Business website development isn't a design project. It's building a sales tool: a site that Google finds, that a client understands within seconds, and that brings in leads. I build professional websites for businesses, in WordPress or in code, with AI in the process and no generic templates, and I measure the result.
No "advanced digital solutions" here, just answers: what a website costs in 2026, what free sites really give you, WordPress or code, when DIY makes sense, and my process up to 30 days after launch.
Business website development: what the site must do, and what it need not
A business website has three jobs, in this order: to be found (Google, and today AI engines too), to make clear within seconds what you do and for whom, and to make it easy to get in touch or buy. Anything else - animations, twenty pages, a home page slider - is spending with no return.
So I start from a business question, not a template: where clients come from, what they search for, and what you want them to do. The answers set the structure, the copy and the technology. A clinic's site and a B2B site with five services are different projects, even if both are "a brochure site".
A new site, or an upgrade of the existing one?
If your site brings in leads and has just aged, the answer may be a website upgrade, not a rebuild. I say so even when it means a smaller project.
Free website: what you really get from Wix, Google and AI tools
One of the most common searches, and it deserves a direct answer.
A free website from Google: it no longer exists
The free sites built through Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business) were switched off on 5 March 2024, and redirects from the old addresses stopped on 10 June 2024. Google now recommends building with another tool and updating the profile. The profile stays free and matters for a local business, but it isn't a website.
Wix and AI website builders: free until you need a domain
Wix, and AI tools like Hostinger, Framer and 10Web, let you put up a site at no cost. The small print: the site lives on the platform's subdomain, carries its ads and can't be moved. Your own domain and no branding start with Wix's Light plan, $17.77 a month billed yearly (October 2026); a store needs a pricier plan.
| What matters to a business | Free site or AI builder | Professional site in WordPress or code |
|---|---|---|
| Domain and branding | The platform's address and ads, until you pay | Domain, hosting and site in your name from day one |
| Ownership | The site lives only inside the platform, no real export | Code and content you can move to any server and any developer |
| Speed | Platform scripts you cannot remove | Lighthouse 90 or above on mobile as a measurable target |
| Ranking on Google | Limited URL structure and schema | Titles, schema, sitemap and speed under full control |
| Cost over three years | About $640-1,070 in Light or Core plan fees, before paid apps | A one-off build plus hosting at $10-40/month |
Who is a free site enough for? A one-person business that wants an online business card, with no Google competition and no online sales. If that's you, I'll tell you it's fine. On the line between page-builder freelancers and development, see freelance web developer.
Not sure which site your business really needs? Tell me what it does and where clients should come from, and I'll say honestly whether you need a website, a landing page, or just Wix.
A free 30-minute call, no obligation · reply within 24 hours
Book a free callBuilding a website with AI: how I use it, and what AI doesn't do alone
AI website builders produce a whole site from a two-minute chat: a reasonable template like a thousand others, with generic copy and no idea what your clients search for. Not wrong - just not a site that brings clients.
For me AI is a daily tool, not the builder. It drafts code I read line by line, suggests page structures, writes image descriptions and checks accessibility. The planning, technical decisions, performance, security and final check stay with me. Projects get shorter, and the site doesn't look like the rest of the internet.
WordPress website or custom code: how I choose
WordPress runs 40.1% of all websites and 58.6% of sites with a CMS (W3Techs, October 2026). Not always the right choice, but a huge ecosystem: any developer can carry on a site I built, so you don't depend on me.
- A WordPress website for brochure sites, blogs and service sites the business updates itself, and WooCommerce when you need a store with payments and invoices. Built as a custom child theme, not Elementor with 40 plugins. The technical depth is on the WordPress expert page.
- Code (Next.js, React, Laravel) when the site is really a system: a client portal, complex search, deep integrations or an extreme speed requirement. More expensive to build, cheaper to run at scale. That side of my work is Laravel development and systems.
- A landing page in clean code when there's one campaign and one message: landing page development, $330-970.
The same in every choice: a measurable speed target, accessibility to WCAG 2.2 AA, and forms that handle personal data properly.
How I build a business website: 6 steps from planning to 30 days after launch
You tell me what the business does, who the clients are and where they come from. I check competitors on Google and say honestly what site is right, and whether you need one at all. Prefer to write? Use the contact page.
A page map based on what clients search for, each page's goal, which systems connect (CRM, payments, calendar) and what gets measured. Yours, even if you build with someone else.
A fixed price, a defined scope, dates, and what you provide (copy, logo, images) and when. No add-ons halfway through.
Design of the key pages based on your branding, on desktop and mobile. Content in parallel: you write and I edit, or I prepare drafts with AI and you approve.
Built on a temporary address. Before launch: PageSpeed, real mobile devices, accessibility, forms actually submitted, payments in a sandbox, a technical SEO check.
Domain, SSL, Google Analytics 4 and Search Console, the sitemap submitted. 30 days of free fixes, short content-management training and a handover document: access, versions, backups.
Estimated timelines: a landing page one to two weeks, a business website 3-4 weeks, a store 6-10 weeks, a system 2-3 months. What delays projects most is late content, so the copy is settled before development, not after.
Why a developer builds your site, not an agency
At most web agencies you talk to a salesperson, a designer designs, and a freelancer with Elementor builds. Every link adds cost and subtracts responsibility. Working with me, one person plans, designs the structure, writes the code and answers when something breaks, a year later too.
It shows in numbers: custom code without a pile of plugins loads fast even on a cheap phone on a mobile network. This site scores 100 on mobile PageSpeed, and my target for every business website is 90 or above, measured and attached to the handover.
The site is in your name from day one: the domain in your account, the hosting in your account, and an admin user of your own. I get access, not ownership. Three more things aren't up for discussion: a speed target measured before launch, automatic backups from day one, and a handover document that lets any developer carry on without me.
Who builds it: 25+ years in production, for small businesses too
I'm Vadim Leviev, a developer with 25+ years in production, mostly where a mistake costs real money: Tech Lead at William Hill Online on systems serving millions of users, then development at Mars Media Group and senior full-stack development at BuyMe. There you learn a website isn't a pretty picture but a system that must handle load, stay secure and be measured.
Independent since 2006 and full time since 2019, I work directly with clients: small and mid-sized businesses, startups and professional firms, 880+ projects shipped to production. Alongside websites I develop AI systems and verifystring.com, a security tool for AI systems. Full background on LinkedIn, and a bit more about me here.
Common business website mistakes, and how I avoid them
- Building before defining what the site must achieve
A pretty site without a goal gets measured in likes. Every project of mine starts with one metric: leads, orders or calls.
- A ready-made template with 40 plugins
Looks good in the demo, takes six seconds to load on a phone. A custom child theme and 15 plugins at most.
- Domain and hosting in the freelancer's name
When the freelancer disappears, so does the site. Everything is in your name from day one, with a written handover document.
- Content comes last
The site is ready and waits three months for copy. The copy is settled before development, and if nobody can write it, I prepare drafts.
- Forgetting mobile
A layout that works only on a laptop. The design is built for phones too and tested on real devices.
- No measurement
A site without Analytics and Search Console is a site nobody knows is working. Both are connected on launch day, with conversion goals defined.
A web design course or DIY: when it makes sense
Sometimes my answer is that you don't need me. With more time than money, a simple brochure site in mind and a small budget, a short course or a few evenings of YouTube tutorials will get you a reasonable site on Wix or WordPress with a ready-made theme.
| Consideration | DIY (course, Wix, template) | Professional developer |
|---|---|---|
| Time to a live site | 40-80 hours of learning and building, usually over months | 3-4 weeks for a business website, a few hours of yours |
| Cost | A small budget plus a monthly plan | $2,200-5,600 for a business website |
| Speed and SEO | Depends on the template, usually Lighthouse 40-60 | A measurable target of 90 or above, a planned SEO structure |
| Maintenance | On you: updates, backups, breakdowns | Monthly support, or a handover document for any other developer |
| When it is right | A young business, a small budget, no Google competition | The site has to bring clients, take payments or connect to systems |
If you went the DIY route and got stuck halfway, WordPress repair costs less than starting over.
Website cost: price ranges for 2026
Estimated ranges by type of site. They aren't a quote: every project starts with a free 30-minute call and ends with a fixed quote.
| Type of site | What is included | Estimated range |
|---|---|---|
| Landing page | One page, custom design, a form, basic SEO, measurement | $330-970 |
| Business website (5-10 pages) | Planning, design, WordPress child theme, full SEO, accessibility, GA4, 30 days of support | $2,200-5,600 |
| Sales page | Long-form copy, testimonials, payment | $830-2,200 |
| WooCommerce store | Catalog, payments, invoices, shipping, stock | $3,300-8,300 |
| Portal or custom system | Custom architecture, API, dashboard | from $8,300 |
| Wix or an AI builder, on your own | The plan only, no work included | $17.77-29.77 a month |
| Hosting and domain | Managed server, SSL, backups | $10-40/month |
| Maintenance | Website maintenance: updates, backups, scans, a monthly report | $100-170/month; a retainer with changes $420-1,100/month |
What affects the price: pages and page templates, copywriting, integrations (CRM, calendar, payments), languages, photography. What doesn't affect the price: the agency's brand name. For most businesses a site in this range pays for itself with one or two clients - the calculation we make together on the call.
As a painter and spiritual artist, I received a complete package: a website that presents the work and its energy, advertising that reaches the right audience, and close guidance step by step. Everything was transparent, professional and fast - a real saving of time and budget.
Website development: frequently asked questions
How much does a small business website cost in 2026?
A landing page $330-970, a business website of 5-10 pages $2,200-5,600, a WooCommerce store $3,300-8,300. Add hosting and a domain, usually $10-40/month. The exact price is set after planning, in a fixed quote that does not change halfway through.
How long does it take to build a website?
A landing page one to two weeks, a business website 3-4 weeks, a store 6-10 weeks, a system or portal 2-3 months. What delays projects most is content: texts and images that arrive on time shorten a project more than anything else.
Can I build a website for free?
Yes. Wix and AI website builders let you put a site up at no cost, but on the platform's subdomain and carrying its ads. Your own domain and removing the branding need a paid plan, and the site cannot be moved anywhere. For a business that gets clients from its site, that usually costs more over three years.
Does Google give businesses a free website?
Not anymore. The websites built through Google Business Profile were switched off on 5 March 2024, and redirects from the old addresses stopped on 10 June 2024. The business profile itself is still free and important for a local business, but it should point to a site of your own, on your own domain.
Can AI build my website?
AI puts up a template within minutes, and it looks like a thousand other sites. In my work AI is a tool: it speeds up code, copy and testing, but the planning, the structure, the performance and the final check belong to a developer. The result is a fast site that scores 90 or above in Lighthouse, not a generic template.
Should I take a web design course and build it myself?
If you have more time than money, need a simple business website and have a small budget, it is a legitimate path: 40-80 hours of learning and building in WordPress or Wix. If the site has to bring clients from Google, take payments or connect to other systems, your time is worth more than the saving.
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