As a small business owner, you understand the importance of having a professional website—but finding the time and budget can be a challenge. Many small businesses settle for cheap DIY options, but these often lack the functionality and quality needed to stand out online.
At The Story, we offer a different approach: high-performance websites tailored for small businesses. Using modern technologies like Strapi and Next.js, we create affordable websites that look great, perform well, and help your business grow. Whether you’re starting fresh or looking to upgrade your current site, our solutions are designed to make the process simple and stress-free.
If you began collecting information about how to order a website for a small business, we recommend this article, from which you will learn:
- For whom are cheap websites? Why do small business owners decide to make such a choice, and what benefits and limitations do templates have?
- How much do cheap websites cost? Website builder vs. Professional web development company.
- Criteria defining website cost—What do you need to consider when choosing a provider for a ready-made solution?
However, if you're reading this article and are only interested in ordering a small business website from The Story built based on our solution, we invite you to skip to the section “What does it look like to order a website from The Story?.”
We develop websites that boost sales
Website development from scratch — Is it a waste of time?
Creating a custom website or a small business website that meets individual needs, that is, a tailor-made site with designers, developers, and a manager, involves huge costs. A business website with specific functionalities, a unique design, and a solid tech stack costs around 10,000 dollars, and with more advanced functionality… the sky is the limit :).
Examples of unusual solutions that an online business might expect to have implemented on a website:
- Admin can change the font color separately for titles and paragraphs globally, and the colors of frames and background fill in CMS
- A website for an online store should allow users to configure a product and present a visualization of the ready product on the same subpage in real time.
Every tailor-made project for a website begins with collecting requirements with the help of a skilled team. The team then develops a prototype with a ready design and proceeds to program the solution. All these processes involve a lot of work, translating to time and costs.
However, such an investment isn't a waste of time or money. In the end, a company receives a tailor-made website that fits its needs, a unique concept that perfectly meets business requirements. This approach allows a small business to stand out from the competition, emphasize its brand identity, and attract the attention of potential customers.
Investing in a professionally designed website might seem like a bigger expense at first, but it pays off. You’ll attract more customers, stand out from the competition, and save time with a website that’s easy to manage and built to grow with your business.
Alright, but what if a company doesn't have enough budget to create a business website or an online store from scratch?
A small business website based on a template? For whom are cheap websites
A cheap website developed based on a template is one of the solutions that allows a small business to save time and money. That's because the bought website template is ready to use and already has a designed layout that can be easily customized to your needs by changing content, colors, images, and, in the case of website builders, also the layout of elements. So, once it's designed and coded, it can be sold to various customers. Sounds lovely. That's why young and small businesses often use WordPress templates or other website builders. The main reasons for this choice are:
- Lack of time — Finding a suitable website provider and waiting for a design that will fully meet expectations is time-consuming and requires a great deal of commitment.
- Limited budget — Small businesses often have limited funds, which leads them to choose cheaper and ready-made solutions that allow them to create a basic website.
- Fear of risk — Small businesses think that investing in a professional website may not be the right decision, especially if they lack experience in the online industry and don't know how to choose a reliable developer.
So, if you need a small business website or an online store and you're among the companies that lack time, have a limited budget, or are just taking their first steps on the Internet, then a website developed based on a template might be a good investment.
However, as with every important purchase, you should think hard about who will create your small business website based on a template.
Small business websites — Overview of website providers in the market
The market for ready-made websites is enormous and simultaneously very fragmented. That's because micro and small businesses account for the majority of the enterprise market in the USA, which, due to their stage of development, choose “a quick and cheap option” of establishing themselves on the Internet.
According to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, there are 99.9% of micro and small businesses. In 2021, a record-breaking 5.4 million of businesses filled business applications.
Among the website providers on the market specializing in website development based on templates, we can distinguish:
- Do-it-yourself website builders (e.g., WIX, Webflow, WebWave)
- Web development companies that developed their own templates based on their experiences
- Freelancers that will customize a WordPress theme
Website builder — how much do cheap websites made in a website builder cost?
Cost of websites for small business made with popular web builders (WIX, WebWave)
Do-it-yourself (DYI) website builders such as WIX or WebWave offer low prices, starting from $17 a month or less, for a standard plan (you can even choose free website builder versions). The prices seem very affordable, even impossibly cheap. However, behind low prices, hide additional costs—first of all, you will have to make this website yourself with a very clunky interface. Not to mention that if you would like to create an online store with built-in ecommerce tools, you have to opt for a more expensive subscription plan. On top of that, you need to choose the right website builder that will meet your expectations.
In the case of free website builders, your opportunities for expansion and functionality will be severely limited. People who don't have experience in website development might have to contact technical support or enlist the help of an external company. These actions involve additional fees and time.
SEO, or positioning of a small business website built in a website builder
Do websites built in website builders have a chance to rank on the Internet and appear in free Google search results?
Theoretically, YES, but in practice, websites created with website builders often face challenges related to positioning even when they have built-in SEO tools. Due to their complex technological structure, they're overloaded with code, making it difficult to compete with dedicated websites designed from scratch with SEO in mind. Therefore, even the best website builders struggle to achieve high positions in Google search results.
The most striking evidence for difficulties with SEO positioning is the results of Ahrefs' study about the number of websites built with Wix that have more than 100 organic traffic per month. I want to stress the number 100 (one hundred)—not a thousand, not five thousand, but a hundred. The results show that only 0.06% of websites built with Wix attract more than 100 users per month. Do I need to add more?
Websites created with Strapi and Next.js are designed for high performance, meaning they load quickly and meet Google's strict requirements for top search rankings. This gives your business a competitive edge by making it easier for potential customers to find you online.
In summary, cheap websites created with a website builder work best for small businesses that treat the site like a business card. What does that mean?
A business card website primarily aims to confirm the company's existence. It isn't meant to actively attract traffic from search engines. Potential customers usually visit it after typing the address on the business card into the search box or through a link in an e-mail. Such websites help you make the company more credible in the eyes of customers. They don't give you the ability to make sales online because they don't appear in search engine results under popular keywords.
Before you decide to create a small business website by yourself, consider whether you have enough time and aesthetic sense to undertake such a project.
Web development company — Criteria and a template's capabilities decide how much a cheap website costs
You can order a cheap business or online store website based on a ready-made template from external website providers, such as web development companies and freelancers. Prices for such solutions range from around $250 to $6,000, plus a monthly maintenance fee. This wide discrepancy results from various factors such as the website provider's skills, experience in the industry, range of services, and the level of customization of the template to the individual needs of the client.
In The Story, we've prepared a set of the most important criteria to consider when choosing a website provider based on a template. These criteria will help you make an informed choice that will provide you with a satisfactory visual design and optimal operation of the website.
Criteria for choosing a website provider:
- Will the business website be visible online? Check whether the website created with a given template can be found online because why do you need a site (even the cheapest one) that no one can find? Ask the provider for proof of visibility. Verify how much you will have to pay to a given provider to achieve this effect.
- Results and customization? To what extent can the template be customized according to the preferences: fonts, colors, branding elements? Will the website template from a given provider be aesthetically pleasing? Verify the portfolio of businesses based on the website of a given provider. When you have the contact details, don't hesitate to call to ask how the cooperation went.
- Can you add and edit website's content with CMS (Content Management System)? It's a vital point, especially in terms of costs. In the future, will content editing require an employee from an external company, and if so, at what price? How complicated will adding and editing content be? Will you be able to add content by yourself?
- Speaking of a blog, does the template enable search engine optimization? Websites that want to be positioned in Google search results must have the option in CMS to easily add and edit page titles, meta descriptions, and alt texts for images.
- Will there be the option to expand the website template with additional dedicated functionality or new sections in the future? When a business grows, so do its needs, so it's worth selecting the provider that will allow you to introduce new options.
- Does the website template work on mobile devices? Check the Lighthouse tool's audit results for the template in the mobile version and verify whether it looks good on mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets.
- Does the offered solution integrate with popular web tools and business tools such as Google Analytics or Google Search Console?
- What is the performance and loading speed? A business website that loads too slowly may discourage site visitors or negatively impact its position in search results.
- Security: For example, does the website template support an SSL certificate? Do the developers update it regularly? How resistant is the template to external attacks?
- Does the website template provider offer technical support and documentation that will help in case of problems?
- Multimedia — it's worth making sure that the website template supports various types of multimedia, such as images, videos, audio, or animations. Does the solution offer the option to convert image files into formats required by Google?
73% of small businesses have a website. Most companies treat their websites mainly as marketing tools. They're most often used to present products, services, catalogs, or price lists.
Websites in The Story — premium quality at the affordable price
As part of the services we have been providing for over 20 years, we design and code websites and web applications. Our designs have been repeatedly recognized on the market, as evidenced by received industry awards and opinions of satisfied clients. Our websites are characterized by combining timeless design (that simply delights) with advanced technologies, thanks to which our websites are leading in Google search results and can compete with the biggest players in the market.
Until 2023, The Story mainly focused on creating dedicated solutions. However, in response to growing market needs, we've decided to expand our offer to include websites based on templates and aid small businesses with website creation. So, in 2024, we presented our clients with the first ready-made website templates. While creating these templates, we drew from 20 years of experience in the web industry. Thanks to that, our solutions combine the aesthetics, functionality, and modern technologies that guarantee the highest quality of code, and they're prepared to compete for high positions in Google search results.
“Our goal was to create a template that looks attractive and, thanks to the technologies used, is like a racing car ready to win the race for the first place in organic search results.”
What does it look like to order a website based on a template in The Story?
For companies and small businesses that want to truly establish their presence on the Internet, The Story has prepared a unique offer of a template-based website that can be ordered almost immediately.
As part of the cooperation, The Story will adapt the website's appearance (colors, fonts, branding elements) to the specifics of your business so that the small business website will reflect your needs and values. If you have your own content (e.g., articles or photos of a project's end result), we'll be happy to integrate them into the website. If you don't have your own images, we'll easily choose them from available sources, ensure they're consistent with the brand identity, and build trust among website visitors.
We're experienced copywriters. Therefore, as part of our offer, we will fill in the website template with content supporting your business (even as part of our basic offer). At the offering stage, but before signing the contract, we'll present you with a complete graphic design of the website. When we're working on your website, you can take care of your orders or things that are important to you. :)
“Our goal was to create a template that looks attractive and, thanks to the technologies used, is like a racing car ready to win the race for the first place in organic search results.”
Thanks to our offer, you can launch your small business website in a span of a few days. How to do that? These are the steps you need to take:
- Contact us — Call or write an e-mail to schedule a free consultation.
- Choose the right plan — Check our offer and select one of the three available subscription plans. Yes, we offer websites for small business in a flexible subscription model!
- Visual preparation — The Story will prepare a visual design of a website template and present it to you before signing the contract. Thanks to this, you can see how your site will look even before launch.
- Sign the contract — After signing the contract, we'll launch the website.
What will you receive if you order a website from The Story?
All our websites include advanced security, reliable hosting, and all the tools to make updates simple—so you can focus on growing your business without worrying about the technical side. What do you get for the price?
- Your website will be built with the latest technologies, ensuring fast loading times, top-notch security, and the flexibility to grow with your business
- High-quality website design thanks to the work of a designer
- Multilingual
- AWS hosting (Amazon Web Services), a supercomputing cloud with all its benefits
- Credible SSL certificate along with its renewal and validity monitoring to ensure that your website stays available
- Convenient open-source CMS Strapi. Unlike traditional CMS platforms like WordPress, Strapi is a headless CMS. This means it separates content management from the website's design, allowing for greater flexibility, faster load times, and better SEO performance
- Installation and configuration of the GDPR consent banner in line with Google Consent Mode v2
- Personal data processing service
- Installation of Google Tag Manager that will allow us to connect Google Analytics and other marketing tools
- Most importantly, the ability to expand the website as you wish.
Is it possible to connect my own custom domain name?
Business experience shows that the Internet domain should belong to the client. Therefore, our solution is designed to connect to any domain maintained by any provider that allows you to set DNS. This means that you can use the domain name bought at Az.pl, Aftermarket.pl, Namecheap.com, Godaddy.com, etc.
What about receiving the SSL certificate for my website?
As part of our services, you receive an SSL certificate and the monitoring of its validity, which can be really cumbersome in practice. What is SSL? SSL is a web protocol used for secure Internet connections. It was adopted as the standard for encrypting websites. Don't buy the certificate when purchasing a domain for your website. You will receive it from us (included in the price) and you will make it easier for us to configure and protect your small business website.
Are our websites built according to the Responsive Web Design?
All our websites for small business are responsive (Responsive Web Development) and adapted to the most popular screen widths for devices such as smartphones and desktops.
What else can we do for you?
If you're a new small business owner who prefers to focus on developing your company, we offer to help with marketing efforts and more. Here are some examples of additional services:
- We'll create content for you and support you in monthly activities essential for your company's effective Internet positioning.
- We'll configure Google Analytics, Google Tag Manager, and Google Search Console.
- GDPR — we'll prepare a dedicated Privacy Policy.
- Product Analytics — we'll provide an automated control panel for managing your business online.
See how well various industries look on the websites we created
We present links to our clients' websites who decided to develop a site with The Story. See how well various industries look on the template we created. We encourage you to take a look at them and check how well our templates work in terms of Performance.
- matchical.com - an HR-company with AI-driven solution
- wallanddoor.pl – a company in the furniture industry
- elektrykpruszkow.pl – a business offering electrical services
With the help of ready-made elements, you can present your Products, Services, Portfolio, tell the company's story, present the Price List, and write a blog in an aesthetically pleasing manner. Get inspired by our website design for the wallanddoor.pl brand.
Are you ready to make your small business stand out on the Internet?
Contact us today and receive your new website! Choose one of our flexible subscription plans, and we'll take care of the rest — from attractive design to full SEO optimization. Don't wait — your website can be ready in just a few days! Write to us now to schedule a free consultation!
The information contained in the article does not constitute an offer within the meaning of the provisions of Article 66 of the Polish Civil Code.
