Landing Page
Just opened? One fast page with up to 6 sections makes you look established for $800.
Start with a landing pageA Custom Website for Small Business Owners, Ready in 7 Business Days
Get a custom website for small business owners who are tired of templates and monthly fees: designed for your business, coded by hand, with no page limit, ready in 7 business days for one $1,500 payment, and 100% yours.
- No page limit
- 95–100 PageSpeed target
- Hosting in your name
What Is a Custom Website for a Small Business?
A custom website is a site designed and coded for your business alone, instead of a template that thousands of other businesses share.
Most small business sites start from a builder template. That works, but the result looks like everyone else's, often loads slowly and keeps charging a monthly fee. A custom website starts from your services, your customers and your photos.
At Ethos, Jana designs each page and we write the code by hand. Nothing is there that your site doesn't need, which is why our sites load fast and stay easy to maintain.
It is one of our web design services for service businesses, and the one most owners choose when referrals already bring work and they need a site that closes the deal.
A Custom Website · $1,500
A complete, hand-coded site with no page limit, built to show your services and your work. Best when referrals bring you customers and you need a site that backs them up.
See everything that's includedWant Customers to Find You on Google?
If you need strangers to find you on Google and in AI answers, the same site with keyword research, SEO copy, schema and AI-ready content costs $2,400.
See our $2,400 SEO & GEO website packageWho a Custom Website Is For
It fits owners whose work already speaks for itself and who need a site that says the same thing, clearly, on a phone.
-
You Grow by Referral
People hear about you from a friend, then look you up. Your site should confirm what they were told.
-
You Have No Site Yet
A Facebook page or an Instagram profile isn't enough when a client asks for your website.
-
Your Work Deserves Better Photos Online
You have great finished jobs, but nowhere to show them in a way that looks professional.
-
You're Tired of Monthly Fees
You pay a builder every month and still do the work yourself. You want to pay once.
-
Your Services Need Their Own Pages
One page can't explain everything you offer. You need room for each service, with no page limit.
-
Your Brand Should Look Premium
Your prices are above average, and a template site makes you look like everyone else.
How We Build Your Custom Website
We build it in five steps over 7 business days, starting the day we receive your logo, photos and service list.
-
Before day 1
Step 1: Explore
A free call to understand your services, your best customers and the sites of the competitors they compare you with.
-
Day 1
Step 2: Target
We map every page, decide what each one must say first and plan where your photos and reviews go.
-
Days 2–4
Step 3: Handcraft
Jana designs the pages and we code them by hand, with no template and no page builder.
-
Days 5–6
Step 4: Optimize
We test speed and accessibility on real phones and apply your three rounds of adjustments.
-
Day 7
Step 5: Ship
You approve the site in a delivery meeting, pay the second half and we publish it on your hosting.
Sites with more than 10 pages get a timeline agreed on our call.
Start Your Custom WebsiteWhat's Included in the $1,500 Custom Website
You get a complete, fast, accessible website with every page you need; search and AI optimization belong to the $2,400 package.
Included
- Custom design for your business, with no template
- No page limit: one page for each service if you need it
- Hand-written code with a 95 to 100 PageSpeed target
- Responsive design that works on every phone and tablet
- Accessibility built to WCAG 2.2 AA
- Contact form, click-to-call and WhatsApp buttons
- 3 rounds of adjustments and a lifetime guarantee on our code
Not Included
- Keyword research and SEO copy (in the $2,400 package)
- Schema and Google Search Console setup (in the $2,400 package)
- AI-ready content for ChatGPT and Gemini (in the $2,400 package)
- Online stores and booking systems
- Hosting fees, paid by you to your provider
- Social media and paid ads management
How Much Does a Custom Website Cost?
A custom website from Ethos costs $1,500 once, and the factors below change only your timeline, never the price.
$1,500
One payment: 50% to start, 50% at delivery. For comparison, 2026 market guides put freelancer sites at about $1,500 to $8,000 and builder plans at $16 to $139 a month.
Compare All Packages and Prices| Factor | Changes the price? | What actually changes |
|---|---|---|
| Number of pages | No | Above 10 pages, only the timeline grows |
| Your logo, photos and texts | No | The 7 days start the day we have everything |
| Professional photos | No | We use stock images until your own photos are ready |
| Hosting | Paid to your provider | You choose the plan; the account is in your name |
| Adding SEO & GEO later | Yes, as an upgrade | Keyword research, SEO copy and schema are added to the site |
| Care Plan | Optional, $250 per month | Hosting management, backups and small edits, cancel anytime |
Before You Choose: Custom, Builder or Template?
The right choice depends on how much of your own time you want to spend and whether you want to keep paying every month.
| What you compare | Ethos Custom Website | Website builder (Wix, Squarespace) | Template theme |
|---|---|---|---|
| Upfront cost | $1,500, one time | About $0 to start | Theme plus setup, often from a freelancer |
| Monthly cost | None required | About $16 to $139 for as long as the site exists | Hosting plus paid plugins |
| Design | Made for your business, no template | Template you customize | Template shared with many other sites |
| Speed | 95 to 100 PageSpeed target | Varies; often slower on phones | Often heavy with unused code |
| Who does the work | We do, in 7 business days | You do, in your own time | A freelancer or you |
| Ownership | Code and hosting in your name | Content is yours; the site lives on their platform | Usually yours, if the hosting is in your name |
How to Tell if a Website Is Really Custom
Many sites sold as custom are templates with a new logo. These three checks reveal the difference in minutes.
Look at the Page Source
Right-click and view the source. Builder names like Wix or theme names in the code mean it's a template.
Test It on PageSpeed
Template sites often score low on mobile. A custom site should score 90 or more.
Ask Where the Code Lives
If the answer is "on our platform", you are renting. Custom code should sit on hosting in your name.
3 Mistakes Owners Make When Buying a Custom Website
These are the mistakes we hear about most from owners who already paid for a website once.
Paying for Design but Not Speed
A beautiful site that takes five seconds to load on a phone loses visitors before they see it.
Skipping the Mobile Review
Most customers will see your site on a phone, so approve every page on one before launch.
Signing Without an Ownership Clause
Make sure the code, hosting and domain end up in your name, in writing.
Why Owners Choose Ethos for a Custom Website
Because the site is truly theirs, it's fast, it's ready in a week and they talk directly with the people who build it.
-
Ready in 7 Business Days
From the day we receive your material to launch, for sites up to 10 pages.
-
Hand-Coded, Never a Template
Clean code written for your site alone, which keeps it fast and unique.
-
No Page Limit
Add every service you offer. The price stays the same.
-
Yours From Day One
Hosting in your name and no contract, so you're free to stay or go.
-
Lifetime Code Guarantee
If something we coded breaks, we fix it, at no cost.
-
Talk in Your Language
Calls and messages in English, Spanish or Portuguese, directly with JP and Jana.
Custom Websites for Small Businesses Across the U.S.
We build custom websites for small businesses in every U.S. state, 100% online, from our base in North Carolina.
Online, Nationwide
We study your city and your competitors wherever you are, and meet over Zoom, phone or WhatsApp, Monday to Saturday, 9am to 5pm Eastern.
Pick a time for your free callIn English, Spanish and Portuguese
Your website is in English, and every call, message and adjustment can happen in the language you prefer.
Meet the family behind EthosWhat Clients Say About Their Custom Website
These are real reviews from owners who chose our Custom Website, quoted exactly as they appear on Google.
-
[PREENCHER: real Google review about the Ethos Custom Website, quoted exactly as published]
[PREENCHER: name as shown on Google][PREENCHER: city, state] -
[PREENCHER: real Google review about the Ethos Custom Website, quoted exactly as published]
[PREENCHER: name as shown on Google][PREENCHER: city, state] -
[PREENCHER: real Google review about the Ethos Custom Website, quoted exactly as published]
[PREENCHER: name as shown on Google][PREENCHER: city, state]
[PREENCHER: link to the Ethos Google Business Profile reviews]
Questions About a Custom Website for Small Business
Here are direct answers to the eight questions owners ask before they choose a custom website.
How much does a custom website for a small business cost?
At Ethos it costs $1,500, paid once: 50% to start and 50% at delivery. There is no page limit and no monthly fee. You can compare all packages and prices side by side.
Is SEO included in the $1,500 website?
No. The Custom Website is fast and built with clean code, but keyword research, SEO copy, schema, Search Console and AI-ready content are part of our $2,400 SEO & GEO website package.
Why not just use Wix or Squarespace?
You can, but you pay every month for as long as the site exists, you do the building and SEO stays your job. Our guide on Wix vs custom website compares the real cost over three years.
How many pages can I have?
As many as your business needs. The price stays $1,500; only sites above 10 pages get a longer timeline, agreed on our call.
Who owns the website?
You do. Hosting is bought in your name and the code lives on your account. Ask any designer the questions in do I own my website before you hire.
Can I start smaller?
Yes. If you just opened and need something this week, start with a landing page for $800 and move to a full site later.
I already have a website. Is this the right service?
If your current site is slow, dated or on a builder, a small business website redesign costs the same $1,500 and includes redirects, so you keep what already works.
Can I edit the website myself later?
Small text and photo changes can be handled by us through the optional Care Plan, or by any developer you choose, because the code and hosting are yours.
Related Services
If a $1,500 custom website is not the exact fit, one of these three options probably is.
-
-
Website Redesign
Already have a slow or dated site? We rebuild it at the same price and keep what already ranks.
Plan a small business website redesign -
Website + SEO & GEO
The same custom website, plus keyword research, SEO copy, schema and AI-ready content, for $2,400.
Get your website with SEO & GEO
Start Your Custom Website
Fill in the form or talk to us about your project on a free Zoom call, in English, Spanish or Portuguese. We reply within 24 hours, Monday to Saturday.
- A page plan built around your services
- A look at the sites your customers compare you with
- One clear price: $1,500, with no contract