. A managed WordPress site on a decent host runs €20–€80/month.
How Much Should You Budget for Hosting?
Budget €200–€600/year for hosting if you're on a managed WordPress platform. A Next.js site on Vercel can bring that closer to zero until your traffic scales significantly.
What Does Website Maintenance Cost Per Month?
A professionally managed plan costs €500/month. That covers security updates, daily backups, uptime monitoring, and minor fixes — so after launch you never need to log in, update a plugin, or think about the site at all.
If you skip maintenance, the costs don't disappear. They become unpredictable.
A hacked WordPress site costs €500–€5,000+ to clean up. A site that goes down during a product launch costs whatever that traffic was worth.
What Does a Managed Maintenance Plan Cover?
- Security patches applied before they become a problem
- Daily backups — so any issue is reversible in minutes
- Uptime monitoring with alerts if the site goes offline
- Minor text changes and image updates on request
For most one-person businesses, a monthly plan is cheaper than a single emergency fix.
What Does a DIY Website Actually Cost?
Wix and Squarespace look free until you want to publish. The free plans display their branding, block custom domains, and limit features. To remove the restrictions, you're paying €17–€35/month on Wix or €16–€33/month on Squarespace.
That's €200–€420/year before app add-ons, e-commerce, or extra storage. Over three years, you're paying €600–€1,260 for a site that still looks like a template.
The Hidden Time Cost
The real cost of DIY isn't the subscription. It's the weeks.
Most solopreneurs spend 2–6 months building a site themselves. That's time that could go into landing clients, refining the offer, or building the product. And at the end of it, many still don't feel confident in the result — the copy is generic, the SEO wasn't set up, and the site doesn't convert.
If your time is worth €80/hour and you spend 40 hours on a DIY site, you've spent €3,200 in lost billable time. More than the cost of hiring someone to do it properly.
Website Cost Comparison: DIY vs Freelancer vs Agency vs Nerd Prescribed
| Option | Build Cost | Ongoing Cost | What You Get |
|---|---|---|---|
| DIY (Wix/Squarespace) | Free–€35/month | €200–€420/year | Template site you build and manage yourself |
| Freelancer (Upwork/marketplace) | €1,000–€5,000 | Nothing — they're gone | A built site, no ongoing support |
| Agency | €5,000–€50,000+ | €500–€5,000/month | Full team, slow timelines, built for bigger clients |
| Nerd Prescribed | From €3,000 | €500/month | Custom build + ongoing management from one person |
A freelancer is cheaper upfront. But when something breaks three months later, you're starting a new search for a developer who doesn't know your codebase.
An agency is expensive and slow. You're funding the project manager, the account manager, and the offshore handoff. None of that benefits a one-person business.
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Frequently Asked Questions
How much does a one-page business website cost in 2026?
A professionally built one-page business website costs €3,000. That covers design, development, mobile optimisation, a contact form, and deployment to a live URL. Hosting and domain are separate.
What does website hosting cost per year?
Hosting costs €200–€600/year for managed platforms like WordPress. A modern Next.js site on Vercel can start free and stay free for low-traffic builds. A .ie domain adds €15–€25/year on top.
How much does a .ie domain cost in Ireland?
A .ie domain costs €15–€25/year. A .com domain is cheaper at €10–€15/year. For an Irish business, the .ie extension offers a small local SEO advantage.
What does website maintenance cost per month?
A managed maintenance plan costs €500/month. This covers security updates, daily backups, uptime monitoring, and minor fixes — so you never have to think about the site after it launches.
How much does a multi-page website cost?
Each additional page costs €1,000. A two-page site (home + services) runs €4,000. A five-page site runs €7,000. Each page adds roughly two days of build time.
What does a DIY website actually cost?
Wix and Squarespace plans cost €17–€35/month — €200–€420/year — and that is before any app add-ons. Over three years you are paying €600–€1,200 for a site that still looks like a template. The bigger cost is the weeks most solopreneurs spend building it.
Should I hire a freelancer or a specialist for my website?
Freelancers are cheaper upfront but typically leave after delivery. When something breaks three months later, you are searching for a new developer who does not know your codebase. A specialist who builds and maintains your site long-term costs more upfront but less over time.
What add-ons drive up website costs?
The most common additions are copywriting (€2,000), technical SEO setup (€1,500), and a booking system (€6,000). E-commerce adds €10,000. You do not need all of these at launch — start with what your business requires right now.
What hidden website costs do most people miss?
The most common surprises are copywriting, SEO setup, ongoing maintenance, business email (Google Workspace costs €6/month), and — for DIY builders — the months of time spent building something that still does not convert.
How long does it take to build a professional business website?
A one-page site takes about five working days. Each additional page adds roughly two days. A booking system adds 10 days. A full custom build with copywriting and SEO typically takes two to four weeks.
