How Much Should a Contractor Website Cost
Agency builds run $3,000 to $15,000. DIY builders run $20 to $50 a month. Here is what you actually get at each price point.
A contractor website runs anywhere from $349 to $15,000 depending on who builds it and what is included. The honest way to think about it is not the price tag alone but what comes with the site: is it just pages, or does it also handle booking, estimates, and signed paperwork.
What agencies charge
A local marketing agency or freelance web designer building a custom contractor site typically charges $3,000 to $15,000 as a one-time project, sometimes more for larger companies with multiple service areas. That usually includes:
- Custom design and copywriting
- Professional photography, sometimes an extra line item
- A handful of revision rounds
- Basic SEO setup
What it usually does not include: ongoing updates, booking software, a client portal, or a way to get contracts signed. Once the project ends, you are either paying separately for hosting and maintenance or learning to update the site yourself. A lot of agency-built sites go stale within a year because nobody owns keeping them current.
What DIY builders charge
Squarespace, Wix, and similar builders run $20 to $50 a month for a basic plan, more if you need online stores or advanced booking. You are doing the design work yourself, which takes real time even with templates. These tools are genuinely capable for a simple brochure site, but booking, estimates, and client paperwork are usually separate add-ons or missing entirely, and templates built for general small business rarely read as a contractor’s site without real customization work.
What Turbo Link charges
Turbo Link builds the website for you as a one-time $349 project on your own domain, then the ongoing software is $74 a month billed annually (month to month is $6 more). That subscription is not just hosting. It includes:
- An estimate request form and a booking page with live availability
- Proposals and contracts signed by a token link, no client account needed, with a full audit trail
- A leads, jobs, and customers dashboard
- A money ledger for tracking payments and expenses
- An after-hours emergency request intake form
See the full breakdown at /contractor-website and /help/website-build-cost.
Side by side
| Agency build | DIY builder | Turbo Link | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Upfront cost | $3,000 to $15,000 | $0, your time instead | $349 |
| Ongoing cost | Hosting plus maintenance, varies | $20 to $50/mo | $74/mo billed annually |
| Booking included | Rarely | Usually an add-on | Included |
| Signed documents included | No | No | Included |
| Who builds it | The agency | You | Turbo Link |
| Domain ownership | You typically own it | You own it if you set it up right | You own your domain |
How to decide
If you have a large budget, a distinct brand identity to protect, and want full creative control over every page, an agency build is a reasonable choice, understanding that booking and paperwork will be separate purchases.
If you are comfortable spending a weekend or two building your own site and do not need booking or contract signing built in, a DIY builder is the least expensive path, month to month.
If you want a built website plus the software to actually run estimate requests, bookings, and signed paperwork without stitching together three separate tools, that is the gap Turbo Link is built to close. See /for-contractors for the full picture or /get-a-demo to see it live.
Whatever you choose, confirm two things before you sign anything: that you keep your domain if you leave, and that you can get your client list back out. See /help/own-your-domain and /help/export-your-data.
Questions people ask
Is a $349 website actually a full website?
It depends on what is built and who builds it. A $349 site that is a person-built design on your own domain, with booking and paperwork wired in, is a different product than a $349 template you assemble yourself. Ask to see the actual pages before you pay.
Why do agencies charge so much more than $349?
Agency pricing covers custom design work, copywriting, photography, and often months of back and forth revisions, billed as a project. A lot of that cost is labor spent on a one-time build with no ongoing product behind it, which is why the price is high and the site can go stale.
Do I need to pay monthly forever?
With a DIY builder or a subscription platform, yes, the site typically goes down if you stop paying. With an agency build, you usually own the files outright after the project, though you still need hosting and someone to maintain it.
What should be included besides the design?
At minimum: your own domain, a way for clients to request work or book time, and some way to get paperwork signed. A site with no booking or intake path is just a brochure that does not generate leads on its own.
Can I switch later if I do not like the site?
You should be able to, and you should ask before you sign anything. Confirm you can export your client list and that you keep your domain if you leave a platform. See /help/export-your-data for how Turbo Link handles this.