Somewhere between $15 a month and $25,000. That's the honest range, and it's useless without knowing which tier fits you.
Here's what each tier actually buys, why quotes vary so much, and the one cost line item that almost no proposal includes even though it can cost a firm far more than the website.
Four tiers in practice.
DIY builders: $15 to $100+ a month. Clio puts basic template sites in this range using platforms like Wix, Squarespace and WordPress.com (Clio).
Freelance designer: $1,000 to $5,000+. More personal than DIY and often cheaper than an agency (Clio).
Agency, low to mid tier: $1,000 to $7,000. Clio describes a low tier at $1,000 to $3,000 for basic design and up to five pages, and a mid tier at $3,000 to $7,000 for custom elements and up to 15 pages (Clio).
Agency, high tier: $7,000 to $20,000+. Fully custom design, client portals or booking, comprehensive SEO and ongoing support (Clio).
For context beyond legal, general small business sites run $3,000 to $15,000 with senior US agency rates of $125 to $300 an hour (Digital Applied), a secondary source rather than primary research.
A solo or small firm that needs credibility and intake, not a client portal, usually lands in the $1,000 to $7,000 band. Our own fixed-price five-page site is $850, and custom work starts at $5,000.
Because "website" describes wildly different things. Four variables drive nearly all the spread.
Page count. Practice area pages are the engine of legal SEO, and each one is real work. Clio estimates roughly $100 to $200 per additional page (Clio).
Who writes the copy. Professional legal content runs $1,000 to $3,000+ (Clio). If a quote is silent on copy, the assumption is you're writing it.
Functionality. Client portals, intake automation and live chat are genuinely expensive. Advanced chat or e-commerce runs $1,500 to $5,000 or more (Clio).
Whether SEO is included or sold separately. Usually separately, and it should be.
Ethics compliance review. Your website is attorney advertising, and it's governed by your state's rules of professional conduct.
Most web designers have never read those rules. The features they add by default are exactly the ones that create exposure.
Take Indiana's version of the model rule, which prohibits "a false or misleading communication about the lawyer or the lawyer's services" (Indiana Rules of Professional Conduct 7.1). Its commentary flags as potential violations: a comparison with other lawyers "unless the comparison can be factually substantiated", "any reference to results obtained that may reasonably create an expectation of similar results in future matters", and a testimonial "likely to create an unjustified expectation".
Now picture the standard law firm website template: a results counter, a "best in the city" badge, and an auto-rotating testimonial slider. That's three of the listed concerns in one homepage.
There's also Rule 7.2(b): "A lawyer shall not give anything of value to a person for recommending or advertising the lawyer's services," with narrow exceptions for reasonable advertising costs and qualified referral services (Indiana Rules 7.2). That matters for anyone proposing an incentivized review campaign.
Important: rules vary meaningfully by state. Indiana is cited here because it's a clear published adoption of the model rule. Check your own jurisdiction, and treat this as a prompt to ask your bar, not as legal advice from a web design studio.
Budget a couple of hours of your own review time before launch. It costs nothing and it's the highest-value hour in the project.
Testimonials, carefully and with your state's rules in front of you. Star rating markup, no.
Google states that when the reviewed entity controls the reviews about itself, pages using LocalBusiness or any other Organization structured data are "ineligible for star review feature", including reviews shown through an embedded third-party widget (Google). Google also says aggregateRating is "only recommended for sites that capture reviews about other local businesses."
So the stars on your own testimonials page won't appear in search results. Agencies still charge for that markup. It's dead weight with an ethics question attached.
Yes, eventually, and it's a separate budget. Across 439 providers surveyed by Ahrefs, 68.8% charge $2,000 a month or less, with the most common band $501 to $1,000 at 20.4% (Ahrefs). SEOs serving local markets average $1,557.08 a month versus $3,473.74 for worldwide clients (Ahrefs).
Our retainers start at $650 a month with traction expected in three to four months. More on what SEO actually costs.
How much should a solo attorney spend on a website?
Most solos are well served between $1,000 and $7,000. Spend at the lower end if you need credibility and a contact form, higher if you need several practice area pages that have to rank.
What are the ongoing costs?
Hosting from a few dollars to $250 a month, a domain around $20 a year, and maintenance of $250 to $1,000+ annually (Clio).
Is a template site acceptable for a law firm?
Yes, if executed well. Clients judge clarity and responsiveness more than bespoke design. A good template beats an unfinished custom build.
How many pages does a law firm site need?
Home, about, one page per practice area, attorney bios, and contact. Practice area pages are what rank.
Do I need a legal-specialist agency?
Not necessarily, but whoever builds it needs to understand that your site is regulated advertising. If they've never heard of Rule 7.1, budget your own review time.
Buy the smallest site that covers your practice areas properly, write real copy for each one, and spend the money you save on getting found rather than on animation.
Then read your state's advertising rules before launch and take a hard look at any results counter, comparative claim or testimonial your designer added by default.
If you want the wider small business picture, our general website cost breakdown covers it. If you want something custom, here's how we approach it.
Book a 30-minute intro call and we'll tell you honestly which tier your firm needs, including when that's the cheap one.