Why “the cheapest website” is the wrong question
The very cheapest website is a free one. Site builders offer it, but it runs on their address and carries their ads. That’s fine for trying things out. Your customer, though, sees someone else’s address and someone else’s ad under your price list.
A better question is: what will the website cost me in total, and what will it bring me? The price of a website has three parts. What you pay at the start, what you pay every month, and how many of your own evenings you spend on it.
The chart above shows how the order flips over time. A site builder is cheaper in the first year, costs the same after three years and only gets more expensive from there.
A cheap website isn’t the one with the lowest price at the start. It’s the one you pay the least for over a few years, and that brings you customers in the meantime.
What makes a website good
You don’t recognize a good small business website by its effects. A customer looks for a few ordinary things:
- It’s clear right at the top what you do and where. No searching, no scrolling.
- It works on a phone and loads fast. Most people look you up on their phone.
- Contact in one tap. A phone number you can tap and a short form.
- Real photos and prices. Your own work, not stock photos. Prices at least as a guide.
- Google can find you. Your own domain, clear copy and a Google Business Profile, which is free.
Notice that none of this is expensive. It’s mostly about thinking, not about budget. That’s why a cheap website can be a good one.
Where you can save without regrets
- Number of pages. One well-made page is enough to start with. You can add more when you need them.
- A booking system. If you have a few clients a week, a phone and a form will do. Bookings pay off once taking appointments starts eating your time.
- Animations and effects. Someone looking for a plumber doesn’t care whether the headline wiggles.
- A photo shoot. Photos of your work taken on a phone, by a window in daylight, do more for you than perfect stock photos. You can hire a photographer later.
- A logo. A nicely typeset business name is enough to start with.
- An admin. If you change your prices twice a year, it’s cheaper to message whoever built the site than to pay for a content management system.
Where saving doesn’t pay
- A domain in your own name. It costs roughly CZK 250 a year and it’s the one thing you can take anywhere. Don’t let anyone register it in their name.
- Copy. The words sell, not the design. Generic sentences that would fit anyone convince no one.
- The mobile version. A website that falls apart on a phone hurts you more than having none.
- Ownership. Ask for the logins and the code, so you can move the website elsewhere at any time.
- Required details. Your name, your business ID number and, if you have a form, information on how you handle personal data. It’s a few lines, but they shouldn’t be missing.
Three cheap routes to a website and what they really cost
1. You build it yourself with a site builder
Webnode, Wix and similar services. A plan you can actually run a business on (your own domain, no third-party ads) costs around CZK 165 a month, and you pay it for as long as you want the website. Add your time: choosing a template, writing copy, photos and fixing the mobile version.
It makes sense if you’re still testing your business or you enjoy building websites. You’ll find a detailed comparison in Custom website or a template?
2. A friend or a “website for three thousand” ad
It can turn out well. Just check three things first: finished websites you can click through, a fixed deadline, and what happens if the person goes quiet. The risk here usually isn’t quality. It’s that the website stays half finished or you never get the logins.
3. A simple custom website at a final price
One page built specifically for your business, paid for once. With me that’s the Starter for CZK 5,900. I prepare the copy and structure with you, launch the website, and hosting costs you nothing. After that you only pay for the domain.
And honestly, the other side too: it’s one page, with no bookings and no online store. If you need more, a multi-page website costs CZK 12,900. The full breakdown is on the pricing page.
Why a custom website can be cheap
An agency pays for an office, salespeople and project managers. I work alone and you talk directly to me. With modern tools, including AI, I build a website in days, not months. The time saved shows up in the price.
I don’t save on what your customer sees: the copy, the mobile version and speed. And the risk is mine. You see the design before you pay. If you don’t like it, you pay nothing.
Six questions for every cheap offer
- Is the price final, or “from”?
- Is anything paid monthly or yearly? What does that add up to over three years?
- Whose name will the domain be registered in?
- Will I get the logins, and can I move the website elsewhere?
- What does a small change cost six months from now?
- Will I see the design before I pay?
If you get a clear answer to all six, the offer is probably fair, whether it costs three thousand or thirty. I go into more detail in 7 things to check before you order a website.
When a cheap website isn’t enough
A one-page site starts holding you back when you need online bookings, orders or an online store. The same goes if you want to show up on Google for several services. Each of them needs its own page.
Then a bigger website makes sense. Even that one can have a final price and no monthly fees. A website with bookings costs CZK 24,900 with me.