How much does a small business website cost in the UK?
A straight answer, with typical price ranges, the ongoing costs people forget, and the questions to ask before you sign anything.
- £0 upfront + £39/mo
- £299 + £15/mo
- £399 outright
- Preview before you go live
The short answer
For a typical 5-page website for a local business, published UK prices usually fall somewhere in these ranges. They are typical ranges taken from UK price lists we reviewed, not quotes, and many providers show prices excluding VAT, so always check.
| Option | Typical cost | Good for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| DIY website builder | Roughly £7 to £40 a month for a paid plan | Very tight budgets, if you have time and are comfortable with design and writing | Your time, results that look templated, and paying more for add-ons |
| Pay monthly website provider | Commonly around £30 to £60 a month for about 5 pages | Spreading the cost with hosting and support included | Minimum terms, setup fees, who owns the site, exit terms |
| Freelancer or small local studio | Commonly around £300 to £1,000 one-off for about 5 pages | A custom site at a sensible price | What is included, hosting costs, how edits are charged |
| Larger agency | Often well over £1,000, and much more for bespoke work | Complex sites, e-commerce, bigger marketing projects | Long timelines and paying for more than a small business needs |
Ongoing costs people forget
- Domain name: a .co.uk is typically around £10 to £20 a year to renew.
- Hosting: anything from free on some static hosting to £10 or more a month on managed hosting.
- Email: business email through Google Workspace or Microsoft 365 is paid per user, per month, direct to the provider.
- Edits and updates: if they are not included, small changes can be charged hourly.
- Security and plugins: WordPress sites in particular need updates, and some plugins have yearly licences.
What changes the price
- Number of pages: most local businesses need about 5. Each extra service or area page adds cost.
- Who writes the words: copywriting takes time. Supplying your own text and photos keeps costs down.
- Features: online booking, shops and custom calculators cost more than a contact form.
- Who you hire: agencies have bigger overheads than freelancers and small studios.
Pay monthly or buy outright?
Pay monthly suits you if you want no upfront cost and like the idea of hosting, security and small changes being handled for you. The catch is that you pay more over time, and you should check the minimum term and what happens at the end.
Buying outright costs more on day one but less over time. You then need to arrange hosting and updates yourself, or pay for a care plan.
What Upfront Web costs over 2 years
Here is how our three published options compare over 24 months, before any optional extras:
| Plan | Upfront | Monthly | Total over 24 months |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pay Monthly (12-month minimum) | £0 | £39 | £936 |
| Buy + Care | £299 | £15 | £659 |
| Buy Outright (you arrange hosting) | £399 | £0 | £399 plus your own hosting |
On Pay Monthly, after the first 12 months you can also switch to the £15 a month Care Plan, which would bring the 24-month total down to £648.
Questions to ask any web designer
- Who owns the domain name, and is it registered in my name?
- Is there a minimum term, and what happens when it ends?
- Can I take my website with me if I leave, and is there a fee?
- Are prices including or excluding VAT?
- How much do changes cost after launch?
- Will I see a preview before I pay in full or before the site goes live?
- How fast does the site load on a phone?
You can find our answers to all of these on our FAQ page and our plain-English terms.
Three ways to pay
Every option includes the same custom 5-page website, mobile-friendly design, local SEO set-up and an enquiry form. You choose how you would like to pay.
Pay Monthly
12-month minimum. Hosting, SSL, domain management and 30 minutes of edits every month.
Buy + Care
You own the site from day one. Hosting, security, backups and 30 minutes of edits each month.
Buy Outright
Full file handover, £0 a month, plus 14 days of post-launch bug support.
Extras at fixed prices: extra page £50, Google Business Profile set-up £75, copywriting and photos £65, single edit £25 or 4 edits for £90. See full pricing or read the plain-English terms.
Websites for your trade
Website cost questions
Want a fixed price for your website?
Tell us about your business using the short form on our homepage. No payment is taken on the form, and you will see a working preview before anything goes live.