A small business website's monthly cost breaks into three layers: hosting and infrastructure ($15–$100), maintenance and updates ($0–$200), and optional managed services or marketing ($100–$1,500+). Most businesses land between $50–$300 per month for a functional, secure site. Hosting alone runs $15–$40 monthly for shared hosting on providers like SiteGround or Bluehost, suitable for brochure sites under 10,000 visitors. Managed WordPress hosting (WP Engine, Kinsta) costs $30–$100 and handles caching, security patches, and backups automatically. Add $10–$30 for a domain, SSL certificate if not included, and CDN services. Maintenance depends on whether you handle updates yourself or pay someone. DIY costs nothing but your time. A retainer with an agency like Ottawa SEO Inc. typically starts at $150–$300 monthly for plugin updates, security monitoring, broken link fixes, and minor content edits. E-commerce sites need more frequent attention and usually sit at $200–$500 for maintenance alone due to payment gateway updates and inventory management. The wild card is development and marketing. If you need monthly design tweaks, new landing pages, or A/B testing, expect $500–$1,500 in agency hours. SEO retainers add another $800–$3,000 depending on market competitiveness. PPC management fees run 10–20% of ad spend or $500 minimum. We see most Ottawa small businesses spending $100–$400 monthly once their site is built: $40 for quality hosting, $150–$250 for maintenance, and $50–$100 for tools like email marketing or forms. Restaurants and retailers with online ordering push closer to $600–$800 because payment processing, menu updates, and inventory sync require constant attention. Watch out for "$10/month website" builders that bury costs in transaction fees, restrict SEO control, or charge $40/month per add-on. True total cost of ownership matters more than the sticker price. If someone quotes you under $50 monthly, ask what's not included.