How much does a small business website cost in the UK?
By Steven-Jon Lewis · Updated October 2026
If you have asked around for website quotes, you have probably had answers ranging from a few pounds a month to several thousand pounds. Both can be right. It depends on how the site is built, who builds it and what it needs to do.
This guide breaks down the real costs for a UK small business in 2026, including the ongoing costs that catch people out, so you can work out what you should be paying.
Three ways to get a website
Do it yourself with a website builder
Platforms such as Wix, Squarespace and Shopify let you build a site yourself from a template. Plans for a basic site start at around £9 to £12 a month, rising to over £100 a month for advanced online shops.
Good for: businesses with more time than budget, who are comfortable building and updating the site themselves.
Watch out for: the time it takes to do well, monthly fees that never stop, and sites that look like everyone else's.
Hire a freelance web designer
A freelancer builds the site for you, usually for a one-off project fee. A basic 5-page brochure site typically costs £500 to £1,500, and a 5 to 10 page small business site £1,000 to £3,000.
Good for: most small businesses that want a professional, custom site without agency overheads.
Watch out for: unclear quotes, slow communication and no plan for after launch. Ask what happens if something breaks.
Hire a web design agency
Agencies bring a team of designers, developers and project managers. Brochure websites from UK agencies often cost £3,000 to £12,000, and London agencies can quote £8,000 to £25,000.
Good for: larger businesses, complex sites, online shops and projects that need ongoing marketing support.
Watch out for: paying for features and process a small business does not need.
Pay monthly with a web designer
Some designers, including us, build and look after your website for one monthly fee instead of a large upfront cost. Prices vary, so check the minimum term, what updates are included, who owns the domain name and what happens if you leave.
Good for: businesses that want a professional website without a big upfront bill, and want it looked after.
Watch out for: long minimum terms, domain names registered in the designer's name, and no way to take your website with you.
| Compared on | Website builder | Freelancer | Agency | Pay monthly |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Typical upfront cost | £0 | £500 to £3,000 | £3,000 to £12,000+ | Often £0 |
| Monthly cost | From around £9 to £20 | Hosting and domain | Hosting, domain and often a retainer | A fixed fee, often with hosting included |
| Who builds it | You | The freelancer | A team | A designer |
| Custom design | Template | Usually | Yes | Usually |
| Best for | Tight budgets with time to spare | Most small businesses | Complex or larger projects | Businesses that want it done and looked after |
Website builder
- Typical upfront cost
- £0
- Monthly cost
- From around £9 to £20
- Who builds it
- You
- Custom design
- Template
- Best for
- Tight budgets with time to spare
Freelancer
- Typical upfront cost
- £500 to £3,000
- Monthly cost
- Hosting and domain
- Who builds it
- The freelancer
- Custom design
- Usually
- Best for
- Most small businesses
Agency
- Typical upfront cost
- £3,000 to £12,000+
- Monthly cost
- Hosting, domain and often a retainer
- Who builds it
- A team
- Custom design
- Yes
- Best for
- Complex or larger projects
Pay monthly
- Typical upfront cost
- Often £0
- Monthly cost
- A fixed fee, often with hosting included
- Who builds it
- A designer
- Custom design
- Usually
- Best for
- Businesses that want it done and looked after
What affects the price of a website
- Number of pages. A 5-page site costs less to design, write and test than a 20-page one.
- Custom design or template. A design made for your brand takes longer than adjusting a template.
- Features. Online booking, payments, a shop, member logins or links to other software all add time.
- Content. Someone has to write the words and source the photos. If that is you, it saves money. If it is the designer, it costs more.
- Who you hire. Agencies have bigger teams and overheads than freelancers, and that shows in the price.
- Ongoing support. Updates, backups and changes after launch are often charged separately.
The costs people forget about
The build is only part of the cost. Plan for these too:
- Domain name. A .co.uk domain costs around £10 to £15 a year after any first-year discount.
- Hosting. Shared hosting for a typical small business site costs around £7 to £12 a month, and managed WordPress hosting around £9 to £18 a month.
- Maintenance. Basic maintenance packages start at around £25 to £50 a month, and go up to £100 to £500 a month for security monitoring and regular content updates.
- Business email. A professional email address on your domain is usually a small monthly fee per mailbox.
- Photos and copy. Good photos and clear words make a bigger difference than most design choices.
Across all of this, a typical small business can expect to spend somewhere around £500 to £2,500 a year in ongoing costs for a professionally managed site, and less if you keep things simple.
So how much should you spend?
Just starting out or testing an idea? Spend as little as possible. A simple, professional site with your services, a few photos and a contact form is enough to look credible and start getting enquiries.
An established local business? You need a site that looks as professional as your work, loads quickly on a phone and makes it easy to get in touch. For most local businesses, that is a well-built site of around five pages, not a large custom project.
Selling online or taking bookings at scale? Budget more, because shops, payments and booking systems need extra work to build and look after.
Questions to ask before you pay anyone
- Is the price fixed, or could it change?
- How many pages are included, and what does an extra page cost?
- Is the design custom, or based on a template?
- Who writes the content?
- Are the domain name and hosting included? Who owns them?
- How long will it take?
- How do payments work? Do I pay everything upfront?
- What happens after launch if I need a change or something breaks?
A good designer will answer all of these in writing before you pay a deposit.
How our plans work
Our Starter plan is £100 a month for a custom website of up to 5 pages, with hosting, your domain name, spam protection, visitor statistics and a small update every month included. Premium is £250 a month and adds up to 15 pages, a blog, online booking or payments and unlimited small updates. There is no setup fee. Plans have a 12-month minimum term, your domain name is registered in your name, and after the minimum term you can buy out your website if you want to move it. If you would rather pay once and own it outright, we also build custom websites, quoted per project.
Not sure which way to pay? Read our guide: Monthly website plan or one-off build?
Common questions
- What is the cheapest way to get a business website?
- A DIY website builder has the lowest upfront cost, with basic plans from around £9 to £12 a month. You pay in your own time instead, and the monthly fees continue for as long as the site is live.
- Is a cheap website any good?
- It depends on what is included. Ask how many pages you get, whether the design is custom, whether it works on phones, what the ongoing costs are and who owns the domain name. A low price with nothing included can end up costing more than it looks.
- How much does a website cost per month?
- After the build, expect to pay for a domain name (around £10 to £15 a year for a .co.uk) and hosting (around £7 to £18 a month), plus maintenance if you pay someone to look after the site.
- How long does it take to build a small business website?
- A simple site of around five pages usually takes one to a few weeks, depending on how quickly the content and feedback come together. Ours typically take 1 to 2 weeks from kickoff.
- Should I pay for a website upfront or monthly?
- Paying upfront usually means a bigger bill at the start, plus separate costs for hosting and changes. Paying monthly spreads the cost and usually includes hosting and updates, but you commit to a minimum term. Either way, check what happens to your website and domain name if you stop paying.
Sources
- Startups.co.uk, "How much does a website cost?" (website builder and web designer price ranges)
https://startups.co.uk/websites/creating/how-much-does-a-website-cost/ - Kwiboo, "How much does a website cost in the UK? A 2026 breakdown" (freelancer, agency, domain, hosting and maintenance ranges)
https://www.kwiboo.com/blog/How-much-does-a-website-cost-in-the-UK-A-2026-breakdown
Prices are typical ranges published by these sources and will vary by provider. Check current prices before relying on them.
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