Updated June 2026
A general contractor website costs $0–$500+ upfront plus $10–$300/month depending on how you build it. DIY builders run $16–$50/month on a subscription. A freelance developer charges $800–$3,000 flat. A local agency charges $3,000–$15,000 upfront, plus $100–$300/month in retainer. GrowLocal builds and hosts a complete general contractor site for $30/month, no setup fee, with a free preview before you commit.
Based on GrowLocal's proprietary research into top-ranking local business websites and current market rates for web services in 2026.
Below: a full cost table, what actually drives the price for this trade, what each tier gets you, and what ongoing costs to plan for.
How much does a general contractor website cost?
Here is what each tier typically costs and what it actually includes:
| Tier | Upfront cost | Monthly cost | What you get |
|---|---|---|---|
| DIY builder (Wix, Squarespace) | $0 | $16–$50 | Template you build yourself; generic layout; no trade-specific structure |
| Freelance developer | $800–$3,000 | $0–$75 (hosting + maintenance) | Custom site, but you manage updates; quality varies by freelancer |
| Local design agency | $3,000–$15,000 | $100–$300 | Full production team; long timelines; often requires a deposit before you see anything |
| GrowLocal | $0 | From $30 | Complete site built for you; free preview before payment; quote forms, portfolio, service pages, hosting included |
| Houzz / Angi listing | $0–$300+/month | Lead fees vary | Not a website — a profile in a marketplace you don't own |
Note: Domain registration (a name like yourcompany.com) runs $12–$18/year regardless of which path you choose. That cost is the same everywhere.
What drives the price of a general contractor website specifically?
General contractor websites cost more than simple service sites for a few reasons.
Project portfolio depth. The strongest general contractor sites we analyzed carry 40 to 65 completed projects with named entries, real photography, and location details. Storing and displaying that volume of work requires more than a basic template. A freelancer or agency charges for that scope. A general contractor website on GrowLocal includes a portfolio section built for this.
Multiple service pages. Most competitive general contractor sites have 4–12 individual service pages — kitchens, bathrooms, additions, ADUs, decks, and commercial. Agencies charge per page. DIY builders make you write every word yourself.
Trust-signal architecture. Buyers making a $20,000–$150,000 remodel decision read a site differently than someone buying a $100 haircut. License numbers, years in business, named testimonials, and a process explanation need to appear in specific places. That architecture separates sites that generate quote requests from sites that just exist.
Quote request integration. The #1 conversion action on every general contractor site is getting the homeowner to request a free estimate. That form needs to work, notify you immediately, and appear on multiple pages — not buried in a footer.
What does a DIY builder actually cost a general contractor?
Wix and Squarespace start around $16–$25/month. But the real cost is your time.
Building a professional general contractor site from scratch typically takes 15–40 hours: writing service descriptions, organizing portfolio photos, setting up contact forms, and figuring out SEO basics. For a general contractor billing $75–$150/hour on their trade, that time gap alone exceeds the cost difference between DIY and a done-for-you option.
Templates are the other problem. Wix and Squarespace are designed for the average business. They do not know that a general contractor site needs a multi-project gallery with per-project scope details, a process strip showing pre-construction through close-out, or a service-area section for local SEO. You get a generic layout you then try to retrofit.
The strongest sites we analyzed lead with real, dense project photography — 60+ completed projects with named entries — then stack trust signals (years in business, license numbers, named reviews) before the quote CTA. A DIY template will not prompt you to build any of that. For a comparison of DIY vs. done-for-you options, see our web designer vs. website builder vs. agency breakdown.
What does a freelancer or agency charge, and what do you get?
A freelance developer typically charges $800–$3,000 for a small business site. For a general contractor with multiple service pages, a portfolio section, and quote forms, expect the higher end. Quality varies — some freelancers build excellent trade sites; others hand you a reskinned template.
A local agency charges $3,000–$15,000 upfront, plus $100–$300/month in retainer for ongoing changes. Timeline is typically 6–12 weeks from deposit to launch — meaning you pay before you see the finished product.
Key takeaway: In the competitor research behind our platform, 92% of local business websites hide pricing entirely — including every general contractor site analyzed (N=237 sites, 28 categories). That is why most of your competitors show no rates and push "free estimate" as the entry point. Your website's job is not to publish your prices; it is to earn the quote request. A well-built site does that whether it cost $500 or $5,000 — what matters is the structure, not the spend.
What does GrowLocal cost for a general contractor website?
GrowLocal builds and hosts general contractor websites starting at $30/month with no setup fee and no contract. There is no upfront payment — you see a complete preview of your site before you pay anything.
What is included at $30/month:
- Custom-designed site built for your business (not a template)
- Project portfolio section with your photos
- Service pages for each trade offering (kitchens, baths, additions, commercial, etc.)
- Quote request form on every page, connected to your inbox
- Click-to-call phone button in the header
- Customer testimonials section
- Fast, static hosting — no separate hosting bill
- Mobile-optimized and SEO-ready
- Unlimited revisions before launch
What GrowLocal does not include: online booking, live Google reviews integration, live chat, or payment processing. For most general contractors, none of those are needed — your conversion path is a quote request and a call, not an instant transaction.
Domain registration ($12–$18/year) is a separate cost you own directly.
For the full feature breakdown, see what a general contractor website needs to win bigger projects.
What are the ongoing costs to plan for?
Regardless of how you build, budget for these:
- Domain registration: $12–$18/year. You own this. Renew annually.
- Hosting: $0/month with GrowLocal (included); $10–$30/month if self-hosted; included with Wix/Squarespace subscriptions
- Platform subscription or maintenance: $16–$50/month for DIY builders; $100–$300/month agency retainer; $30/month GrowLocal
- Photography: $0 if you shoot projects on a modern phone; $200–$800/session for a professional. Real project photography is the single highest-leverage investment — the strongest sites carry 60+ real project photos, while competitors using stock images consistently lack visible reviews and clear positioning.
Total ongoing cost for a well-built general contractor website: $30–$75/month once you have your domain and photos.
The cost structure is similar across home services trades. See our roofer website cost breakdown and painter website cost breakdown — same tiers, different page structure per trade. For the full category overview, see websites for home service businesses.
Frequently Asked Questions About General Contractor Website Costs
How much should I spend on a website as a general contractor?
For most general contractors, a site in the $25–$75/month range covers everything you need to generate quote requests. Spending $10,000+ at an agency makes sense if procurement teams will review your site for large commercial bids — but for residential remodeling, the conversion math does not justify it. Across our research into top-ranking local business websites, 92% of sites hide all pricing (N=237 sites, 28 categories) — your competitors compete on trust and process, not dollars. A well-structured site at any budget tier can compete.
Can I just use Houzz or Angi instead of a website?
Houzz and Angi are lead marketplaces, not your website. They own the customer relationship; you pay per lead. When a homeowner finds you on Houzz, your competitors appear on the same page. A website you own means a homeowner lands on your business alone. Most successful general contractors use both, with their own site as the home base.
Do I need a web designer, or can I use a website builder?
For a general contractor, the answer depends on how much time you have and whether you want a trade-specific result. Website builders like Wix work but require 15–40 hours of your time to build a professional result, and they default to generic layouts that do not know what a general contractor site needs. A done-for-you service costs more per month but delivers a trade-specific site without you building it. See the full comparison at our web designer vs. website builder vs. agency guide.
How long does it take to get a general contractor website live?
With GrowLocal, a complete preview is typically ready within a few business days. Agency timelines run 6–12 weeks. DIY builders let you publish immediately, but the site needs significant work before it looks professional.
What is the biggest mistake general contractors make on their website?
Using stock photography or launching with no project photos. Across our research into top-ranking local business websites, the strongest general contractor sites carry 40–65 real completed projects with named entries — and sites relying on stock images consistently lack visible reviews and clear positioning. Real photography of your actual work is the highest-ROI thing you can put on your site. It does not have to be professional photography — strong natural-light phone photos of a finished kitchen or bathroom addition outperform stock every time.
Do general contractor sites need online booking?
No. The buying decision is too high-consideration for instant-book flow. The right path is a quote request form — name, phone, email, project type — that reaches you fast, paired with a phone number repeated throughout the page. GrowLocal includes quote request forms on every page.
Is $30/month for a general contractor website worth it?
One additional estimate request per month that converts to a project — even a $5,000 bathroom reno — covers years of subscription cost. The question is whether the site is built well enough to earn that request. That is why the GrowLocal model includes a complete preview before you commit.
What about a Google Business Profile instead of a website?
A Google Business Profile is essential and free — it should exist regardless of whether you have a website. But a profile is not a substitute for a website. Your GBP shows hours, reviews, and location. Your website shows your portfolio, process, and services. The two work together: homeowners find you on Google, check your GBP, then visit your website to decide whether to request an estimate.