Why agencies overcharge for websites — and how we don't

You've probably gotten a quote that made your eyes water. One agency wants $12,000 for a 5-page site. Another wants $8,000 plus a $400-a-month retainer. A third wraps it in a "marketing package" where you can't even see a price breakdown.

Meanwhile, you're a business owner who just wants a website that brings in calls. You don't need a Fortune-500 experience. You need something that works.

Here's the honest truth most agencies won't tell you: a great website for a small business doesn't need to cost five figures. We charge a fraction of what traditional agencies charge, and we deliver the same quality. Same tech. Same results. Just without the inflated invoice.

1. Why traditional agencies charge so much

It isn't the website. It's everything around the website.

The office building

Big agencies lease expensive downtown office space, pay for receptionists, parking, coffee bars, and break rooms. That rent has to come from somewhere — your invoice.

The account manager

You're not paying for a developer's time. You're paying for a project manager whose only job is to forward your emails to the actual builder, then forward replies back to you. That middleman costs you 30–40% of the bill.

The mystery line items

"Strategy session." "Discovery sprint." "Brand alignment audit." These are real things sometimes. Most of the time they're padding.

The retainer trap

Many agencies front-load a low build cost then lock you into a $300–$800 monthly retainer for "maintenance" you never use. Over 3 years that retainer often costs more than the original site.

2. What a website actually costs to build

Three real costs:

1. Time. A solid 5–10 page site takes 60–120 hours to design, build, and launch.
2. Tools. Hosting (~$15/mo), a domain ($12/yr), a builder license, and analytics. Maybe $400/year all-in.
3. Expertise. The hardest one to price — but it's what separates a site that sits there from one that books jobs.

That's it. No office. No account manager. No mystery line items.

3. How MYNA charges differently

• One clear price up front. You see exactly what's included before we start.
• No retainer lock-ins. Maintenance is opt-in, monthly, cancel any time.
• You own everything. Domain, hosting, code, content. We don't hold your business hostage.
• Honest scope. If your project is simpler than our cheapest tier, we'll tell you and refer you somewhere fitting. If it's bigger, we'll show you why.

4. So what should you actually pay?

For a small business website built right, expect somewhere between $1,500 and $5,000+. Anything below that range and you're getting a template with your logo slapped on. Anything five figures and someone is paying for an account manager's MacBook.

We sit in that range on purpose. It's the range where craft and economics meet.

A website is not a luxury good. It's a tool that should pay for itself within a year. If yours hasn't, it wasn't built right — and the agency knew it.

If you've been quoted something that doesn't sit right, send it our way. We'll tell you honestly whether it's fair, padded, or somewhere in between. No sales call. No pressure.