Pricing
How much does a small business website cost?
Real ranges, published on purpose. Half the web designers in Michigan make you book a sales call to hear a price. I'd rather you know before we ever talk — ranges published on purpose, and the written quote you get is flat and final.
The Starter
$900
$900–$1,400 typical · one-time
For getting online, simply. A handsome one-page site with everything a customer needs to choose you.
- One-page website — your story, services, hours, phone
- Domain, hosting, and professional email set up in your name
- Google Business Profile — show up on Google Maps
- Plain-English walkthrough + handoff booklet
The Full Site
$1,900
$1,900–$3,500 typical · one-time
The whole storefront: a multi-page site built to get found on Google and turn searches into calls.
- Up to six pages, custom-designed around your business
- Written to match what your customers actually search
- Contact forms, click-to-call, review links — everything wired
- Everything in The Starter, included
Something Bigger
Let's talk
flat quote
Online booking, ordering, e-commerce, member areas — bigger builds get a friendly conversation and a flat quote in writing.
- A real conversation before any numbers
- Flat quote — never hourly billing you can't predict
- Same rule as always: the quote is the price
The Care Plan
No contractUpdates, backups, security, and your small changes handled — with a person, not a ticket queue. Cancel any month, keep everything.
$95/mo
Add care planHow paying works: Every project: half up front, half at launch. Ranges are published on purpose so you know roughly where you'll land before we talk — but the written quote you get is flat and final. If I misjudge how long something takes, that's my problem, not yours.
Questions about a number? Call me: (616) 555-0199. I'll give you a straight answer.
If money's tight
Every business gets a door.
Payment plans
Any project can be split over 3–6 months. No interest, no credit check, no awkwardness. We agree on it in writing like everything else.
The community rate
First year in business? Nonprofit? Revenue under ~$50k? Tell me. There's a discounted rate for you, and you don't have to prove anything with paperwork — this is a handshake town.
Start small, grow later
Begin with a simple one-page site. If you upgrade to a full site within two years, what you paid counts toward it. Every dollar.
Or just talk to me
If none of these fit, call anyway. I'd rather find something that works than watch you sign up for a $65-a-month template you'll be renting forever.
None of this requires proving hardship. A phone call is enough.
What moves the price
- How many pages you need
- Whether you need help writing the words, or you're bringing your own
- Photography — using what you have, or shooting new photos together
- Booking, ordering, or other custom features
- Your timeline — rush jobs take more of my attention, not less craft
Me vs. a DIY builder
This isn't a knock on Wix or Squarespace — if you have the time and enjoy it, a DIY builder is genuinely fine, and I'll say so. Here's the honest comparison, for when you'd rather it just be handled.
| Wix / Squarespace | Alvarez Webworks | |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost | $16–$65/mo, forever, to the platform | $0–$20/mo hosting (your name), optional $95/mo care plan |
| Who builds it | You, with a template and a weekend (or several) | Me, by hand, around your actual customers |
| Who fixes it at 11pm | A help-center article and a support queue | Me — you text, I answer |
| Ownership | Locked to their platform; leaving often means starting over | You own the domain, the accounts, everything — in your name |
| Google visibility | Depends on you learning their SEO tools | Built in from day one, plain-English report if you want it |
Frequently asked
How much does a small business website cost in Michigan?
For a small business site built by an independent designer, expect roughly $900–$1,400 for a simple one-page site, or $1,900–$3,500 for a full multi-page site. Bigger builds with booking or ordering get a custom flat quote. Those ranges are published on purpose — the written quote you get is flat and final.
What if I can't afford that?
There's a door for you: payment plans over 3–6 months, a discounted community rate for new or low-revenue businesses and nonprofits, a start-small option that credits toward a bigger site later, or just a phone call to figure something out together.
Why not just use Wix or Squarespace?
If you have the time and enjoy building it yourself, a DIY builder is genuinely fine — I'll say so plainly. The trade-off is your time, an ongoing monthly rent to that platform, and being the one who fixes it when something breaks. I build it by hand, you own it outright, and I'm the one who answers at 11pm.
Do I own my website?
Completely. The domain, the site, the hosting accounts — everything is registered in your name from day one, documented in a handoff booklet. If we ever part ways, you keep all of it.
How long does a website take?
Most sites launch in 3–5 weeks. The biggest factor is how quickly we gather your words and photos together — and I help with that part.
Do you work outside Frankenmuth?
Yes. I'm based in Frankenmuth and work throughout the Great Lakes Bay Region — Saginaw, Bay City, Midland, and nearby towns — and I'm remote-friendly for clients further out. Most of the work happens over phone, video, and email either way.
Every claim on this page is checkable.
- You own everything — domain, site, accounts, all in your name
- No contracts, no lock-in — leave anytime, keep everything
- Hand-built, no page-builder bloat
- Accessible to every customer — built to WCAG, tested with keyboard and screen reader
Performance
Accessibility
SEO
measuring — Real numbers land here after the launch audit — not before.
Let's build something you'll own.
Tell me about your business and I'll tell you plainly what I'd build, what it costs, and how long it takes.