Cheap Website Design Packages: What You Actually Get
Cheap website design packages in the UK typically cost between £300 and £1,500 for a basic five-page site. That money usually buys a template, your logo dropped in, and a contact form, not a custom design or any real search work. Below I set out what those packages contain, the extra costs that follow, and how a one-off build compares with a pay-monthly plan.
What a cheap package usually includes
Most cheap website design packages sold to UK small businesses are a fixed list at a fixed price. You are not buying hours of custom design. You are buying a theme, a set number of pages, and someone to drop your logo and colours onto it.
A common cheap package looks like this:
- Five pages: home, about, services, one extra page, and contact
- A ready-made WordPress, Wix or Squarespace theme
- Your logo and a colour tweak, not a unique layout
- A contact form that sends you an email
- Mobile layout that comes with the theme
- One or two rounds of revisions
- Images you supply, or free stock photos
- Handover on the platform they chose, not always with full admin access
That can be enough if you already have clear wording and photos and you only need a digital calling card. It will not set you apart, and it will not do the work of getting you found on Google.
Typical UK prices
Cheap means different things depending on who is selling. These are the ranges I see quoted for a simple brochure site, not an online shop.
| Route | Typical UK cost | What you usually get | Main catch |
|---|---|---|---|
| DIY website builder | £12 to £30 a month | Template, you do the build | Your time, generic look, lock-in on some platforms |
| Cheap freelancer package | £300 to £800 one-off | Five pages on a theme, basic form | Few revisions, weak structure for search |
| Cheap agency starter pack | £800 to £1,500 one-off | Branded theme, contact page, maybe a slider | Stock copy, extras billed later |
| Offshore fixed package | £150 to £500 one-off | Fast turnaround on a cloned layout | English, timezone, and who owns the files |
| Pay-monthly plan | Setup fee, then £40 to £150 a month | Site plus hosting, updates and management | Ongoing cost; check ownership and notice periods |
A small business site built around your pages rather than a theme more often costs £2,000 to £5,000 one-off in the UK, plus hosting.
What gets cut to hit a low price
The price is low because work is removed. These are the items that disappear first.
- Original layout and page structure. You get a theme everyone else can buy.
- Copywriting. You write the words, or the pages go live with thin, generic sentences.
- Photography. Free stock images of smiling people at desks, not your actual work.
- Search setup. Page titles, headings and meta descriptions are left as defaults.
- Speed and technical care. Heavy sliders, unused plugins, no image compression.
- Accessibility basics such as contrast, labels on forms, and readable font sizes.
- More than one or two revision rounds. Extra changes are billed.
- Training and a simple guide to editing the site yourself.
- Ongoing updates, backups and security after launch.
None of that is optional if you want the site used, found and kept safe. It is just not in the cheap package, so it becomes your problem later.
Hidden costs that wipe out the saving
The headline price is rarely the amount you spend in the first year. Budget for these on top.
- Domain name: £8 to £15 a year for a .co.uk or .uk
- Hosting if it is not included: £6 to £25 a month
- Extra pages: £50 to £150 each after the included set
- Content writing: £200 to £800 if you cannot write it
- SEO sold as an add-on: £300 to £1,000 for a basic pass
- Booking or payment tools: plugin fees plus a higher tier
- Extra revision rounds: £40 to £80 an hour is common
Add a year of hosting and one extra page and a £500 package is already closer to £800 to £1,000. If the site then needs a rebuild in 18 months because it cannot grow, the cheap route was the expensive one.
One-off cheap packages versus pay monthly
You have two honest ways to pay, and a cheap one-off package is only one of them.
A one-off package suits you if you have the cash now, you want to own the site outright, and you are happy to handle hosting, updates and content changes yourself or pay someone later. The risk with the cheap end is that ownership is muddy. Some sellers keep the site on their account, so you cannot move it. Ask, in writing, who owns the domain, the hosting account, and the files.
A pay-monthly plan suits you if you do not have a lump sum. You pay a setup fee, then a monthly amount that covers hosting, updates and ongoing management, so the site is genuinely hands-off. Over three years the monthly route can cost more than a solid one-off build. Over the first year it often costs less, which is why it fits small businesses without an upfront budget. The trade-off is the ongoing fee and the contract. Check the notice period and whether you can export the site if you stop paying.
I offer both one-off website builds and pay-monthly plans. Current figures are on arlowebstudio.com rather than in this guide, because packages change and a number here would go stale.
How to judge a cheap package before you pay
Use this list. If the seller cannot answer clearly, walk away.
- Get the exact page list in writing, with a content plan, not just a page count.
- Ask which platform they will use and whether you receive full admin access on day one.
- Ask who registers the domain and whose name is on the hosting account. Both should be yours.
- Ask how you would move the site to another host or designer. If the answer is vague, you do not own it.
- Confirm how many revision rounds are included and the hourly rate after that.
- Ask what happens after launch: updates, backups, security, and who you email when something breaks.
- Ask whether page titles, headings and image names are set for search, or left as theme defaults.
- Ask for three live examples of the same package, not their best custom work, plus a timeline and what they need from you before work starts.
When a cheap package is a fair choice
A cheap package is a fair choice when the site is temporary, you have no budget for anything else, you can write the pages yourself, and you accept that you may rebuild in a year or two.
It is a poor choice when you need enquiries from Google, when your work looks nothing like a generic theme, when you need booking or payments, or when you have no time to manage plugins, updates and content. In those cases the cheap package either fails quietly or you pay twice.
If cash now is the blocker, compare a modest one-off against a pay-monthly plan with a setup fee. Do not pick the lowest monthly figure without checking ownership, what updates include, and how you leave. Cheap is only cheap if the site does the job and you can still use it in two years.
Frequently asked questions
How much should a cheap website design package cost in the UK?
For a basic five-page brochure site, cheap one-off packages usually sit between £300 and £1,500. DIY builders cost £12 to £30 a month. If a quote is under £250 from a UK designer, expect a theme with almost no custom work, or a seller based overseas.
Do cheap packages include hosting and a domain?
Often they do not. Many cheap one-off packages are design only. You then pay £8 to £15 a year for a domain and £6 to £25 a month for hosting. Pay-monthly plans usually wrap hosting into the monthly fee. Always ask, and make sure the domain is registered in your name.
Will a cheap package help the site appear on Google?
Not by itself. Cheap packages rarely include proper page titles, useful headings, fast images or any content written for search. Google needs clear pages about what you do and where you work. A theme with thin copy will sit there. Budget time to write real pages, or pay for that work separately.
Is a pay-monthly plan cheaper than a one-off package?
In the first year, often yes, because you avoid a large lump sum. Over two or three years a solid one-off build plus cheap hosting can cost less in total. Monthly suits you if cash now is tight and you want hosting and updates handled. Compare the three-year total, the notice period, and who owns the site.
Who should own the website files and the domain?
You should. The domain should be registered in your name, and you should hold the hosting login and the files. If the designer keeps the site on their account, you are renting, even if you paid a one-off fee. Get that in writing before any money changes hands.
Can I start with a cheap package and upgrade later?
Yes, if you own the domain and the files and the platform can grow. Starting on a locked builder or an offshore account makes a later upgrade a full rebuild. If you know you will need booking, payments or more pages within a year, skip the cheapest package and choose a platform you can extend.