How Much Does a Website Cost in the UK?

"How much does a website cost?" is a bit like asking "how much does a car cost?" It depends entirely on what you need. But unlike car dealerships, the web industry is terrible at giving straight answers. So here's my attempt at clarity.

The Quick Answer

• DIY (Wix, Squarespace): £100-300/year
• Freelancer: £500-3,000
• Small agency: £2,000-10,000
• Large agency: £10,000-50,000+

Most small businesses need something in the £1,500-4,000 range. That gets you a professional site that works well, loads fast, and actually helps your business.

What Affects the Price

Number of Pages

A 5-page brochure site costs less than a 30-page site with multiple service categories. Simple maths—more pages means more design, more content, more testing.

Custom Design vs Templates

A completely custom design costs more than adapting an existing template. For most small businesses, a well-customised template is absolutely fine. Custom design matters more for brands where visual identity is central—fashion, luxury goods, creative agencies.

Functionality

A simple contact form is basically free. An online booking system, e-commerce, member areas, custom calculators—these add cost. Each feature needs building, testing, and maintaining.

Content Creation

Here's what catches people out: a web designer builds your site, but who writes the words and takes the photos? If you provide everything, it's cheaper. If the designer needs to write copy and source images, that's extra work.

Who You Hire

A London agency has higher overheads than a freelancer in Yorkshire. You might get the same quality site for half the price—or you might get something worse. It's about finding the right fit, not just the cheapest option.

Realistic Pricing Breakdown

£0-500: DIY Territory

Wix, Squarespace, or WordPress.com. You're doing everything yourself—design, content, setup. Works if you have time, basic tech comfort, and your needs are simple. The result won't be as polished as professional work, but it's functional.

Hidden costs: your time (worth something), premium templates (£50-150), stock photos (£50-200), plugins for extra features (varies).

£500-1,500: Budget Professional

Usually a freelancer using templates and working quickly. You'll get a decent site, but limited revisions and support. Good for very simple needs—a tradesperson who just needs online presence, for example.

At this price, expect to provide your own content and have realistic expectations about customisation.

£1,500-4,000: Sweet Spot for Small Business

This is where most small businesses should be looking. You'll get professional design, responsive layout, basic SEO setup, and reasonable support. The designer has time to understand your business and create something appropriate.

At this level, you might also get help with content strategy, basic copywriting, and integration with tools like Google Analytics.

£4,000-10,000: Feature-Rich Sites

E-commerce, membership systems, complex booking functionality, multiple languages, custom integrations. If your website needs to do something beyond displaying information, you're probably here.

Also appropriate for businesses where the website is the business—if you're competing online and need to outperform competitors, this investment makes sense.

£10,000+: Enterprise and Custom

Large e-commerce sites, web applications, complex data systems, sites that need to handle serious traffic. At this level, you're often paying for a team—project manager, designer, developer, QA tester.

Most small businesses don't need this. If an agency is quoting you £15k for a basic brochure site, find someone else.

Ongoing Costs People Forget

Your website isn't a one-time purchase. Budget for:

• Hosting: £50-300/year depending on needs
• Domain: £10-50/year (.co.uk is cheapest)
• SSL certificate: Often free now, but some hosts charge
• Maintenance: Updates, security patches, backups—£200-1000/year if you hire someone
• Content updates: Depends how often you need changes

Red Flags in Pricing

Too cheap: If someone quotes £200 for a professional website, they're either using dodgy templates, outsourcing overseas with quality issues, or will hit you with extras later.

Too expensive: Small agencies sometimes quote large-agency prices. Ask what you're getting for the money. A £8,000 quote for a 5-page site should have a very good explanation.

Vague quotes: "It depends" isn't a quote. A professional should be able to give you a ballpark after understanding your needs.

No ongoing support mentioned: What happens after launch? Who fixes things? Discuss this upfront.

Our Approach

We build sites for small businesses and typically work in the £1,500-4,000 range. That includes custom design (not generic templates), mobile optimisation, basic SEO, and training so you can make simple updates yourself.

We're upfront about what's included and what costs extra. No surprises.