How much does a website cost for a medical practice? Less depends on the number of pages than on four practice-specific things: forms that may carry patient information, a page for every service, speed on phones and the structured data search engines read. General "website cost" articles skip all four, which is why their price tags don't transfer to a clinic.
The question gets about 1,900 searches a month in the US, and "website redesign cost" another 260, with advertisers paying $36.55 a click on the second (Google Ads Keyword Planner data via DataForSEO, US, 12-month average to Sep 2026). This page compares the four ways to get a practice site on the cost drivers that matter, without invented price tags. It's part of our guide to practice marketing costs.
The four ways to get a practice website
| Item | DIY builder | Template agency | Custom agency | Managed platform |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Upfront cost driver | Your time; premium templates | Setup fee; number of pages | Design and build project; discovery, copy, photography | Usually none or low; migration of existing content |
| Monthly cost driver | Builder plan tier; add-on apps | Hosting and care plan | Hosting, maintenance retainer, change requests | Subscription |
| Who maintains it | You or your staff | The agency, within its plan | The agency, or you after handover | The platform, with your approval |
| HIPAA forms | Only on certain plans or tools; check the BAA | Varies; ask which form tool and who signs the BAA | Varies; usually a third-party form vendor | Depends on the platform; ask for the BAA |
| Speed on phones | Depends on template and apps | Varies by template | Can be excellent or poor | Built into the platform |
| Search basics (service pages, structured data) | Manual | Often templated | Custom | Usually built in |
None of these is wrong. A DIY builder suits a solo practitioner with time and a simple site. A custom agency suits a group that needs a distinctive brand. A template agency or a managed platform suits most small practices that want a fast, correct site without running it themselves.
What drives website cost: pages, design, integrations, HIPAA
- Service pages. A practice site should have one page per service, because patients search by service ("knee replacement recovery physical therapy", "teeth whitening"). Ten services mean ten pages of copy, which is real writing time.
- Provider and location pages. A page per provider helps patients choose and helps search engines understand who works where.
- Design and photography. Custom design and a professional shoot of your real team and rooms cost more than a template with stock images, and usually convert better.
- Integrations. Links or embeds for your scheduling tool, patient portal, payment page and reviews. Each one adds setup and testing.
- HIPAA-compliant forms. Appointment requests and intake questions need a form tool that keeps submissions secure and is covered by a BAA (below).
- Languages. A Spanish version doubles much of the content work.
For what a good practice site includes beyond cost, see our guide to medical website design.
Before you request quotes, see what you're working with. Our free audit and website preview scores your current site, SEO, Google listing, AI visibility, social and ads, and Medfy can rebuild your current site as a free preview so you see the result before paying anything.
Redesign vs a new build
Redesign when the content and structure are sound and the platform is fine, but the design looks dated or the site is slow on phones. You keep URLs, pages and rankings, and spend on design and speed.
Rebuild when the platform itself is the problem: plugins nobody updates, no way to add service pages without a developer, forms that can't be made HIPAA-compliant, or a site an old agency won't hand over.
Either way, the migration is a cost line of its own. Google's guidance on site moves (opens in a new tab) recommends permanent server-side redirects from each old URL to its new one, keeping them for as long as possible and generally at least a year, and warns to expect temporary ranking fluctuation during the move. Someone has to map every old page, set up redirects and check search results afterward. Our website redesign checklist walks through it.
Ongoing costs: hosting, maintenance and edits
A website isn't a one-time purchase. Expect recurring costs for:
- hosting and the domain renewal;
- software, theme and plugin updates;
- backups and security monitoring;
- the form service, if it's separate from the site;
- edits: new providers, changed hours, new services, holiday notices.
How these are billed depends on the model: a builder plan, an agency care plan, a retainer, or a platform subscription. Our guide to website maintenance cost breaks down each task and how often it's needed.
Costs people forget: forms, accessibility, migrations
Forms that handle patient information. A builder's default contact form may not be suitable for patient information. Two examples, as their help centers state on October 22, 2026:
- Squarespace says Acuity Scheduling is its only feature (opens in a new tab) designed for HIPAA obligations, that its BAA doesn't cover other features, and that contact forms such as the Form Block can't be used as part of a HIPAA-compliant solution. A Powerhouse or Premium plan is required to enter a BAA.
- Wix offers HIPAA compliance on Business, Plus, Elite, Business Elite and Enterprise plans (opens in a new tab), and recommends not collecting any patient information until PHI protection is activated and the BAA is signed.
The rule behind this: before a vendor stores or receives patient information for you, HIPAA requires written assurances in a contract (opens in a new tab), the business associate agreement. A separate HIPAA form vendor is a common extra cost. Our guide to HIPAA-compliant forms compares the options.
Accessibility. The Department of Justice's web accessibility guidance (opens in a new tab) (March 18, 2022) says the ADA's Title III covers businesses open to the public, naming medical offices, and applies to what they offer on the web. It points to standards such as WCAG as helpful guidance and notes the guidance itself isn't legally binding. Budget for accessible design, alt text, color contrast and testing.
Migration. Redirects, content moves, re-creating forms, DNS changes and checking tracking after launch. Ask whether a quote includes them.
This is general information, not legal advice. Confirm how it applies to your practice with a qualified advisor.
Questions to ask before you get a quote
- Will the domain and the site's content stay in the practice's name and account?
- How many service, provider and location pages are included?
- Who writes the copy, and is photography included?
- Which form tool will you use, and will that vendor sign a BAA?
- Which tracking tags go on the site, and are any on form pages?
- What does it cost per month after launch, and what does that include?
- How are edits billed after launch?
- How fast does the site load on a phone, and how will you test it?
- Does the build include structured data for the practice, providers and services?
- Who handles redirects and checks rankings after the move?
- How do you approach accessibility?
- If we leave, do we get the site files and logins?
Use the answers to compare quotes on the same scope. Our page on agency pricing has a worksheet for that.
What Medfy includes for $349/month
Medfy rebuilds your current site and hosts it on your own domain. The site is fast, has a page per service, includes structured data and uses HIPAA-compliant forms, with submissions stored in separate, encrypted HIPAA databases in the US or Canada and covered by the BAA Medfy signs with your practice. You get 500 AI credits a month for website edits you ask for in plain English.
The website is part of the $349/month base plan, which also includes automated SEO (researched articles every week that you approve, local pages and technical fixes), AI visibility tracking, website analytics, Google reporting, the AI CMO dashboard and a patient CRM and inbox. You see a free preview of your rebuilt site before paying. Billed monthly, cancel anytime. See what's in the $349 plan.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a medical practice website cost?
It depends on how you get it. A DIY builder costs a plan fee plus your time; a template agency charges a setup fee and often a monthly fee; a custom agency charges a larger project fee plus maintenance; a managed platform charges a subscription. For a practice, the biggest cost drivers are the number of service pages, HIPAA-compliant forms, integrations and who maintains the site afterward.
How much does a website redesign cost?
A redesign usually costs less than a new build when the content and structure are sound and only the design is dated, and more when the site needs new pages, a new platform or HIPAA-compliant forms. Budget separately for the migration itself: redirects from every old address to its new one, content moves, and checking forms and tracking after launch.
Is a website builder good enough for a medical practice?
It can be, if you check the forms. Builders make design and hosting easy, but a default contact form may not be suitable for patient information. Squarespace, for example, says its Form Block can't be part of a HIPAA-compliant setup, while Wix offers HIPAA features and a BAA on certain plans. Confirm the plan, the BAA and the form tool before collecting patient details.
What ongoing costs does a practice website have?
Hosting, the domain renewal, software and plugin updates, backups, security monitoring, a HIPAA-compliant form service with a BAA if the builder doesn't cover it, and content edits such as new providers, hours and services. If an agency maintains the site, those usually come as a monthly retainer. On a managed platform, most of them are part of the subscription.