Updated · Facts checked
The domain name: small, yearly, and easy to lose
A domain name is the cheapest part of the bill and the one that causes the most trouble when nobody is watching the renewal date.
- Price: the registry that runs .com raised its wholesale price from $10.26 to $10.97 a year, effective November 1, 2026 [1]. Registrars add their margin, so a .com usually costs somewhat more than that at retail.
- Watch the renewal price, not the first-year price. Many registrars discount year one and charge full price after.
- Register it in your own name and your own account, with an email address you'll still read in five years. A domain registered by a former designer or employee is the most common reason owners lose their own web address.
- Turn on auto-renew and keep the card on file current. An expired domain takes the website and the email down together.
Hosting: what you're actually paying for
Hosting is the computer that serves your pages to visitors, and for a small marketing site it should be one of the smaller lines in your budget.
- Website builders (Wix, Squarespace, GoDaddy) include hosting in the plan. Squarespace's plans run $19 to $99 a month billed yearly after its July 2026 increase [2]; our website cost guide compares the others.
- Freelancer or agency sites are often hosted separately, sometimes bundled with a monthly maintenance fee. Ask what the fee covers: hosting alone, updates, backups, or changes to the words.
- Our hosting (opening soon) is $49 a year for any site we build: the site online, the security certificate, and an uptime watch. Business and Growth sites include the first year. You can also download your files and host them anywhere.
- The security certificate (SSL) that puts the padlock in the address bar is free from most hosts today. Paying extra for a basic one is rarely necessary for a small business site.
Business email at your own address
Email at [email protected] is optional, but it is the line that grows fastest, because it's charged per person every month.
- Google Workspace Business Starter is listed at $7 per user a month with a one-year commitment, or $8.40 month to month; Business Standard is $14 or $16.80 [3].
- A team of three on Business Starter is therefore about $252 a year on the yearly plan, more than the hosting and the domain together.
- Cheaper route: one shared address (info@ or office@) instead of one per person, or email forwarding from your domain to an inbox you already have, which many registrars include.
Three typical yearly totals
Here is how the pieces add up for three common setups, using the prices above; your numbers will differ with your registrar and plan.
- Lean: a .com domain (about $11 to $20) plus our hosting ($49, opening soon) and email forwarding: roughly $60 to $70 a year.
- Typical: domain, hosting, and Google Workspace for one person on the yearly plan ($84): roughly $145 to $160 a year with our hosting (opening soon).
- Builder plan: a mid-range builder plan at $29 a month billed yearly is $348, plus email if the plan doesn't include it.
None of these include changes to the site. Ask any provider, us included, how a new photo or a price update is billed before you sign; the website cost calculator adds it all up for a site like yours.
Check what you're paying for now
If you already have a site, it's worth ten minutes once a year to find each bill and make sure you own the accounts behind it.
- Find the registrar for your domain and confirm the account is in your name.
- Find who hosts the site and what the renewal costs.
- Count the email accounts you pay for and close the ones nobody uses.
- Run the free Website Check to confirm the security certificate is working and the site loads on a phone.
Questions about running costs
What owners usually ask once the website itself is paid for.
Do I have to buy hosting from the person who built my site?
No. A standard website can be hosted anywhere. Ask for the files, or for the site to be moved to an account in your name, before you switch.
Is a free website address good enough?
An address like yourname.builder.com works for testing, but your own domain looks established, stays yours if you change providers, and lets you have matching email.
What happens if my domain expires?
The website and any email on that domain stop working. Most registrars give a short grace period to renew; after that someone else can register it.
Does Sitelings charge monthly?
Not for the website: it's a one-time price from $99. Hosting with us (opening soon) is optional at $49 a year, and the first year is included on Business and Growth sites.
Keep reading
Related pages for the same kind of business, plus the guides and free tools that go with this one.
Sources
Every outside fact on this page comes from the sources below, read on the date shown. Prices and plans change; check the source before you decide.
- Domain Name Wire, "Verisign raising wholesale .com prices" (April 23, 2026; read October 26, 2026). Wholesale .com price rising from $10.26 to $10.97 a year, effective November 1, 2026.
- PetaPixel, "Squarespace Is Increasing Prices By Up to 26%" (July 17, 2026; read October 26, 2026). Squarespace plans $19 to $99 a month billed annually.
- Email Vendor Selection, "Google Workspace Pricing (2026)" (updated June 22, 2026; read October 26, 2026). Business Starter $7 per user a month with a one-year commitment, $8.40 flexible; Business Standard $14 or $16.80.