Small business websites built once and owned outright.

Most small businesses do not need an agency retainer or a rented website builder subscription that runs forever. They need a clear, fast website that explains what they do, answers the questions customers ask before calling, works on a phone, and sits in accounts registered in their own name. We build those by hand for one fixed price.

Reviewed October 6, 2026. Prices are quoted per project; nothing on this page is a published price list.

The short answer

One written scope. One fixed price. Every account in your name.

Small business owners usually get pitched two extremes: a cheap DIY builder where you spend your weekends fighting templates and paying monthly forever, or a traditional agency quoting five figures plus a mandatory retainer. Firmitas sits in the practical middle: one developer writes the site by hand for your business, quotes one fixed number up front, and hands you the keys when it goes live.

What a small business website actually needs to do

A good small business site does four jobs in the first thirty seconds: it states clearly what you sell and where you work, it answers the price and process questions that make buyers hesitate, it proves you are legitimate, and it makes the next step (calling, booking or sending an enquiry) effortless on a phone. Everything else is secondary.

Why we write code by hand instead of using builders

Speed on mobile: Hand-written HTML and CSS carries no page-builder bloat, so pages open quickly even on weak mobile data.
Zero platform lock-in: You are not tied to Wix, Squarespace or a custom WordPress theme license. Any host can serve the files.
Lower running cost: Without a database or plugin stack to patch every week, hosting is often free or a few dollars a month, and your domain is ~$10–$20 a year.
Built for search and AI answers: Clean headings, schema.org structured data, self-referencing canonicals and direct-answer intros come baked into the code from day one.

Industry guides and live demos

Different trades win customers in different ways. We have written detailed guides for restaurants (menus in text and direct reservations), plumbers (emergency calls and local service pages), roofers (material comparisons and storm-season speed) and general contractors (project proof and lead qualification), alongside three live demo builds (Casa Verde, Bob's Plumbing Co. and Summit Roofing — all labelled as demo builds, not client work).

What it costs in 2026

We quote each project as one fixed price in writing after reading your brief. For market context, our 109-source 2026 website cost study found that 5-page small business websites run $750–$2,500 from budget studios and freelancers and $2,000–$4,500 across the wider market, with larger 10-page lead-generation sites at $5,000–$8,000. Optional care plans start at $45/month with no contract, and ad-hoc edits are $40/hour quoted first.

Questions

How many pages does a small business website need?

Usually between one and eight. A single-offer business can start with a well-structured one-page site, while a business with several distinct services or locations performs better in search with a dedicated page per service plus Home, About and Contact.

What if I already have a website that just needs fixing?

We inspect it first and tell you honestly whether a short list of repairs or a full rebuild is the better use of your money. Broken mobile layouts, slow images, missing SEO titles and broken forms are often cheaper to repair than to replace.

Who writes the words on the website?

We can write or edit the copy from a short interview or rough notes you send us, and you approve every word before launch. Good small-business copy is plain, specific and answers the questions your customers actually ask on the phone.

Tell us what you need. Send a few rough lines and we will come back with a scope, a fixed price and a delivery date in writing.

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