How Much Does It Cost to Own a Website: Maintenance, Updates, and Redesign

Short answer: keeping a small website running costs roughly $15–40 per year (just domain and hosting) up to $600–1800 per year with active support, plus a redesign every 3–5 years ($100–2000+ depending on depth). Building a site is only the start of the costs: you need an address, a place for the site to live, updates, and, now and then, a fresh look.

What the yearly costs are made of

• Domain and hosting — roughly $15–40 per year together. The minimum without which the site simply won't work.
• Technical support — monitoring, backups, security updates: $20–50 per month for basic care.
• Content edits — changing prices, texts, photos: $50–150 per month on a retainer, or from $15–20 per hour as needed.
• Advertising and promotion — a separate budget line, not counted here.

What that adds up to per year

• Minimum (domain, hosting, occasional hourly edits) — roughly $60–200 per year.
• Basic care ($20–50 per month) — roughly $255–640 per year including domain and hosting.
• Active support with edits ($50–150 per month) — roughly $615–1840 per year.

When a redesign is needed and what it costs

A site usually deserves a refresh every 3–5 years — sooner if it looks dated, works poorly on phones, or no longer reflects what the business has become. Rough prices:

• Cosmetic refresh (new texts, photos, colors without changing structure) — $100–300.
• Partial rebuild (updating individual sections, mobile adaptation) — $300–700.
• Full redesign — effectively a new site: $400–2000+.

Where you can save

If the site rarely changes, basic care plus hourly pay for edits is enough — no retainer needed. Don't economize on security and backups: an expired certificate or a broken plugin costs more than regular support. Simplicity also saves money on redesigns: the fewer complex elements, the easier it is to update the site in parts.

More detail in website maintenance after launch and website redesign.

Frequently asked questions

What is the minimum it costs to keep a website?

The minimum is a domain and hosting, roughly $15–40 per year. All edits and updates are then paid for separately as needed.

Do I have to pay for monthly support?

Not always. If your site rarely changes, paying for edits by the hour is enough, but you still need basic security and backups.

How often does a website need a redesign?

Usually every 3–5 years, or sooner if it looks dated, works poorly on phones, or no longer fits your business.