The Truth About Website Copywriting Pricing in 2026 (Not the Upwork Version)

If you’re here, you’re probably trying to figure out website copywriting pricing — and getting wildly different answers depending on where you look.

I’ve been on both sides of this equation. I started my freelance copywriting career on Upwork back in 2017, and today I run multiple businesses helping B2B companies with web copy, SEO content, and brand messaging.

However, the pricing landscape has changed dramatically since AI hit the scene in late 2022, and not always in the direction you’d expect.

So let me cut through the noise and give you straight numbers, real context, and the honest truth about what professional website copywriting costs right now.

Upwork, AI and the “Race to the Bottom”

Before I get into specific numbers, we need to talk about why you’re probably seeing such a wide range of prices when you search for copywriting rates.

Upwork published research showing that freelancers in writing-related fields experienced roughly a 2% decline in contracts and a 5% drop in earnings after ChatGPT launched. A separate academic study published in Organization Science found that demand for substitutable writing skills on freelance platforms dropped by 20–50% compared to where it would have been without AI.

That chart you see above — the one showing “Writing” taking the biggest hit of any work category, with a nearly 20% decline in aggregate earnings for low-value work — tells a real story. But it’s not the full story.

Here’s my issue with it: that data comes from a marketplace where the pricing model is fundamentally broken for quality work.

I say this as someone who started on Upwork. I built early client relationships there while cycling across South East Asia. I worked with some genuinely cool brands through the platform. So I’m not bashing it out of ignorance.

Here’s what happens on marketplace platforms:

A client posts a job, then 30-50+ freelancers from around the world bid on it. Many of those freelancers are operating in low cost-of-living countries and can genuinely afford to charge $15 for a 1,000-word blog post. Others are brand new and willing to work for peanuts to build a portfolio. And now, some are just running prompts through ChatGPT, slapping their name on it, and calling it copywriting.

Welcome to the race to the bottom where the cheapest bid wins, quality takes a back seat, and the data shows “writing” value plummeting. Don’t be surprised. When you commoditize something and remove any differentiation, the price craters.

But that chart also says nothing about what’s really happening in the market — where B2B companies are paying skilled copywriters premium rates because the copy actually needs to work. Where a homepage rewrite can directly impact conversion rates. Where a blog strategy generates qualified leads month after month.

So, how do I come up with my copywriting rates?

The AWAI 2026 Copywriting Pricing Guide — which I’ve referenced for years to benchmark my own rates — reports that demand for skilled copywriting is at an all-time high. The keyword there is skilled.

Anyone can generate words now. Not everyone can write copy that converts.

With that context, let’s get into real numbers.

Website Copywriting Pricing in 2026

The ranges below are based on the AWAI 2026 Copywriting Pricing Guide, my own experience working with B2B clients since 2017, and what I’m consistently seeing in the market from other professionals operating at a similar level.

These are not Upwork rates. These are rates for professional copywriters who understand persuasion, SEO, brand positioning, and the buyer’s journey.

Homepage Copy

Your homepage is your digital storefront. It needs to do a lot of heavy lifting in very few words — communicate who you are, what you do, who you serve, and why someone should care, all while guiding visitors toward a conversion action.

Good homepage copy isn’t just “writing.” It’s strategic positioning. It requires understanding your market, your competitors, and your customers’ pain points. A professional copywriter will want to dig into all of that before writing a single word.

Btw, if you think my suggested rates are high. Just look how much FletchPMM charges for their homepage positioning sprints:

Doesn’t that make my homepage website copywriting pricing look like a steal of a deal, eh?

Service Pages

These are your bread-and-butter service pages, about pages, product pages, and the like. Depending on your goals — SEO, CRO, or both — each one needs to be reader-friendly and built around a clear call to action.

The price depends on complexity. A simple “About Us” page for a local business is a different animal than a technical service page for an industrial manufacturer that needs to speak to engineers and procurement managers simultaneously.

Product Page Updates (SEO + Sales Conversion)

If you already have product pages that just need a refresh — updated keywords, tighter messaging, better calls to action — this is a more affordable way to incrementally improve your site without a full rewrite.

Full Website Copy (5–10+ pages) | $5K – $15K

A complete website copywriting project typically includes discovery and research, messaging strategy, keyword research, and writing all the core pages. This is what I do most often for my clients at the $7,500–$15,000 range, which also usually includes my involvement in the site build and SEO implementation through WordPress.

The price scales with the number of pages, the complexity of the business, the amount of research required, and whether the project also includes things like email sequences, lead magnets, or landing pages.

Category / Section Page Rewrites

For established sites that need their main sections rewritten — think About, Services, Industries We Serve — this is a common project scope. It’s less than a full site rewrite but more involved than simple page updates.

Landing Pages (Lead Generation)

A solid lead-gen landing page is one of the highest-ROI investments you can make. These short-copy “squeeze” pages exist for one purpose: get the visitor to take a specific action. The copy has to be razor-focused.

UX Copywriting

This is the copy that helps users navigate your site or app — from product pages and order flows to transactional emails. It’s a specialized skill that sits at the intersection of copywriting and user experience design.

Blog Content & SEO Content Pricing

This is where I see the biggest disconnect between what platforms like Upwork have done to expectations and what quality content actually costs.

Blog Posts (300–1,000 words) | $250 – $800 per post

A professional blog post isn’t just 500 words on a topic. It’s keyword research, understanding search intent, writing for both humans and search engines, internal linking strategy, and proper formatting for readability.

If someone is quoting you $25 for a blog post, they’re running a prompt and copying the output. That content won’t rank, it won’t differentiate your brand, and it certainly won’t convert readers into leads.

Long-Form Articles (1,200–2,000 words)

These are more substantial pieces designed to bring in SEO traffic with helpful, in-depth content. At this length, you’re establishing authority on a topic and creating content that can rank for competitive keywords.

Pillar Posts (4,000+ words)

Pillar content is your definitive guide on a core topic in your industry. These posts are designed to be comprehensive resources that attract backlinks, rank for dozens of keyword variations, and establish your brand as the go-to authority.

Blog Editorial Calendar + Strategy

A smart content strategy starts with a documented plan. What topics align with your business goals and your audience’s search behavior? What’s the publishing cadence? How does each piece connect to the broader sales funnel?

These plans may or may not include content writing services. You can check those rates here.

Site Content Audit and Report

Before you start creating new content, it often makes sense to audit what you already have. A content audit identifies gaps, opportunities, underperforming pages, and quick wins for improving your search rankings and conversions.

Heads-up, some agencies charge up to $7,500 USD for an audit. While it does depend on the complexity of the site and the overarching goals, hiring a freelancer can cut these costs in half:

Brand Copy & Messaging

Key Message Copy Platform

This is the strategic foundation everything else is built on — your brand’s master messaging roadmap. It defines your positioning, key differentiators, audience segments, and the core messages that should be consistent across every channel.

For B2B companies especially, this is one of the highest-value investments you can make with a copywriter. When your messaging is dialed in, everything else — your website, your emails, your social content, your sales decks — becomes easier and more effective.

Competitive Analysis (Copy-Focused)

Want to know how your messaging stacks up against your competitors? A copy-focused competitive analysis reviews what your competitors are saying, how they’re positioning themselves, and where the gaps are that you can exploit.

What About Everything Else?

I’ve focused this guide on website copywriting pricing, blog/SEO content, and brand messaging because that’s where my expertise lives and where I spend most of my time with clients.

But copywriting covers a massive range of project types — emails, video scripts, social media, direct mail, case studies, white papers, sales enablement materials, and much more. The AWAI 2026 Copywriting Pricing Guide covers fee ranges for 80 different copywriting project types. I’d highly recommend downloading it if you want the full picture.

For a quick reference on some of the most commonly requested items outside my core services:

• Stand-alone emails: $250 – $2,000
• Email autoresponder series: $100 – $1,000 per email
• Case studies: $1,200 – $2,000
• White papers / special reports: $2,000 – $10,000
• Short video scripts (1–5 min): $500 – $1,500+
• Social media ad campaigns: ~$500
• PPC / Google Ads copy: $75 – $350 per ad (or you can do this with AI for free!)
• Press releases: $500 – $1,000

How I Price My Copywriting Projects

I want to be transparent here because I think it helps me to avoid tire kickers and you from wasting time.

• I rarely charge by the word.
• I never charge by the hour.
• I often charge by the project.

Here’s why: the value of copywriting isn’t measured in word count or time spent. A 50-word headline that doubles your conversion rate is worth more than a 5,000-word blog post that no one reads. And a copywriter who spends 3 hours writing killer copy because they’ve done the work to deeply understand your industry shouldn’t be penalized compared to someone who takes 10 hours because they’re still figuring it out.

For my website projects, I typically work in the $3,500 – $15,000 range. That includes the full scope — discovery, messaging strategy, SEO keyword research, writing all the pages, and working with the design/development process to make sure the copy and the build work together.

Heck — you can even hire me to build your website, too! My minimal design style and website design sprints are a smart, budget-friendly way to get a new site launched fast.

For ongoing blog content, I work on monthly retainers.

We agree on a publishing schedule and a monthly rate, and I deliver consistently. It’s the best arrangement for both sides because content marketing is a long game. You don’t see results from one blog post — you see results from six months of strategic, consistent publishing.

The Temptation of Cheap Copywriting

I’ll leave you with this thought.

The Upwork data showing declining earnings for writers is real. But it’s measuring what happens when copywriting gets treated as a commodity — when the only differentiator is price, and the only question a buyer asks is “how much per word?”

In that world, yes, the value of writing goes down. Because you’re not buying strategy. You’re not buying persuasion. You’re not buying someone who understands your industry, your customers, and your competitive landscape. You’re buying words.

And words are cheap now. AI can generate unlimited words for the cost of a monthly subscription.

What AI can’t do — what it still can’t do despite how impressive it’s gotten — is understand your customer’s emotional triggers, craft a positioning strategy that differentiates you from 50 competitors saying the same thing, or write with the kind of authentic human experience that builds trust.

That’s what professional copywriting is. And that’s what these prices reflect.