How Much Does This Website Cost? Clear UK Price Guide
A typical small business website in the UK costs £1,500 to £8,000 as a one-off build. You can also pay a setup fee then a monthly amount that includes hosting, updates and management if you have little cash up front. The figure for any given site depends on page count, features, how custom the design is, and who does the ongoing work.
What actually sets the price
People often look at a live site and ask how much it would cost to have something similar. The answer is rarely the same twice because five things move the number more than anything else.
- Number of unique page templates. A five-page brochure site is cheaper than a 30-page directory with filters.
- Custom design versus a bought theme. Original layouts, photography direction and brand work add days.
- Features beyond pages: booking, quotes, member login, product catalogue, payment, maps, forms that email you.
- Who writes and supplies the copy, images and product data. If I have to chase or create it, time (and cost) rises.
- Whether you want me to keep running it after launch or you will log in yourself.
A site that looks simple on the surface can still be expensive if it needs a booking calendar that talks to your diary, or if every page is a one-off layout.
Typical UK price ranges
These are market figures I see for small firms, not quotes. DIY builders sit at the bottom; full agencies sit at the top.
| Type of site | One-off build (typical) | Ongoing per year |
|---|---|---|
| Basic 4 - 6 page brochure (theme, little custom) | £800 - £2,500 | £120 - £400 hosting + domain |
| Custom small-business site, 8 - 15 pages, contact forms, basic SEO setup | £2,500 - £6,000 | £300 - £1,200 if you pay someone to update it |
| Site with booking, quote request or simple shop | £4,000 - £10,000 | £600 - £2,000 including payment fees and support |
| Larger catalogue or membership | £8,000 - £20,000+ | Often 15 - 20% of build cost in retainers |
Template platforms (Wix, Squarespace and similar) look cheaper at first: £15 - £40 a month plus a domain. You still pay for the time to set them up properly, write content and connect email. Many owners spend £500 - £2,000 of their own hours or a freelancer’s time before the site is usable. Agencies in London or larger cities often start at £7,000 even for modest sites because of overheads.
What a “this website” clone usually lands in
If the site you are looking at has a handful of service pages, a contact form, a map and a blog, expect the middle band above. If it has a shop with variants, live stock or a client portal, move to the higher band. Fancy animations and video backgrounds add cost without always adding sales.
One-off build or pay monthly
Two honest routes exist. A one-off project means you pay for the design and build, then you (or someone you hire) handle hosting, security updates, backups and small changes. You own the files. Cash outlay is higher at the start; later costs are lower if you are technical.
The other route is a setup fee followed by a monthly price that covers hosting, updates and ongoing management so you do not have to log in. That suits firms that want the site off their plate and do not have a lump sum. You are renting a managed service rather than buying an asset outright. I offer both routes for small businesses; the monthly option is there precisely because many Kent firms cannot write a four-figure cheque on day one. For current figures see arlowebstudio.com rather than guessing from this page.
Trade-off in plain terms: one-off gives you the files and more control later, but you become the IT person. Monthly keeps the lights on and the software patched without you thinking about it, but you keep paying and moving away later needs a handover.
How to estimate a site like the one you have in mind
- Count the unique layouts, not just the menu items. Home, about, services (one template or many?), contact, blog index and post, plus any landing pages.
- List every action a visitor can take: send a form, book a slot, pay, download a PDF, log in.
- Decide who supplies words and photos. Stock images are cheap; original photos and proper copy are not.
- Note any third-party tools that must connect (Xero, Mailchimp, Google Calendar, a till system).
- Ask three people for a written scope and a price, not a verbal “around X”. Compare like for like: does the quote include content, training, a cookie banner that actually works, and 30 days of fixes after launch?
If two quotes differ by a factor of three, the cheap one has almost certainly left something out (content, mobile testing, redirects from an old site, or SSL and backups).
Costs that sit outside the build price
Domain name: £10 - £15 a year for a .co.uk or .uk. Hosting on its own: £80 - £250 a year for a small WordPress site if you manage it; more if you want daily backups and staging. Professional email (you@yourdomain) is separate from Gmail: typically £4 - £8 per mailbox per month. Cookie and privacy text that matches UK GDPR is often forgotten until a lawyer flags it. Photography: a half-day shoot in Kent is commonly £250 - £600. Copywriting for five pages: £400 - £1,200 if you hire it out.
Redesigns of an existing site add extra work: mapping old URLs so Google does not drop you, exporting content, and deciding what to keep. That can add 20 - 40% compared with a brand-new site of the same size.
What you are paying for, and what you can skip
You pay for someone’s hours plus the tools they use. A careful mobile layout, forms that actually arrive in your inbox, and pages that load in under three seconds are worth the money because they affect whether people ring you. Custom illustrations, video backgrounds and five extra unused pages are usually not.
If budget is tight, start with the pages that win work (home, one strong service page, contact) and add the rest later. Do not skip a working contact method or basic on-page titles and descriptions; those are cheap to do properly at the start and expensive to retrofit.
I work from Kent with small UK businesses and keep the conversation practical: tell me what the site must do in the first 90 days, not a wish list of every plugin you have seen. That keeps both the one-off and the monthly route honest on cost.
Frequently asked questions
Why do two sites that look similar have very different prices?
One may use a bought theme with almost no custom work; the other may have original layouts, custom forms and a booking system wired to a diary. Page count and who supplied the content also change the hours involved.
Is a cheap template site enough for a small firm?
It can be if you only need a few pages and you will maintain it yourself. The moment you need booking, proper email, or someone else to keep it updated, the real cost rises and a managed monthly plan or a proper build often works out cleaner.
What should I budget besides the design fee?
Domain, hosting or a monthly management fee, professional email, and either your time or a writer for the words. Photography if you do not already have usable photos. Allow a small pot for changes in the first month after launch.
Does paying monthly mean I never own the site?
It depends on the contract. Many monthly arrangements are a service: you get the live site and support for as long as you pay. A one-off build usually hands over the files. Ask what happens if you stop paying and how a handover would work.
How long does a typical small-business site take once we start?
Four to eight weeks is common if content arrives on time. Booking systems, shops and waiting for photos stretch that. Slow content from your side is the usual delay, not the design work itself.
Can I start small and add pages later?
Yes, and it is often the sensible route. Launch with the pages that generate enquiries, then add a blog, extra services or a shop once you know what customers actually use. Build the first version so extra pages are not a complete rebuild.