How much does a small business website cost in the UK?
Real numbers, what each price bracket actually buys, and the ongoing costs most quotes leave out until after you've signed.
The short version
- A custom small business website in the UK realistically costs £800–£2,500 from a small studio or experienced freelancer.
- Under £500 means a template. That's not automatically bad — just know what you're buying.
- Ongoing costs are small: a domain (£10–15/year) and hosting (free to ~£10/month). Everything else is optional.
- The expensive mistake isn't overpaying. It's paying anything for a site that was never going to bring in work.
What each bracket actually buys
Prices below are for UK small businesses in 2026 — trades, local services, small practices. London agency rates for larger firms are a different market entirely.
| Budget | What you get | Sensible for |
|---|---|---|
| £0–£300 | DIY on Wix, Squarespace or similar. A template, your own copy, your own photos, your own weekends. | Brand-new businesses testing whether the thing works at all. |
| £300–£800 | Someone else installing a template for you. Usually a WordPress theme, lightly customised, your copy. | Businesses who need to exist online but don't rely on search for work. |
| £800–£2,500 | Custom design and build. Proper structure, copy written or heavily edited for you, mobile-first, SEO foundations, working forms, full ownership. | Most trades and local service businesses. This is where the money starts returning. |
| £2,500–£6,000 | The above plus research, professional copywriting, photography, more pages, booking or quote tools, ongoing measurement. | Established firms with several services or locations, competing hard locally. |
| £6,000+ | Agency engagement. Strategy, brand work, custom functionality, integrations, a team rather than a person. | Multi-branch businesses, e-commerce, anything with real complexity behind it. |
The costs quotes leave out
The build price is usually the honest bit. What catches people is everything either side of it.
- Copywriting. Many quotes assume you'll supply the words. Most people can't, discover this three weeks in, and the project stalls. Ask explicitly who is writing the content.
- Photography. Stock photos of a smiling stranger in a hard hat fool nobody. Either budget for real photos or commit to taking decent ones on your phone.
- Revisions. Some contracts include two rounds and charge for the third. Find out before, not after.
- Email. Business email on your domain is usually a few pounds per user per month and is frequently forgotten in the quote entirely.
- Getting it found. A site with no local SEO and no Google Business Profile is a brochure nobody opens. That work is either included or it isn't — check.
- Maintenance. Optional, but something has to keep the site alive. See website care for what that actually involves and what it should cost.
The £4,000 site that earns nothing
We see this regularly. Beautiful site, well built, launched two years ago, generates no enquiries — because the business has no reviews, no Google Business Profile, and nothing on the site says which towns they cover. None of that is fixed by spending more on design. If that sounds familiar, the cheaper diagnosis is traffic but no enquiries or why isn't my website showing up on Google.
One-off versus monthly
Monthly website packages are everywhere and they're not automatically a trap. The only question that matters is: if I stop paying, what do I keep?
If the answer is "the domain, the code, the content and the hosting account", you're paying for a service. If the answer is "nothing, the site goes offline", you're renting — and at £70 a month over four years that's £3,360 for something you never owned. Some businesses genuinely prefer that. Just make it a decision rather than a surprise.
What we charge, for transparency
Starter sites (up to five pages) start at £799. Growth sites (up to twelve pages) start at £1,899. Both are one-off, both include full ownership, and neither carries a compulsory monthly fee. Ongoing care and growth plans start at £249/month and are optional. Details are on our web design page.
Before you commission anything from anyone, read how to choose a web designer — it covers the questions that separate a fair quote from an expensive one.
Website cost questions
What's a fair price for a small business website in the UK?
For a five to ten page site for a trade or local service business, £800 to £2,500 is the honest range for custom work from a small studio or good freelancer. Below £500 you're buying a template with your logo on it. Above £5,000 you should be getting strategy, copywriting and design research, not just pages.
Why do quotes for the same job vary by £8,000?
Because 'a website' isn't one thing. One quote covers a template and your own copy; another covers research, custom design, professional writing, SEO structure and photography. Both are called a website. Ask what's included rather than comparing headline numbers.
Are monthly website packages a good deal?
Sometimes, but check what you own. If cancelling means the site disappears, you're renting — and over four years you'll typically pay more than a one-off build while owning nothing at the end. If everything's in your name and the monthly fee is genuine maintenance, that's a different and reasonable arrangement.
Can I just use Wix or Squarespace?
Yes, and for some businesses it's the right call — particularly if budget is genuinely tight and you'll build it yourself. The trade-offs are speed, limited SEO control, and platform lock-in. If your enquiries come from Google, those trade-offs matter more than they do for a business that gets everything by referral.
What ongoing costs should I actually expect?
A domain at roughly £10–15 a year and hosting from free to about £10 a month at this scale. Everything beyond that — maintenance, SEO, content — is optional and should be a separate decision, not something bundled in before you've asked for it.
Related services and guides
Web Design
A custom site built around how your customers actually choose a tradesperson — fast, clear, and easy to enquire from.
Read more ServicesWebsite Care
Hosting, backups, updates and small changes handled — so the site you paid for stays working.
Read more GuidesHow to choose a web designer
The questions to ask, and the answers that should make you walk away.
Read more IndustriesBuilders
Your work is the sales pitch. We build sites that put finished projects and real trust signals front and centre.
Read moreWant a fixed number for your situation?
Tell us what you do and what you need the site to bring in. We'll give you a straight figure — or tell you to spend the money elsewhere.
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