A historical society website is priced by how much of the collection, the calendar and the research process you want to put online. Many societies run on volunteer time, so the build is shaped as much by what is easy to maintain as by what is possible. We favor a site your board can keep current without a specialist.
The price at a glance
Most historical societies fit Business Plus: $989 one-time for up to 20 pages, plus Website Care at $30/month for hosting, HTTPS, backups, weekly performance checks, A/B testing and up to 30 minutes of small edits each month. A typical historical society site covers Home with hours and events, Collection and exhibits, Events, Research and archives, Get involved and Contact.
What changes the price for a historical society
- ✓Collection highlights — Featuring a handful of objects, photographs or documents with context takes writing and image work, and every item adds editing time
- ✓Events calendar — A running list of talks, walking tours and open houses needs a layout that handles dates well and can be updated by volunteers
- ✓Research and archive request flow — Explaining how researchers ask for access, what you hold and what you can and cannot do takes careful drafting
- ✓Membership and giving pages — Pages that explain membership, volunteering and donations need to be clear and linked to the tool you use to collect gifts
What keeps you in the smaller plan
A small society with limited hours can use a home page with visiting hours, a collection highlights page, an events page and a contact form. Highlight a dozen or so items rather than cataloguing everything. That is plenty for a first impression and easy for volunteers to maintain.
Costs that sit outside the website
- ✓Donation platform — Gifts and memberships are handled by a payment or nonprofit tool you already use, whose fees belong to that provider
- ✓Digitization work — Scanning and cataloguing photographs and records is a project of its own, separate from the website
- ✓Image permissions — Rights for archival images and donated collections are yours to confirm before anything is published
- ✓Domain and email — A domain and shared mailboxes are small yearly costs outside the build
When it makes sense to step up
Step up when you want online exhibits with extended stories, a searchable list of holdings, a research request page with several paths, a gift shop, or separate sections for each historic building you steward. Multiple sites or museums under one society also need more structure.
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.
Keep reading
Websites for historical societies · Launch checklist for historical societies · Website cost calculator · Small business website cost
