How Much Does an Assisted Living Facility Website Actually Cost? (2023 Guide)

One of the first questions I hear from assisted living facility owners is some version of: “How much should I spend on a website?” And honestly, I get why there’s confusion. Google “website cost” and you’ll find quotes ranging from free to $50,000+. That’s not helpful.

So let me give you a straight answer. I’ll break down every option available to you, what you actually get at each price point, and the hidden costs nobody warns you about. I run a website service for assisted living facilities, so yes, I have a horse in this race. But I’m going to be transparent about where our service fits and where a different option might actually be better for you.

The Three Main Options (And What They Really Cost)

Option 1: DIY Website Builders ($0 - $30/month)

Platforms like Wix, Squarespace, and WordPress.com let you build a website yourself using drag-and-drop tools and pre-made templates.

Typical costs:

• Free tier: $0/month (but comes with ads and a branded subdomain like yourfacility.wix.com)
• Basic plans: $12-$17/month
• Business plans: $22-$33/month
• Annual domain name: $10-$15/year

What you get:

• Access to a template library (usually hundreds of templates, but very few designed for senior care)
• Drag-and-drop editor
• Basic hosting included
• SSL certificate included
• Some SEO tools
• Customer support (quality varies widely)

What you don’t get:

• A design tailored to senior care audiences
• Content written for your industry
• SEO optimization beyond the basics
• Ongoing maintenance or updates
• ADA compliance (this is a big one — more on that later)
• Someone to call when things break

Who this works for:

DIY builders can work if you have the time, some design sense, and are comfortable learning a new platform. Realistically, building a decent website on Squarespace or Wix takes 20-40 hours if you’ve never done it before. That’s 20-40 hours you’re not spending on your residents, your staff, or your business.

The honest truth:

Most DIY facility websites end up looking generic, outdated within a year, and poorly optimized for the families actually searching for care. I’ve seen hundreds of them. The templates look fine for a coffee shop or a photography portfolio, but they don’t work well for senior care. The user experience doesn’t match what families need — easy access to services, pricing transparency, photo galleries of the actual facility, and a simple way to schedule a tour.

Option 2: Industry-Specific Website Services ($49 - $179/month)

This is our category at Assisted Living Websites, so I’ll be upfront about that. But there are other services in this space too, and I want to give you an honest picture of what this tier looks like.

Typical costs:

• Basic plans: $49-$79/month
• Standard plans: $79-$129/month
• Premium plans: $129-$179/month
• Setup fees: $0-$500 (some services charge them, we don’t)

What you typically get:

• A professionally designed website built specifically for assisted living facilities
• Templates designed around how families actually search for and evaluate senior care
• Hosting, SSL, and domain management included
• Mobile-responsive design
• Basic SEO optimization
• Content guidance or pre-written content frameworks
• Ongoing maintenance and updates
• ADA-compliant design (ask specifically — not all services offer this)
• Contact forms and call-to-action elements designed for lead generation

What varies by provider:

• Whether content writing is included or extra
• Quality of templates and design
• Level of customization allowed
• Whether SEO is actively managed or just “set up”
• Speed of customer support
• Photo and image services

Who this works for:

Facility owners who want a professional website without the cost or hassle of a custom build. You get something purpose-built for your industry, maintained by someone else, at a predictable monthly cost. This is the sweet spot for most small to mid-size facilities.

How we fit in:

At Assisted Living Websites, our plans start at $49/month. That includes a professionally designed, mobile-friendly, ADA-compliant website with hosting, SSL, and ongoing support. We built our templates specifically around what families look for when searching for assisted living — not adapted from a generic business template. You get a real website, designed for your industry, without the five-figure price tag.

Option 3: Custom Web Design Agencies ($3,000 - $15,000+)

Hiring an agency or freelance web designer to build a completely custom website from scratch.

Typical costs:

• Freelance designers: $3,000-$7,000 one-time
• Small agencies: $5,000-$15,000 one-time
• Specialized healthcare agencies: $10,000-$25,000+ one-time
• Ongoing maintenance: $100-$500/month (usually separate)
• Hosting: $20-$100/month (usually separate)

What you get:

• A fully custom design built around your specific brand and needs
• Professional copywriting (usually)
• Custom photography direction (sometimes included, sometimes extra)
• Advanced SEO setup
• Custom functionality (virtual tours, resident portals, job application systems)
• A dedicated project manager during the build

What you don’t get (usually):

• Ongoing content updates (you’ll pay extra or do it yourself)
• Long-term SEO management (separate retainer, often $1,000+/month)
• Guaranteed timelines (custom projects frequently run late)
• Quick changes (even small updates might take days and cost money)

Who this works for:

Large facilities or senior living chains that have the budget, want a completely unique web presence, and have staff or contractors to manage the website after launch. If you have 50+ beds and a marketing budget that supports a $10,000+ investment, custom design can be worth it.

The honest truth:

For most single-location assisted living facilities, a custom agency website is overkill. I’ve talked to facility owners who spent $8,000 on a custom site and then couldn’t afford to update it, so it sat stagnant for three years. A $8,000 website that hasn’t been updated since 2020 performs worse than a $79/month template that’s current and maintained.

The Hidden Costs Nobody Tells You About

Whatever option you choose, watch for these costs that don’t show up in the initial quote:

Hosting

If you’re paying for a custom build, hosting is almost always separate. Budget $20-$100/month for decent hosting. Cheap $5/month hosting will make your site slow, which hurts your Google rankings and drives families away.

With DIY builders and monthly service providers like us, hosting is typically included.

SSL Certificate

An SSL certificate makes your site use HTTPS instead of HTTP. Google flags non-HTTPS sites as “Not Secure.” Most modern hosting includes a free SSL certificate, but some still charge $50-$100/year for it. Make sure yours is included.

Domain Name

Your domain name (e.g., sunriseseniorliving.com) costs about $10-$15/year. Some services include this in their monthly fee. Others don’t. It’s a small cost, but make sure you know who owns the domain. You should always own your own domain name, not your web designer.

Content Updates

Your website isn’t a “build it and forget it” asset. You need to update content, add new photos, post news and events, and keep information current. With a custom build, content updates might cost $50-$150 each if you can’t do them yourself. With a service like ours, most content updates are included in your monthly plan.

Stock Photography

Professional stock photos of happy seniors and beautiful facilities cost $5-$50 per image. A full website might use 15-30 images. That’s $75-$1,500 in stock photo costs. Better option: use real photos of your facility. Families trust authentic images over staged stock photography.

SEO and Marketing

A website without SEO is like a billboard in a closet. Many agencies build you a beautiful website and then say “for SEO, that’s a separate retainer.” Budget $500-$2,000/month for ongoing SEO management from an agency. Or learn the basics yourself — I wrote a whole guide on assisted living SEO that covers what you need to know.

ADA Compliance

If your website isn’t ADA compliant and someone files a complaint, you could face legal costs of $5,000-$25,000+. Many website builders and even custom designers don’t build with ADA compliance in mind. Retrofitting an existing site for accessibility can cost $1,000-$5,000. This is one of the most important hidden costs in our industry.

Maintenance and Security

Websites need regular software updates, security patches, and backups. If you’re on WordPress with a custom build, neglecting updates can lead to your site getting hacked — and that happens more often than you’d think. Budget $50-$200/month for maintenance if it’s not included in your plan.

The Real Cost of NOT Having a Good Website

Let’s flip this conversation around. What does it cost you to have a bad website — or no website at all?

Lost inquiries. If your website doesn’t show up on Google, or if it shows up but looks outdated and unprofessional, families will call your competitor instead. Every lost inquiry represents a potential resident worth $3,000-$7,000+ per month in revenue.

Damaged credibility. Families are making one of the most emotional and important decisions of their lives. If your website looks like it was built in 2008, has broken links, or doesn’t work on a phone, what does that say about the care you provide? Fair or not, families judge the quality of your facility by the quality of your website.

Lost referral conversions. Even when families get a personal referral to your facility, the first thing they do is look you up online. If your website doesn’t reinforce the positive impression they got from the referral, you lose the conversion.

Competitive disadvantage. Your competitors are investing in their online presence. The senior care industry has gotten dramatically more competitive online in the past five years. Standing still means falling behind.

Let me put a number on this. If a poor website costs you just two potential residents per year, and your average monthly rate is $4,500, that’s $108,000 in lost annual revenue. Suddenly, even a $15,000 custom website seems like a bargain — and a $79/month service looks like the best investment you’ve ever made.

Questions to Ask Before Signing with Any Provider

Whether you’re considering a DIY builder, a service like ours, or a custom agency, ask these questions before committing:

1. Who owns the website and the domain name? You should own both. Some agencies hold your domain hostage if you try to leave. Make sure your domain is registered in your name.

2. What happens if I want to leave? Can you export your content? Will you keep your domain? Is there a cancellation fee? Avoid any provider that locks you in.

3. Is the website mobile-friendly? This isn’t optional. Over 60% of your visitors are on phones. Ask to see the mobile version of any template or design before you commit.

4. Is the website ADA compliant? Ask specifically what WCAG guidelines they follow. If they look confused by the question, that’s your answer.

5. What’s included in the monthly cost? Get a clear list. Hosting? SSL? Domain? Content updates? Maintenance? SEO? Support? Know exactly what you’re paying for.

6. How long does setup take? DIY: as long as it takes you. Services like ours: typically 1-2 weeks. Custom agencies: 6-16 weeks is common. If an agency promises a custom site in a week, be skeptical.

7. Can I see examples of websites you’ve built for other facilities? Any reputable provider should be able to show you real examples. Look at them on your phone. Check if the content is current. See if they actually look like places where you’d feel comfortable placing a loved one.

8. How do you handle content and photos? Will they write content for you? Do they use stock photos or help you take real facility photos? Is content writing included or extra?

My Honest Recommendation

For most assisted living facility owners — especially those running a single location with 10-50 beds — a specialized website service in the $49-$179/month range is the best value. You get a professional, industry-specific website without the upfront investment or ongoing headaches of a custom build, and without the mediocre results of a DIY approach.

That’s exactly why I built Assisted Living Websites. I saw facility owners spending either too much money on agencies or too much time on DIY builders, and neither option was giving them what they actually needed: a professional, affordable website that helps families find their facility and feel confident scheduling a tour.

But regardless of which option you choose, the most important thing is to have a website that’s current, professional, mobile-friendly, and easy for families to use. In 2023, a strong online presence isn’t optional for senior care facilities. It’s essential.

If you have questions about website costs or want to see what our templates look like for your specific type of facility, reach out anytime. I’m happy to give you an honest assessment of your current website and what it would take to improve it — whether that’s with us or not.