Website costs break into two buckets: upfront build and ongoing operation. A template-based WordPress site from a freelancer runs $2,000–$5,000. A custom small business site with proper SEO foundation, original design, and CMS integration typically costs $8,000–$25,000 from an agency. E-commerce adds $5,000–$40,000 depending on catalog size and custom functionality. Enterprise sites with multi-region support, integrations, and custom applications start at $50,000 and climb past $150,000. DIY builders like Wix or Squarespace appear cheap at $15–$40/month, but you're trading money for time and capability. You'll spend 30–80 hours learning the platform, won't own the code, and face SEO limitations that cost you traffic. Professional builds front-load the cost but give you control and performance. Ongoing costs matter more than most businesses expect. Shared hosting costs $10–$30/month but won't handle traffic spikes. Managed WordPress hosting runs $30–$150/month for better speed and security. Add $50–$200/month for maintenance unless you're comfortable updating plugins, monitoring security, and fixing breaks yourself. SSL certificates, premium plugins, CDN services, and email hosting add another $20–$100/month. At Ottawa SEO, we run 500+ domains and see the same pattern: businesses underestimate total cost of ownership. A $5,000 website with $2,000/year in neglected maintenance becomes a $12,000 liability in three years when it needs a full rebuild. Budget 15–25% of your initial build cost annually for hosting, updates, content changes, and security. For a $10,000 site, that's $1,500–$2,500/year to keep it functional and competitive. The real question isn't what websites cost but what poor websites cost you in lost leads, broken mobile experience, and Google rankings. A $15,000 site that converts 4% instead of 2% pays for itself in months if you're driving meaningful traffic. Cheap rarely stays cheap when your revenue depends on it working.