How much does a website cost in Springfield, MO?How much does a website cost in Springfield, MO?

Most of the price comes from a short list of things. Ask about each one, whoever builds your site.

• How many pages. A home page, a page for each service, an about page and a contact page is a common start. Every page has to be written, laid out and checked on a phone.
• Who writes the words and takes the photos. Words that name your services and your town take real time to write. Ask whether the price includes them. Ours leaves out copywriting, photography and logo design unless your quote says otherwise.
• What the site has to do. A contact form that emails you is simple. Booking, photo uploads, quotes, a staff login and payments are tools, and each one is real work to build and keep running.
• Your Google Business Profile. Setting it up, matching your hours and phone, and pointing it at your site is part of being found, and it takes care to get right.
• Moving an old site. Copying the words and photos from an old website is a job of its own. We quote it first.
• Who keeps it running. Hosting, backups, safety updates and small fixes cost something every month with any website. Some designers include them, some charge for them, and some leave them to you.

Some web designers around Springfield publish their prices and some do not. If a price is not on the website, ask for it in writing, with a list of what it includes.

Website builders such as Wix and Squarespace let you build a site yourself from a template. To use your own web address, you pay them a subscription. For some businesses that is the right first step, especially when money is tight and you have the time to learn the tool.

A cheap template site you build yourself often leaves out the parts that bring in work:

• Speed on a phone. Heavy themes and add-ons can make a page slow to load on a phone.
• A Google profile that matches. Your hours, phone and services should say the same thing on your site and on Google.
• Someone to call. When a form stops sending or the site goes down, a template does not answer the phone.
• Tools behind the site. A contact form is easy. Estimates, a job board and follow-up emails need tools built around how your business works.

No WordPress or Wix templates. We write the code ourselves, so it stays fast and simple, and we keep it running after it goes live.

Whoever you hire, ask these before you sign. A good designer answers each one in writing.

• Who owns the domain, and who owns the website once it is paid for?
• What does it cost each month after launch, what does that cover, and how do I end it?
• Are the words, photos and logo included, or do I provide them?
• Will you set up my Google Business Profile and point it at the site?
• Who do I call when something breaks, and how fast do you answer?
• How long does the build take, and when does the clock start?
• Can I see websites you built that are live today?
• What is not included?

Our answers are below. The full terms are on our terms page, and short answers are on our questions page.

A Website starts at $2,000. It includes:

• 5 to 8 pages, built for phones first
• Forms that email you
• Google Business Profile set up
• Analytics and security headers

Not included unless your quote says so: copywriting, photography, logo design, moving content from an old site and third-party fees, which you pay the provider directly.

Business tools start at $5,000. That is the website plus the tools behind it: a staff login and an admin inbox, photo intake, and quotes or PDFs. An app in the App Store and Google Play starts at $25,000. Custom projects start at $12,000 after a paid Discovery.

Every website and Business tools job starts on hosting and upkeep at $150 a month. It covers:

• Hosting, daily backups and safety updates.
• Your domain renewal handled, and your company email on Google Workspace set up and looked after (Google bills its own per-user fee).
• Your Google Business Profile and listings kept current.
• Your privacy policy and cookie notice kept up to date as the rules change.
• A monthly check that your forms, booking and payments still work, with a short note to you.
• Small changes included for the first three months after launch; after that, changes are quoted first.

Hosting and upkeep runs month to month from launch, billed one month at a time. You can end it with 30 days notice. On pay monthly, hosting and upkeep is part of each of the 12 plan payments, so it can end after payment 12.

Every quote offers three ways to pay:

• Pay in full and take 10% off the build. The discount is on the build only, never on hosting.
• Two payments: half to start, half when it is ready to launch. The site goes live once the second half clears.
• Pay monthly: a down payment, then 12 monthly payments that include hosting and upkeep. On a $2,000 website that is $500 down and $293.75 a month.

On Pay monthly, the rest of the build plus 15% is divided by 12, with hosting and upkeep added. Your quote shows every number before you agree. You own your domain from day one, and the website is yours once the last payment clears.

A Website takes about two weeks, and Business tools take three to five weeks. The clock starts when your logo, words, photos and domain access arrive.

When something breaks, you call one place: (417) 630-5301, Monday to Friday, 8 AM to 6 PM. We reply within one business day, and within four business hours when something is down. We do not promise 24/7.

To see websites we built that are live today, look at our work. Each project page links to the live site.

If you are just starting out and have more time than money, a builder you run yourself is a fair first step. Write your own words, add your own photos and set up your Google profile.

When the phone needs to ring more, or the paperwork is eating your evenings, talk to someone who builds and runs websites and tools for a living. Get two or three quotes, ask the questions above, and compare what is included, not only the price.

To get ours, call (417) 630-5301 or tell us about your project. A website job is quoted on the call from our package prices.