Free Website Break-Even Calculator for Small Businesses

Before paying for a website, it helps to know what it has to do to be worth it. Enter what it costs and what you make from a new customer to see how many new customers it needs to bring in a year.

It runs in your browser. Nothing you type is saved or sent anywhere. The numbers filled in below are a made-up example; change them to yours.

One-time setup cost, $ (design, template, photos):

Yearly costs, $ (domain name, renewals):

Monthly costs, $ (hosting, website builder plan; 0 if free):

What a new customer pays you per job or visit, $:

Your profit margin on that job, % (what's left after materials and costs):

Repeat visits from that customer in the first year (optional):

Calculate

How the math works

• First-year cost = setup + yearly costs + monthly costs × 12.
• Profit per new customer = what they pay × your margin × (1 + repeat visits).
• New customers to break even = first-year cost ÷ profit per customer, rounded up.

Example (made up): a $12 template, a $15-a-year domain and free hosting cost $27 in year one. If a new customer pays $150 and 40% of that is profit ($60), one new customer covers it. A $40-a-month builder plan plus the domain ($495 a year) would need 9 new customers that year.

This only counts new customers who found you through the website, so ask new callers how they heard about you. It's an estimate for planning, not a promise of results.

Keep the cost low to begin with

The Local Business Website Template ($12) is a one-page website for a local service business (plumber, cleaner, salon, handyman). Edit one HTML file, put the folder on a free host, and it's online. 3 color themes, a tap-to-call button on phones, no page builder or monthly plan.

Get the template on Gumroad – $12

This template is also in the Self-Employed & Small Business Bundle (what's inside): all 9 business tools for $29 (about $80 if bought one by one).

We make this template, so take that into account. The calculator above is free to use either way.

Related free guides

• How Much a Small Business Website Costs (Example Numbers)
• Free One-Page Website for a Local Business: What to Include
• How to Get Your Business Website on Google Search (Free)
• Small Business Website Launch Checklist (Before You Share)

More free tools: all calculators.

See all Cedar & Ledger templates