TL;DR: A web design company for a small business usually costs a few hundred dollars up front plus a monthly plan. GoDaddy’s design service starts at $499 plus yearly hosting, and IONOS charges $45 to $85 a month on a one-year term plus a $199 to $399 setup fee (both checked October 31, 2026). Price is the easy part to compare. The contract is where people get stuck. We read the published terms of 8 companies that build sites for small businesses. Only 1 says the finished design becomes yours, at least 6 charge you or hold you to the term if you leave early, and 5 make you cancel by phone. Ask who owns the design and the domain, how long you’re committed, and how you cancel before you sign. If you’d rather not sign anything, WebZum builds an agency-quality site in about five minutes that you can look at free, then keep for $19/mo or $34/mo, month to month.
See your site free before you hire anyone →
Disclosure: WebZum publishes this blog and makes an AI website builder, so we compete with the companies below. Every contract term quoted here comes from that company’s own published terms, linked inline. The 8-contract comparison is our own work. This is a plain-English read, not legal advice.
Verified October 31, 2026.
What does a web design company do for a small business?
It builds your website for you: a short consultation, then their designers set up the pages, write or polish the copy, and put the site live, usually on their own hosting. Most small-business plans then bill monthly for hosting and a set number of edits.
The packages are smaller than people expect. GoDaddy’s Standard plan is “5 pages with room to grow,” with “one round of revisions” (GoDaddy Web Design Services). IONOS builds a 3, 5 or 7-page site depending on the plan, with one edit a quarter on the cheapest one (IONOS Website Design Service). Hibu’s Smart Site Standard is “up to ten (10) pages” (Hibu terms).
They also set tight deadlines for you. Network Solutions, which now runs Web.com’s design service (web.com’s design page redirects there), wants all your content “within two business (2) days” of the kickoff call, or it “will use content licensed from third parties to build your Website” (Network Solutions Professional Services Agreement). Bluehost gives you three business days (Bluehost Professional Services terms), and IONOS designs the site “with generic content” if your material isn’t in within 5 business days (IONOS terms). Have your photos, service list and prices ready before you pay.
How much does a web design company charge?
For a small local business, expect roughly $500 to a few thousand dollars to build, plus a monthly or yearly fee for hosting and edits. A fully custom site costs a lot more.
- GoDaddy: “GoDaddy Web Design Services start at $499, paid one time,” and its own estimate for “a bespoke service or highly technical features” is “upwards of $10,000” (GoDaddy). The service page adds “an annual hosting fee” on top, without listing it (GoDaddy).
- IONOS: $45, $65 or $85 a month “with a 1-year term,” plus a setup fee of $199, $299 or $399 (IONOS). The cheapest plan comes to $739 for the first 12 months and $1,819 over 36 months.
- Network Solutions: its design page says “pro website design service costs can range from $500 to $5,000 or more” (Network Solutions). That’s their estimate for the industry, not a price list.
- Hibu, Thryv, LocaliQ and Townsquare Interactive don’t list design prices on the pages we checked. You get a quote on a sales call.
If you hire an independent designer instead, you’re paying for skilled time. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics puts the 2025 median pay of web developers and digital designers at $99,520 a year, or $47.85 an hour (BLS). That’s what employees earn, not what freelancers bill, but it tells you a good designer’s hour isn’t cheap. Our guide to what a small business website costs breaks the numbers down further.
What did we find in 8 web design companies’ contracts?
Most of them rent you the website. You own the words and photos you hand over, but the design usually stays with the company, and leaving early costs money.
On October 31, 2026 we read the current published terms for the website design services of 8 companies that sell to small businesses: GoDaddy, Hibu, Thryv, Network Solutions (Web.com), Bluehost, LocaliQ, IONOS and Townsquare Interactive. We looked for five things: who owns the finished design, whether you can move the site, the minimum term, how you cancel, and what happens to your domain.
| Company | Who owns the design when you leave | Minimum term or installments | How you cancel | Domain and site after you leave |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GoDaddy (revised Sep 9, 2026) | You, “upon completion,” except templates, themes and source code | One-time build fee plus annual hosting | Phone or your GoDaddy account | Moving the site to another host “is a violation” of the agreement |
| Hibu | Hibu. You keep its written copy only if you “paid for the Service in full in advance” | 12 months | Phone, weekdays, at least 15 days before the term or month ends | A domain Hibu provides “will be registered to us.” Hibu helps transfer it on request |
| Thryv (updated Jul 1, 2026) | Thryv: “our sole and exclusive property” | “6-month mandatory term” (Thryv FAQ) | Not stated on the pages we read | Site taken down. URL released “if it was your domain originally” |
| Network Solutions / Web.com (Nov 12, 2025) | Not stated, beyond stock images and plugins staying theirs | Design fee billed over 6 monthly installments in bundles; early termination fee for any minimum term | Phone | Agreement ends if the hosting account ends |
| Bluehost (Mar 4, 2026) | Not stated, beyond stock images and plugins staying theirs | Minimum term set in your confirmation email | Phone | Leave early and Bluehost may charge up to $300 “and delete the website” |
| LocaliQ (updated Oct 5, 2026) | LocaliQ. You get a “perpetual” license only after all 12 monthly website payments | 12 payment cycles of 30 days | Call or your rep (LocaliQ terms) | 30 days of transition help: domain transferred, custom content on “a disk or through another transfer method” |
| IONOS | IONOS: “any Output Material shall belong to IONOS” | 12 months | Not stated on the pages we read | Money-back guarantee doesn’t apply to the setup or monthly fees |
| Townsquare Interactive (updated Mar 20, 2026) | Townsquare. You have no “ownership rights in the Website, the template… or any other design” | Set in your order. You “may not terminate” before it ends | Phone, weekdays 9 to 6 Eastern | Site deactivated, account deleted. Your images and text on written request |
What stood out:
- All 8 say the content you provide stays yours. Your logo, photos and the text you wrote are yours. They take a license to use them.
- Only 1 of 8 says the finished design becomes yours. That’s GoDaddy, and the same agreement says any attempt “to migrate or otherwise transfer any such website to another hosting provider is a violation.” So you own a design you can’t take anywhere.
- 4 of 8 say outright that the design stays theirs (Hibu, Thryv, IONOS, Townsquare), and LocaliQ only licenses it to you once you’ve paid in full. Network Solutions and Bluehost say only that stock images, plugins and similar “Third Party Assets” are “expressly not transferred to you.”
- At least 6 of 8 hold you to a term or charge you to leave early. LocaliQ’s fee is “50% of any unpaid portion” of the term. Network Solutions can charge every remaining month. Hibu and Townsquare don’t let you cancel before the term ends.
- 5 of 8 make you cancel by phone, often in business hours. Hibu needs the call at least 15 days before the end of the term or month, or “your Hibu Smart Site Service will continue for an additional Service Month.”
None of this makes these companies bad. Bundled design, hosting and edits is a real service, and many owners are happy with it. But “we build it, you rent it” is the normal deal, so read for it.
Who owns your website when a company builds it?
By default, whoever made it usually owns the copyright, not you. A written contract can change that, so make sure yours says what you get.
“Ordinarily, the author is the person or persons who actually created the work,” the US Copyright Office says. It also explains that work you commission only counts as “made for hire,” meaning you’re the legal author, if it falls into one of nine listed categories and both sides sign a written agreement saying so. “If a work fails to satisfy any of these requirements, it is not a work made for hire” (Copyright Office Circular 30, revised August 2024). The nine categories are things like contributions to collective works, translations and tests. A small-business website isn’t an obvious fit, so don’t count on that route. If you want to own the design, ask for a written transfer of the copyright.
The domain matters even more, because it’s what customers type and where your email lives. ICANN, which sets the rules for domain names, says the registrant “will assume sole responsibility for the registration and use of your domain name” and must keep their contact details current (ICANN Registrants’ Benefits and Responsibilities). Whoever is listed is the one in control. GoDaddy’s help center adds a detail that catches businesses out: “If a Registrant Organization is provided, it becomes the Registered Name Holder per ICANN policy” (GoDaddy Help). If a designer puts their company in that field, the domain is theirs on paper.
The safest setup: register the domain yourself, in your own name, at a registrar you choose, and give the designer access to point it at the site. Our guide to buying a domain name walks through it.
What should you ask a web design company before you sign?
Ask these, and get the answers in writing:
- Who owns the design, the copy you write for me, and the photos when I leave? “We’ll send you your files” isn’t the same as owning them.
- Can I move the site to another host? If it’s built on their own platform, the honest answer is often no.
- How long is the minimum term, and what do I owe if I leave early?
- How do I cancel? Online, email, or phone only? How much notice?
- Whose name is on the domain? It should be yours.
- What’s included each month? How many edits, how fast, and what costs extra?
- What happens if I don’t get you my content on time? Some will build with stock content after two or three days.
And one red flag. Google’s own advice on hiring help with search says “No one can guarantee a #1 ranking on Google,” and if someone promises first place, “find someone else” (Google Search Central, updated June 5, 2026). A design company that guarantees rankings isn’t one to trust with your domain.
When is a web design company worth it?
When you need something a template can’t do, or you want a person to own the whole job.
Choose a web design company or independent designer instead of a builder if you need custom features (complex booking, member logins, a large online store), a brand designed from scratch, or a site for a regulated business where every word needs review. GoDaddy’s Premium plan, for example, adds “membership logins” and “up to 50 pages.” Pay for that work, and get the ownership terms in writing.
For a local service business that needs a good-looking site with its services, prices, photos and a big call button, you mostly pay a company for hours you don’t need. That’s where a builder like WebZum fits. If you already have a designer and only need upkeep, compare website maintenance services first. If your current site is just dated, see website redesign.
How does WebZum compare with hiring a web design company?
WebZum does the building part for you, like a design company, but you see the finished site before you pay, and there’s no term to sit out.
| Typical web design company (from the 8 above) | WebZum | |
|---|---|---|
| See the finished site before paying | Usually after the fee and a consultation | Yes, free preview of the full site |
| Up front | $199 to $499+ setup or build fee where published | $0 to preview. “No setup fees” (WebZum FAQ) |
| Monthly | $45 to $85 a month at IONOS; others quote by phone | Basic $19/mo, Professional $34/mo (custom domain) |
| Commitment | 6 to 12 months common | Month to month, with a 30-day money-back guarantee |
| How you cancel | Phone, for 5 of 8 | “You can cancel from your dashboard at any time” (WebZum FAQ) |
| Who writes the site | Their team, from content you send in 2 to 5 business days | WebZum, from a few answers about your business |
| Changes | Set number of edits per month or quarter | Ask in the editor chat. You see what it’ll do, and nothing changes until you tap |
| Your domain | Varies; some register it in their own name | Keep your own and connect it on Professional, or have WebZum register a .com |
To be fair about our own row: WebZum is a subscription too. A WebZum site stays online while you’re on a plan, the same as these companies’ sites. If owning your domain outright matters to you, register it yourself and connect it on Professional by entering WebZum’s four nameservers at your registrar. If you have questions about what you’d take with you if you left, ask in WebZum chat before you pay.
Over 36 months, Basic costs $684 and Professional $1,224. IONOS’s cheapest design plan, with its setup fee, is $1,819 over the same 36 months. GoDaddy’s builder is another DIY option, compared in WebZum vs GoDaddy.
How do you get a site with WebZum instead?
- Answer a few questions. Business name, what you do, where you work. Or paste your current website’s address: WebZum reads up to 5 pages of your own site and keeps up to 12 of your best photos, then writes all-new copy.
- Wait about five minutes. You get a full multi-page site with its own logo, photos, pages for what you offer, and a call button. Each of our eight demo sites, from Mossback Plumbing in Spokane to Copper Thimble Hair & Nail in Richmond, has a page with real prices and a tappable phone number on every page.
- Change anything by asking. “Add a page for AC repair” or “make the colors navy and orange” in the editor chat. It tells you what it’ll do, and nothing changes until you tap.
- Pick a plan only if you like it. Basic is $19/mo. Professional is $34/mo and adds your own domain. Either way it’s month to month, with no setup fee and a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Leaving a design company that keeps the design? The rebuild option fits that. The content you supplied is yours under all 8 contracts we read, and WebZum writes fresh copy rather than reusing the company’s. If some photos on the old site were the company’s stock images, ask in the editor chat to swap them. Keep the old site live until your domain points at the new one.
Frequently asked questions
How do I choose a web design company?
Compare what you’d actually own, not just the price. Ask who owns the design and domain when you leave, how long the minimum term is, what leaving early costs, and how you cancel. Get the answers in writing, and walk away from anyone who guarantees a #1 Google ranking.
How much does a web design company charge for a small business website?
Usually a setup or build fee of a few hundred dollars plus a monthly plan. GoDaddy starts at $499 plus yearly hosting, and IONOS charges $45 to $85 a month on a one-year term plus $199 to $399 setup (checked October 31, 2026). Fully custom sites can run past $10,000.
Do I own my website if a company builds it?
Often not. You keep the text, photos and logo you supply, but in 7 of the 8 contracts we read, the design either stays with the company or the terms don’t hand it over. Ordinarily the copyright belongs to whoever created the work, so if you want the design, get a written transfer.
Can I leave my web design company and keep my website?
You can usually keep your domain (if it’s in your name) and your own content, but rarely the design itself. Some companies, like Townsquare Interactive, delete the site when you cancel; LocaliQ offers 30 days of help moving your domain and content. Check your contract’s termination section.
Is a website builder better than a web design company?
For most local service businesses, a good builder gets you a professional site faster and for less, with no term. A design company is worth it for custom features, a large store, or a brand built from scratch.
See the site before anyone sends you a contract
Most web design companies ask you to commit first and see the site later. WebZum flips that. Give it a few answers about your business and in about five minutes you’ll have a finished, agency-quality site to look over, free. If it’s right, keep it for $19 or $34 a month, month to month, with no setup fee and a 30-day money-back guarantee. If it isn’t, you’ve spent five minutes and you know exactly what to ask a design company.