What a $500 Site Squared SRQ website includes

The short version

I build a website for your business before you pay anything. If you like it and want to keep it, the price is $500, and that includes the first year of hosting. If it isn’t right for you, you owe nothing and I take it down. There is no deposit and no long-term contract.

I set it up this way because most small-business owners have been burned at least once: a deposit paid, months of waiting and a site that looks nothing like what they pictured. Seeing the actual site first takes that risk off the table.

How it works, step by step

The whole process runs like a work order. You know what each step costs before it starts.

• You tell me about the business. Use the form or call. I call you back to talk through what you do, where you work and what you want customers to do. Cost: $0.
• We agree on the scope. Which pages, which services, which photos. Nothing gets built until we both know what “done” looks like.
• You get a preview link. My goal is a preview within three working days after I have your details, photos and the agreed scope. Cost: $0.
• You decide. Keep the agreed site for $500 with year-one hosting included, or pass at no cost.

What the site includes

Every site starts from the same foundation, built for the way people actually look for local services:

• A layout designed for phones first, then checked on tablets and computers.
• A phone number that dials when tapped and a short contact form.
• Your services and service area, written in plain language.
• Your hours, so customers can see whether you’re open now.
• A map and directions if customers come to you.
• Real photos of your work, if you have them.
• Basic search setup: page titles and descriptions, and the behind-the-scenes business details search engines read, such as your name, hours and area.
• Fast-loading pages, tested on a phone.
• The first year of hosting.

You can see what the finished work looks like on the recent work page.

After the first year

The first year of hosting is included in the $500. After that, the price is simple and written down before you keep the site:

• Hosting and small updates: $150 a year, or $15 a month. That covers keeping the site online, the security certificate, sending form inquiries to your email and small updates whenever you need them: hours, prices, services, phone numbers and photos, up to about an hour of changes a month.
• Two rounds of changes on the preview. Before you decide whether to keep the site, you get two rounds of edits on the preview at no charge.
• Your domain stays in your name. Your web address, like yourbusiness.com, is registered to you, and you pay the registrar directly. A .com costs about $10 to $11 a year at Cloudflare, which sells domains at cost. If you already own one, we use it. My note on domains and hosting explains why ownership matters.
• Cancel any time. There is no contract. If you leave, I send you the site files and help point your domain to its new home at no charge.
• Anything bigger. New pages, online booking, a store or custom software get a written quote before any work starts.

What I can’t promise

I can’t guarantee you a spot at the top of Google. Nobody honestly can. Google’s own documentation says changes can take anywhere from hours to months to show up, and rankings depend on competition, location and many factors outside a website. Be wary of anyone who promises page one.

What I can promise is a site that is fast, clear on a phone, easy for search engines to understand and built so a customer who finds you can reach you.

What I need from you

The preview is only as good as what goes into it. To build one that sounds like your business, I need the basics: your business name, phone, hours, the towns you serve and a list of the work you do. Real photos of your work make the biggest difference of anything you can send. Phone pictures are fine.

You don’t need a logo, a slogan or written copy. Most owners I work with have none of those, and that is normal. I wrote a short guide on what to send before your preview if you want to get a head start.

Why $500 is the price

Small service businesses don’t need a $5,000 custom build to look professional online. They need a clear, fast site that answers customer questions and makes calling easy. By starting each site from a tested foundation and focusing on one kind of customer, I can build that well, quickly and for a price that makes sense for a one-truck operation.

If that sounds like a fit, request your free preview. It takes four details and about a minute.