How Much Are Attorney Websites? The 2025 Guide
How much are attorney websites in 2025? The answer isn’t simple, but it’s not as expensive as you might think… or as cheap as you might hope.
In this guide, you’ll get a complete breakdown of attorney website costs across four distinct approaches, discover the hidden expenses that catch firms off guard, learn how to choose the right development path for your practice, and understand the factors that really drive costs.
A Quick Glance at Attorney Website Costs
Before we dive into the details, here’s what every busy lawyer needs to know: your website should be viewed as a revenue generator, not just an expense. The ongoing costs can easily double your initial investment over three years, and the cheapest option usually ends up costing more in the long run. The ROI potential is significant. Well-executed websites can generate hundreds of leads annually for the right firm. But getting there requires understanding what you’re actually buying.
So what does a lawyer website actually cost in 2025? Depends on how much work you want to do yourself and how much help you need.
If you’re just starting out and have more time than money, you can build something yourself for $100-$2,500 a year. It’s not glamorous, but it works if you’re comfortable with technology and don’t mind spending evenings learning WordPress.
Want something more professional without breaking the bank? Freelance designers charge $2,000-$8,000 and can give you a custom look that doesn’t scream “template.” You’ll get personal attention, but you’re also putting all your eggs in one person’s basket.
Most growing firms end up working with a basic agency for $5,000-$15,000. You get experienced people who know what they’re doing, proven processes, and someone to call when things go wrong. It’s the sweet spot for firms that want quality without the premium price tag.
If you’re an established firm with a real marketing budget, full-service agencies charge $10,000-$35,000+ and handle everything like strategy, design, content, ongoing support, etc. It’s expensive, but these are the sites that actually generate serious business.
What’s Different About Building a Website in 2025?
The legal website game has gotten more complicated (and more expensive) over the past few years. Everyone’s talking about AI integration, which sounds fancy but mostly means chatbots and automated client intake forms. It’s pushing costs up about 15-20% because someone has to build and maintain these features.
Google’s also gotten pickier about mobile websites. It’s not enough for your site to work on phones. It has to be built mobile-first. That means more design work and testing, which means higher costs.
Then there’s security. After all the high-profile data breaches, everyone’s paranoid about client information getting leaked. Law firms especially can’t afford security problems, so you’re looking at additional security measures that didn’t exist a few years ago.
Oh, and voice search is becoming a thing. People are asking Siri and Alexa to find lawyers, which means your website needs to be optimized for questions like “Who’s the best divorce attorney near me?” It’s one more thing to think about when building your site.
The Four Approaches to Attorney Website Development
1. DIY Approach: Build It Yourself
Total Cost Range: $100 – $2,500/year
If you’re a solo practitioner just starting out, building your own website might seem like the obvious choice. Platform subscriptions run $10-100/month for WordPress.com or $20-50/month for Wix/Squarespace. Legal-specific builders like LawLytics or Clio charge $100-300/month but include industry-specific features.
You’ll also need domain and basic hosting ($100-200/year), premium themes or templates ($50-200 one-time), and stock photography ($100-500/year). But here’s what most lawyers don’t account for: your time investment. Plan on 40-80 hours for initial setup and 5-10 hours monthly for maintenance.
This approach works best for new solo practitioners with limited budgets, lawyers comfortable with technology, and firms needing a basic online presence quickly. The pros are obvious—lowest upfront cost, complete control, and quick setup. The cons? It’s incredibly time-intensive, offers limited customization, and provides no professional support when things go wrong.
2. Freelancer Designers: Professional Help on a Budget
Total Cost Range: $2,000 – $8,000
Working with a freelance designer gives you professional results without agency overhead. Design and development typically runs $1,500-$6,000, basic copywriting for 5-10 pages costs $500-$2,500, logo design adds $200-$800, basic SEO setup is $300-$800, and hosting setup runs $100-$300. Most projects take 3-8 weeks.
This approach works well for small firms wanting custom design, practices with specific visual requirements, and firms comfortable managing an ongoing relationship with an individual. You get personalized attention, cost-effective solutions, and flexible project scope.
The downside? You’re dealing with a single point of failure, limited ongoing support, and potential skill gaps if your freelancer isn’t experienced with legal websites specifically.
3. Basic Agency: Experienced Support
Total Cost Range: $5,000 – $15,000
Basic agencies offer a middle ground between freelancers and full-service firms. Custom design with a template foundation runs $3,000-$8,000, professional copywriting for 10-15 pages costs $1,000-$3,000, SEO optimization is $800-$2,000, CRM/software integration adds $500-$1,500, and six-month support packages run $700-$1,500. Expect 6-12 weeks for completion.
This approach suits growing firms ready to invest in marketing, practices wanting custom features and integrations, and firms needing a balance of quality and budget. You get custom design at a lower cost than full-service agencies, professional support, and proven templates that work. The limitations include some restrictions on unique features and potential for scope creep as your needs expand.
4. Full-Service Agency: Complete Professional Solution
Total Cost Range: $10,000 – $35,000+
Full-service agencies provide comprehensive solutions. Fully custom design and development runs $6,000-$20,000, comprehensive content strategy costs $2,000-$6,000, advanced SEO setup and technical optimization is $1,500-$4,000, CRM and marketing automation setup adds $1,000-$3,000, ongoing maintenance and support runs $200-$500/month, and analytics and conversion tracking costs $500-$1,500. Timeline is typically 8-16 weeks.
This approach works for established firms with marketing budgets, competitive markets requiring advanced features, multi-location practices, and firms wanting comprehensive digital strategy. You get a complete solution, ongoing support, proven results, and advanced features.
The downsides are the highest cost, longer timeline, and potential for over-engineering solutions beyond what you actually need.
Hidden Costs That Inflate Your Final Price Tag
Here’s what catches most law firms off guard: the initial quote is never the complete picture. Those ongoing expenses that seem minor individually can easily double your investment over three years. Let’s break down what you’re really signing up for.
Ongoing Expenses
Every website has basic operational costs that continue indefinitely. Domain and hosting run $100-500 annually, depending on your traffic and security requirements. Plugin and software licenses add $200-1,000+ yearly—and legal websites often need specialized tools for compliance, security, and client management. Backup and monitoring services cost $300-800 annually, but they’re essential for protecting your firm’s reputation and client data.
Content Creation
Most firms underestimate content costs because they focus on the initial website build. Professional copywriting runs $100-500 per page, but that’s just the beginning. Want professional photos instead of generic stock images? Legal photography sessions cost $500-2,000. Planning to add video content? Expect $1,000-5,000 per video for professional production. And if you’re serious about content marketing, blog articles run $200-800 each.
Site Maintenance
Websites aren’t “set it and forget it” investments. Monthly maintenance packages cost $100-500, covering security updates, plugin maintenance, and performance monitoring. When something breaks (and it will) emergency fixes run $100-200 per hour. Platform updates can require $500-2,000 annually in development work, especially if you have custom features. Security monitoring adds another $50-200 monthly, but it’s non-negotiable in today’s threat environment.
What Really Drives Your Website Investment
Understanding these hidden costs is important, but the bigger question is what drives these expenses in the first place. Several key factors determine whether you’ll be on the lower or higher end of every cost range.
Design Complexity
The more unique your website needs to be, the more you’ll pay. Multiple unique page layouts require individual design and development work. Custom graphics and animations look impressive but require specialized skills and time. If you need complete brand development—logo, color schemes, typography systems—that adds significant cost. And making everything work perfectly on mobile devices? That’s often more complex than the desktop version.
Functionality Requirements
This is where costs can spiral quickly. Client intake forms and automation seem simple but require careful development and testing. Payment processing integration involves security requirements and compliance considerations. Live chat and chatbot features need ongoing management and optimization. Appointment scheduling systems must integrate with your existing calendar and practice management software. Document download portals require secure access controls and organization systems.
Each of these features seems reasonable individually, but they add up fast—and they all require ongoing maintenance and updates.
Building for Growth
Google should find your site when people search for lawyers in your area. SEO sounds complicated, but it’s basically making sure search engines can read and understand your content so they’ll show it to the right people.
If you have multiple office locations, things get more complex. You need separate pages for each location with specific content about that area. Google wants to see that you’re actually relevant to someone searching in Brookfield versus someone in Clayton, even if you handle the same types of cases.
Then there’s content marketing, which is a fancy way of saying “regularly publishing helpful information to attract potential clients.” But you can’t just write blog posts and hope for the best. You need systems to publish content consistently, optimize it for search engines, and track whether anyone’s actually reading it.
Third-Party Integrations
Your website doesn’t exist in isolation. Practice management software like Clio or MyCase needs to sync with your contact forms and client intake systems. CRM systems like Salesforce or HubSpot require data integration and workflow automation. Each integration point requires development time, testing, and ongoing maintenance as software updates and APIs change.
What’s Best for Me? Decision Framework by Firm Size and Goals
Solo Practitioners and New Firms
If you have time but limited budget, the DIY approach ($500-$2,500/year) makes sense. If you want professional results, work with a freelance designer ($2,000-$8,000). Key considerations include your growth timeline, technical comfort level, and time availability.
Small to Medium Firms (2-10 Attorneys)
Cost-conscious firms should consider freelance designers ($2,000-$8,000), while firms in competitive markets benefit from basic agencies ($5,000-$15,000). Consider your local competition, marketing budget, and growth goals.
Established Firms (10+ Attorneys)
Regional practices often do well with basic agencies ($5,000-$15,000), while firms in competitive or high-value markets should invest in full-service agencies ($10,000-$35,000+). Consider brand positioning, lead generation needs, and multi-location requirements.
Specialty Practice Areas Requiring Premium Positioning
High-value practice areas like personal injury, corporate law, and medical malpractice should invest in full-service agencies. Competitive advantage through superior web presence justifies the investment, and higher case values support premium website costs.
The Bottom Line on Website Investment
Here’s something most firms don’t think about: the cost of having a terrible website (or no website) is usually way higher than building a good one.
When potential clients can’t find basic information about your firm, can’t figure out what you actually do, or get frustrated trying to contact you, they move on to the next search result. And that next search result might be your competitor.
Think about it from a client’s perspective. They’ve got a legal problem, they’re probably stressed about it, and they want to find a lawyer who seems competent and trustworthy. If your website looks like it was built in 2005 or takes forever to load on their phone, what does that say about how you run your practice?
Ready to Get Started?
If you’ve made it this far, you’re probably ready to do something about your website situation. Start by being honest about where you are right now. Do you have time to learn WordPress, or would you rather focus on practicing law? Is your local market competitive enough that you need every advantage, or will a basic site work fine for now?
Dig up whatever marketing materials you already have—brochures, business cards, that old website content. Figure out your actual budget (not what you wish you could spend, but what you can actually afford). Then start having real conversations with potential partners.
Don’t try to make this decision in a vacuum. Talk to other lawyers about what worked for them. Ask to see examples of websites these developers have built for other law firms. And remember, you can always start smaller and upgrade later as your practice grows.
Have questions? Schedule a conversation with a member of our team to discuss how to get started.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much should a 20-page website cost?
For a 20-page legal website, expect $8,000-$25,000 depending on complexity and provider. More pages require more content creation, design work, and development time.
How much does a law firm website cost?
Law firm websites range from $2,000-$35,000+ depending on approach, features, and ongoing requirements. The key is matching investment to expected returns.
Should I go DIY or hire a professional for my law firm website?
Most established firms benefit from professional development due to compliance requirements and competitive pressures.
Can I start with a DIY website and upgrade to an agency later?
Yes, but plan for this transition. Some platforms make migration easier than others, and you may lose some content or functionality in the switch.
Are website builders like Wix suitable for law firms?
Website builders can work for basic sites, but they often lack legal-specific features and may not meet all compliance requirements. Consider your long-term needs carefully.