{"id":2034,"slug":"smb-website-build-cost-range-vendor","title":"SMB website build cost — $5,000-$40,000 (vendor-quarantined)","kind":"reference","scope":"business","status":"current","audiences":["kevin","candid-team"],"topics":["smb-seo-budget-norms"],"reference_body":"**Claim:** Website build/redesign (SMB): commonly **$5,000-$40,000** depending on source/scope. Ongoing maintenance often quoted at **15-20% of build cost per year**.\n\n**Source:** Web-design agencies (Innowise, Clique Studios, Levitate, WeAreTenet, SpaceO, Over the Fold, Mark Brinker, UENI, Spork).\n\n**Caveat:** **All vendor-sourced.** Web-design agencies sell websites; incentive to inflate \"recommended spend.\" Wide variance reflects the lack of an authoritative benchmark.\n\n**Confidence:** Industry-consensus (vendor-heavy).\n\n**Why this matters for Candid:** The widget should show this as a \"typical market price\" range with the vendor-source flag, paired with a tier. Owners think in dollars; the range anchors expectations without overpromising.","rationale_body":null,"metadata":null,"links":{"outgoing":[],"incoming":[{"slug":"research-brief-smb-widget-spend-benchmarks-june-2026","title":"Research brief: SMB widget spend benchmarks — feasibility of a \"digital-minus-ads\" % of revenue (June 2026)","kind":"reference","scope":"business","link_type":"relates-to"},{"slug":"rule-show-dollar-ranges-not-points","title":"Rule — Show derived dollar ranges as estimates, never point values","kind":"rule","scope":"business","link_type":"depends-on"}]},"created_at":"2026-06-23T19:16:01.957Z","updated_at":"2026-06-23T19:16:01.957Z"}