A template is a ready-made layout you fill in. A custom site is planned around your business from the start. Prices tend to follow that difference, but the right pick depends on what you need the site to do, not on which word sounds better.
When a template is enough
If you need a simple online presence with a few pages, a template can do the job. The layout has been used many times, which means the bugs have been found and the structure is familiar to visitors. For a small service business with one clear message, that is often plenty.
Where it runs into trouble is fit. If your services do not match the template sections, you start bending your content to fit someone else’s boxes.
Warning signs a template is bending you
- ✓Your services do not fit the sections — you are squeezing text in
- ✓Important actions are buried — calls and forms are hard to find
- ✓Every page looks the same — no hierarchy to guide visitors
- ✓You paid for features you never use — extras you do not need
What we mean by designed around your business
We do not hand over a downloaded template with your name swapped in. We start with a consultation, learn what you sell and who calls you, and plan the pages and layout around that. We write the copy for you, build it for mobile first and test the contact form.
We keep it practical. The Launch Website is $399 for up to 5 pages, and larger plans add pages. It is not an unlimited-design agency project, and we say so up front.
How to compare quotes
- ✓What is included — pages, copy, revisions and forms
- ✓What is extra — more pages, tools, photography
- ✓Who hosts it — and what backups are included
- ✓Who owns it — domain and content should be yours
What to expect, honestly
- ✓We are not an enterprise design studio — small business sites are our focus
- ✓A template is fine for a simple page — tell us if that is you
- ✓Special software features are scoped separately — ask before assuming
One example of what your site could look like
This is one sample we designed. Yours is built around your business, your photos and your words, and we have more examples if you want to compare directions.
What it costs
Websites are priced one-time by size, plus Website Care at $30/month for hosting, HTTPS, backups, weekly checks and A/B testing. Every package includes a consultation, mobile-friendly design, copy we write for you, a contact form, essential search setup and 10 revision rounds. Monthly SEO is an optional add-on when you are ready for it.
Optional add-ons, billed separately
The prices above are for your website. These two are separate monthly products you can add now or later. Neither is part of the website price.
Monthly SEO, from $50/month: new pages published on your site every month. See Monthly SEO →
Business Spotlight, from $30/month: articles about your business, labeled as paid, published on The Company Chronicle. See Business Spotlight →
How it works
1. Consultation
We learn your services, customers and goals, in English or Spanish.
2. We write and design
We draft the words and build the site around your business.
3. 10 revision rounds
You review and request changes until it is right.
4. Launch and care
We launch, then Website Care keeps it hosted, backed up, checked weekly and A/B tested.
