Web Design in Chicago
Compare local web designer / web developer pros in Chicago and get free quotes — no obligation, no call-backs you didn't ask for.
Typical price: $580–$23,000
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Web Design prices in Chicago
| Job size | Low | Typical | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Landing page (1 page) Single-page site with contact form, built on a template or lightly customized | $580 | $1,400 | $2,900 |
| Small business site (5 pages) Custom brochure site: home, about, services, contact, one extra | $1,700 | $4,000 | $8,650 |
| Business site with CMS (~10 pages) CMS-driven site with blog, editable content and on-page SEO | $3,450 | $7,450 | $13,800 |
| Basic e-commerce store Shopify/WooCommerce store with up to ~50 products, payments and shipping | $4,600 | $10,400 | $23,000 |
How to hire a web design pro in United States
- Review 3+ live portfolio sites and confirm who actually builds — solo freelancer, subcontractors, or offshore team
- Get a written contract with IP transfer on final payment, domain in your name, and hosting credentials handed to you
- Ask about ADA accessibility — US businesses face real website-accessibility lawsuits, so request WCAG 2.1 AA compliance in the contract
- Agree scope in writing: page count, revision rounds (2-3 standard), CMS, and what SEO basics are included
- Pay 30-50% deposit, remainder on launch — never 100% up front
- Confirm post-launch support terms and hourly rate for future changes
No license is required to sell web design in the US. The live legal issue is accessibility: plaintiffs file thousands of ADA website lawsuits yearly against businesses, so building to WCAG 2.1 AA is cheap insurance — especially for e-commerce, restaurants and services with physical locations.
Budgeting first?
See the full breakdown of what drives web design prices — job sizes, unit rates, and how to save.
Frequently asked questions
What questions should I ask before hiring a web designer?
Five that separate pros from dabblers: Can I see 3 live sites you built and still maintain? Who actually does the work — you or subcontractors? Will I own the domain, hosting and code? What's included in the price and what costs extra? What happens if I want changes after launch?
What are the ongoing costs after a website launches?
Domain renewal (a small annual fee), hosting (from a few dollars monthly for a brochure site), and optional maintenance. Maintenance retainers typically run 5-10% of the build cost per year and cover updates, backups and small edits. A static brochure site can genuinely run for years with near-zero maintenance.
How much does a small business website cost?
Three price bands exist everywhere: DIY builders (Wix, Squarespace) at a monthly subscription, freelancers for custom small-business sites at a mid four-figure project price, and agencies at 2-4x freelancer rates with more process. The biggest cost driver is page count and custom functionality, not visual polish.
Does the price include copywriting and photos?
Usually not — most quotes assume you supply finished text and images. Professional copywriting and a photo shoot are typically separate line items that can add 20-50% to a project. Stock photos and designer-polished draft text are the common middle ground; agree this explicitly before signing.
What is a CMS and do I need one?
A content management system (WordPress, Webflow, Shopify) lets you edit text, images and posts without a developer. If you'll update content more than a few times a year — blog, menus, listings — you need one. If the site is a static business card, skipping the CMS makes the site cheaper, faster and harder to hack.
What should a web design quote include?
A proper quote itemizes: number of pages, responsive/mobile behavior, number of revision rounds (2-3 is standard), CMS setup, basic on-page SEO (titles, metas, sitemap), browser testing, and what happens to hosting and domain after handover. If a quote is one line with one number, ask for the breakdown.
What do US freelance web designers charge?
Typically $50-150/hr, with basic custom sites at $500-5,000 and small-business projects commonly landing at $2,000-10,000. Agencies start around $5,000-15,000 for comparable scope with more process and strategy.
Is my US business website really at risk of an ADA lawsuit?
Consumer-facing businesses — restaurants, retail, medical, services — are the main targets of serial plaintiffs, and settlements typically cost more than building accessibly would have. Ask for WCAG 2.1 AA and keep an accessibility statement page.
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