How Much Does It Cost to Get Your Business Online in India? 3 Budgets

"How much will it cost to take my business online?" is usually the first question new founders ask us, and the answers they find online range from "free" to "₹5 lakh". Both can be true, because "online presence" means different things to different people.

To make the decision easier, we've split it into three realistic budgets for Indian small businesses in 2026: a near-zero setup, a starter setup of about ₹25,000, and a growth setup of about ₹1 lakh. For each one you'll see what's included, what it costs every year after the first, and who it suits. The figures are typical ranges for Bangalore and Shivamogga, not quotes, and prices vary by provider.

Budget 1: The ₹0 setup

You can get a surprising amount done for free. This setup suits home businesses, very small shops and anyone testing an idea before investing.

• Google Business Profile: free, and the most important listing for local customers.
• Instagram and Facebook page: free.
• WhatsApp Business app with a catalogue and quick replies: free.
• Free design tools such as Canva for a simple logo and post templates.
• Phone photos of your products, space and work.

The real cost here is your time, usually a weekend to set up and a few hours a week to post and reply. The downside is that you don't own any of it, and you have no website for Google search or ads. Our first-week setup checklist walks through each account.

Budget 2: The ₹25,000 starter setup

This is where most new businesses should aim once they're sure the idea works. Typical costs:

Item	Typical cost
Domain (.in or .com)	₹500 to ₹1,500 per year
Business email	Free to a few hundred rupees per user per month
Hosting	₹2,000 to ₹6,000 per year
Simple professional website (1 to 5 pages)	₹10,000 to ₹20,000 one time
Logo and basic brand kit	₹2,000 to ₹8,000 one time

For this you get your own domain, a professional email address, a mobile-friendly website with call and WhatsApp buttons, and a consistent look across your website and social pages. See website design costs in Shivamogga for a detailed breakdown.

Budget 3: The ₹1 lakh growth setup

This suits businesses that need to compete on Google and want enquiries from people who don't know them yet, such as clinics, coaching centres, real estate, B2B services and D2C brands.

On top of the starter setup, it typically adds:

• A multi-page website with a separate page for each service or location, built for SEO.
• Tracking: Google Analytics, Search Console and conversion tracking for calls, WhatsApp clicks and forms.
• Content: professional photos, a few blog articles and a month of planned social posts.
• A first ad budget of ₹15,000 to ₹30,000 for Meta or Google ads, with set-up and testing.

In Bangalore, competition means you may need more ad budget for the same results. Our Google Ads cost comparison shows the difference.

Don't forget the yearly costs

The build is only part of the cost. Every year you'll pay for domain renewal, hosting, email and any paid tools. Many businesses also pay for small updates, security patches and backups. Budget roughly 15 to 25% of the original website cost per year for maintenance if you won't do it yourself.

Ask any developer for the renewal prices, not just the first-year offer. Cheap hosting deals often double on renewal, and some providers make it hard to move your site later. Read questions to ask before hiring a developer for the full list.

Where to spend first, and what to skip

If your budget is tight, spend on what customers see first:

1. A complete Google Business Profile with good photos.
2. A fast, simple website with clear prices and contact buttons.
3. Tracking, so you know which channel brings customers.
4. A small, well-targeted ad budget.

Be careful with "free website" offers bundled with hosting or directory packages. They often come with a domain you don't own, a template you can't change, or a yearly fee that quietly increases. Cheap is fine; locked-in is not.

Things you can skip early on include expensive logo agencies, apps, chatbots, paid directory listings and big monthly social media retainers before you know what works. Our guide on what to do yourself vs outsource helps decide.

Pick the budget that matches your stage

Getting online doesn't have to be expensive. Start with the free setup if you're testing an idea, move to the ₹25,000 starter once customers are coming in, and invest in the growth setup when you're ready to compete on Google and ads. Whatever you choose, make sure the domain and accounts are in your name and that you know the yearly costs before you commit.

If you'd like a fixed-price plan for your business, our Startup Launch Package covers the website, Google setup and first ads in one quote.