Digital Space Farmers
How much should a plumbing or HVAC website cost in 2026?
You can pay $20 a month or $20,000 once and both are called "a website". Here is what the published prices are, what you get at each level, and how to work out your own number.
By the Digital Space Farmers team. Published October 8, 2026. Prices checked on the sellers' own pages on October 8, 2026, and listed at the bottom. Prices change; check the source before you budget.
The short answer
- Build it yourself: about $18 to $40 a month on a site builder, paid yearly, plus your own evenings. Wix lists Light at $17.77 and Core at $29.77 a month; Squarespace lists Basic at $19 and Core at $29 a month on annual billing.
- Have it built: a wide range. One large agency, WebFX, publishes "$1000 to $100,000 per website" and says the price depends on page count, copywriting, design complexity and whether you sell online. A trades site needs none of the expensive end of that.
- Monthly marketing is a separate bill. The same agency says small to medium HVAC companies typically spend $2,500 to $12,000 a month on marketing, with search engine optimization alone at $1,500 to $5,000 a month.
- What matters is the first-year total and what the site does for calls, not the sticker price. The math is below.
Level 1. Build it yourself on a site builder
The big builders publish their prices. On October 8, 2026 they were:
| Builder and plan | Billed yearly | Billed monthly |
|---|---|---|
| Wix Light | $17.77 | not listed |
| Wix Core | $29.77 | not listed |
| Wix Business | $39.77 | not listed |
| Squarespace Basic | $19 | $25 |
| Squarespace Core | $29 | $39 |
| Squarespace Plus | $49 | $65 |
Wix notes that its displayed prices are for yearly subscriptions paid in full up front. So a "$29.77 a month" plan is about $357 on day one.
What you get: hosting, a template and the tools to edit it. What you do not get: anyone to write the words, take the photos, set up the forms, connect your Google Business Profile or check that the phone button works on a phone. That work is yours. For a one-truck shop that is comfortable with a computer, this is a fair way to start. Our guide on what a local service website must have lists what to build.
Level 2. Have it built for you
Agencies rarely publish a price, because the honest answer is "it depends on what you ask for". WebFX, one of the few that does, gives a range of $1,000 to $100,000 per website and names four things that move the number:
- How many pages. A plumber with drain cleaning, water heaters, repipes and a service-area page for each town needs more pages than a single "services" page.
- Who writes the words. If the builder writes them, you pay for it. If you write them, the job waits on you.
- How custom the design is. A proven layout adjusted to your brand costs less than a design drawn from scratch.
- Whether you sell online. WebFX itself notes that an HVAC company may not need a store, which lowers the cost.
Our view, as people who build these: a plumbing or HVAC company almost never needs the top half of that range. What it needs is a fast site that works on a phone, a page per service and per town you truly serve, a phone button that is always in reach, a short form, and proof that you are real (license, photos of your own work, real reviews). We publish our own package prices, build fee and monthly fee both, on the services page, so you can compare them with anything you are quoted.
Level 3. The monthly bill after the site is live
This is where budgets go wrong. A site is a one-time cost plus a monthly cost, and marketing is a third cost on top:
- Keeping the site running: hosting, updates, small changes. On a builder it is the plan fee. With an agency it is a care plan; ask for the number in writing.
- Getting found: WebFX puts search engine optimization at $1,500 to $5,000 a month and total marketing for small to medium HVAC companies at $2,500 to $12,000 a month. Those are agency retainers for companies trying to grow fast, not a minimum.
- Ads: the ad spend itself is extra and goes to Google, not to the agency.
The cheapest thing that brings calls is free: a complete, verified Google Business Profile. Do that before you pay for anything monthly. Our Google Business Profile checklist walks through it.
The first-year math
DEMO: the two shops below are made up to show how to add it up. The builder prices are the published ones above; the built-site numbers are placeholders for whatever you are quoted.
| Do it yourself | Built for you | |
|---|---|---|
| One-time | $0 | the build fee you are quoted |
| Monthly | $29 (Squarespace Core, annual billing) | the care fee you are quoted |
| First year | 12 x $29 = $348 | build fee + 12 x care fee |
| Your own hours | all of the writing, photos and setup | an hour or two of answers and approvals |
Then ask the question that decides it: how many extra jobs does the site need to bring in to pay for itself? If your average job is worth $400 to you after costs, a $348 site pays for itself with one job. A site that costs $5,000 in its first year needs about thirteen. Neither number is good or bad on its own; it depends on whether the site is built to produce calls. The website cost calculator does this sum with our published prices.
Seven questions to ask before you pay anyone
- What is the one-time fee and what is the monthly fee, in writing?
- Who owns the domain name and the site if I leave?
- Is there a minimum term?
- Who writes the words and supplies the photos?
- How many pages, and is there a page for each service and each town I serve?
- What do I get every month, and will I see a report?
- What do you promise? Walk away from anyone who promises a ranking. Google says there is no way to request or pay for a better local ranking.
Not sure where your current site stands? The free Growth Audit scores it in about 30 seconds and lists what to fix first.
Questions people ask
Is a $20 a month website good enough for a plumber?
It can be, if you do the work a builder would do: a page for each service, a phone button that works on a phone, a short form, real photos and a connected Google Business Profile. The plan fee pays for hosting and a template, not for that work.
Why do agency quotes for the same website differ so much?
Because they are quoting different amounts of work. Page count, who writes the copy, how custom the design is and whether you sell online all change the price. Ask each one to list what is included, then compare line by line.
Do I have to pay monthly after the website is built?
Something has to be paid for hosting and upkeep, whether that is a builder plan or a care plan. Marketing such as search engine optimization or ads is optional and separate. Get both numbers in writing before you sign.
Does a more expensive website rank higher on Google?
No. Price is not a ranking factor. Google says local results are based mainly on relevance, distance and prominence, and that you cannot pay Google for a better local ranking. A clear, fast, complete site and profile help; the invoice does not.
Sources
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