It’s the first question most people ask me, and it’s fair. The honest answer is “it depends”, which isn’t much help on its own. So here are the typical UK ranges, what they get you, and what pushes the price up or down.
One thing before we start. The figures below are typical market ranges, based on what small businesses commonly pay across the UK. They aren’t Digital Strength prices. We quote each project individually, and I’ll explain why further down.
The three ways to get a website
1. DIY website builders (Wix, Squarespace, WordPress.com and similar)
Typical cost: roughly £100 to £500 a year, plus your time.
You pay a monthly or yearly plan that includes hosting, and you build the site yourself from a template. A domain name usually costs another £10 to £20 a year (some plans include the first year free).
This works well if you have a few evenings to spare, you’re comfortable with a bit of trial and error, and you only need a simple site. The catch is the time. A tidy 5 page site can easily take 20 to 40 hours if you’ve never done it before, and it’s easy to end up with something that looks fine but doesn’t help people find you on Google.
2. Freelancers
Typical cost: roughly £500 to £3,000 for a small brochure style site (say 5 to 10 pages).
A good freelancer gives you a one to one service, a design that suits your business, and someone to ring or email when something goes wrong. Prices vary a lot with experience. The very cheap end can be a template with your logo dropped in. The higher end usually includes proper copywriting help, photography advice and some search engine setup.
3. Agencies
Typical cost: roughly £3,000 to £10,000 or more for a small business site.
Agencies bring a team: designer, developer, project manager, sometimes a copywriter. That’s useful for bigger or more complicated projects, but a lot of small businesses find they’re paying for a level of service they don’t need. If an agency quote feels huge for a 6 page site, it’s fine to ask what’s in it.
What affects the cost
Two websites that look similar on the surface can be very different underneath. These are the things that move the price most:
- Number of pages. A 5 page site is a very different job from a 30 page one.
- Custom design or a template. Fully bespoke design takes longer than adapting a good template.
- Online shop. Taking payments, stock, shipping and tax add a lot of work. Expect an online shop to cost noticeably more than a brochure site.
- Booking systems and other extras. Calendars, members areas, quote calculators and the like all need building and testing.
- Words and photos. If you’ve got your own text and images, it’s quicker and cheaper. If someone has to write it or source it, that’s extra.
- Search engine setup. Page titles, descriptions, speed and structure. Some of this should be included in any decent build.
- Speed of turnaround. If you need it next week, expect to pay more.
The running costs people forget
The build is only part of it. Every website has ongoing costs, and these catch people out:
- Domain name: around £10 to £20 a year.
- Hosting: from about £50 a year for basic shared hosting, up to a few hundred pounds a year for managed WordPress hosting. Cheap hosting can be slow, so it’s worth checking what you get.
- Business email: if you want [email protected], expect roughly £5 to £10 per person per month with the big providers.
- Updates and backups: WordPress and its plugins need updating regularly. Either you do it, your host does it, or you pay someone.
- Changes: adding a page or changing a price. Some people want to do this themselves, others would rather send an email.
Read any quote with these in mind. A low build price with expensive hosting and “per change” fees can cost more over three years than a higher price that includes the lot.
How to compare quotes properly
When you’re comparing two or three quotes, ask the same questions each time:
- How many pages are included, and what happens if I need another one?
- Will I own the site and the domain name? (You should.)
- Is hosting included, and what does it cost after the first year?
- Will it work properly on a phone? (It should, and most visitors will be on one.)
- Who writes the text and sorts the photos?
- What happens if something breaks after launch?
If a quote doesn’t answer these, ask. A good supplier won’t mind.
So what does Digital Strength charge?
We don’t have a price list for web design, because no two small businesses need the same thing. We quote per project once we know what you need. It’s free to ask and there’s no pressure. If you’d like to see where you’d sit in the ranges above, request a quote and tell us a bit about the business.
Hosting is simpler. It’s from £72 a year, and we host sites we didn’t build too.
FAQ
Can I get a decent website for under £500?
Yes, if you build it yourself on a website builder and you’ve got the time. For a freelancer or agency build, £500 is at the very low end, so check carefully what you’re getting.
Do I need to pay monthly for a website?
Not necessarily. You’ll always have hosting and a domain to pay for, but those are usually yearly. Some suppliers wrap everything into a monthly fee, which can be handy for spreading the cost, just check how long you’re tied in.
Will I own my website?
You should. Ask before you sign anything, especially with monthly plans, as some suppliers keep ownership of the site until you’ve paid for a set period.
How long does a small business website take?
Roughly 2 to 6 weeks for a simple site, but a lot of that is waiting for text and photos from the business. The quicker you can send those over, the quicker it goes live.
Is a Facebook page enough?
It’s a good start and many small businesses do well from one. A website gives you something you control, shows up on Google, and looks more established. Most people end up wanting both.
Not sure what you need?
Send us a quick message at [email protected] and we’ll point you in the right direction, even if the answer is “you don’t need us for this”. Or go straight to a quote request.
