Honestly, it depends on how you get the site made. With a DIY builder you pay a monthly fee and do the work yourself. A freelancer or a studio will usually charge you once for the build. Then there are monthly plans, which spread the cost out, though often you never actually own the site. Our prices are on show for anyone to see. A Brochure site is £550, a Business site is £1,150 and a Bespoke site is £1,950. Once it's done, the site is yours.
What does a business website cost in the UK?
There are really four ways people go about it, and each is paid for differently.
1. A DIY website builder. You pay a platform every month or every year, pick a template and build the pages yourself. It costs little up front. The catch is your time, and you keep paying for as long as the site's up.
2. A freelancer. One person builds the site for you. Prices swing a lot between freelancers, so ask who writes the words and who owns the site at the end.
3. A studio or agency. A small team plans and builds the site, and you normally pay one price for it. Some will offer a monthly support plan for after launch too.
4. A monthly website plan. This is basically a lease. You pay every month and they build it for you. It feels kind on the budget. Read the contract, though, because with some plans the site stays with them the moment you stop paying.
What changes the price?
Mostly it comes down to how much work the site needs.
- Number of pages. One page takes less time than ten. Simple as that.
- Words. Someone has to write them. If it's you, that's your evenings gone. If the designer writes them, it should be in the price, so do ask.
- A shop. Selling online means setting up products and taking payments. That's a fair bit more work.
- A logo. No logo yet? That's extra design work.
- Bookings and forms. Booking or quote forms take a bit longer to set up.
Does a monthly website plan cost less than buying one?
At the start, sometimes. Over a few years it often ends up costing more, and you can check that with a bit of maths.
Times the monthly fee by 12 and you've got a year. Then times that by 3, and by 5, and put those totals next to a one-off price.
| Monthly fee | 1 year | 3 years | 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| £50 a month (example) | £600 | £1,800 | £3,000 |
| £100 a month (example) | £1,200 | £3,600 | £6,000 |
These are made-up numbers to show the sums, not real prices from anyone.
Then ask yourself one thing. If you stop paying, do you keep the site? If not, you've been renting it. It's why we say our websites are built to last, not to lease.
What hidden costs should you budget for?
The build isn't the only cost, so it's worth planning for a few others.
- Your domain name. That's your web address, and there's a small fee each year to keep it.
- Hosting. This is where the site lives online. Make sure the account's in your name.
- Email. An address on your own domain usually costs a bit on its own.
- Changes later. New photos or a new page down the line. Ask how that's charged once you're live.
With us the hosting accounts stay in your name. And if you'd like help after launch, there's an optional Care Plan.
What do you get for £550, £1,150 and £1,950?
Here's what's in each of our packages.
| Package | Price | Copywriting | Logo design |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brochure | £550 | Included | £150 add-on |
| Business | £1,150 | Included | £150 add-on |
| Bespoke | £1,950 | Included | Included |
Every build also comes with the four launch SEO steps. That's Search Console, an XML sitemap, one target keyword per page, and meta titles and descriptions.
The full details are on our website packages from £550 page. If you're comparing designers, our guide on how to choose a web designer in London lists the questions to ask.
Jonny, from our team, remembers being asked this himself:
"A few years ago I was working as a business development manager for a coffee company. The owner asked me roughly how much a website would cost at the scale we needed. I guessed around £6k, and I wasn't far off, as it ended up at £5.2k. Put simply, it doesn't have to cost that much these days, and it's great to see."
How does payment work?
It goes in four steps.
- You pay a 50% deposit to start.
- We build your site.
- You get two rounds of changes on the built site.
- You pay the balance at go-live.
If you decide not to go ahead after the two rounds of changes, there's no balance to pay. We keep the 50% deposit.
Frequently asked questions
Do I own the website?
Yes. Once it's live and paid for, it's yours, and the hosting accounts stay in your name.
Is copywriting included?
It is. We write the words in every package.
How many rounds of changes do I get?
Two, on the built site, before it goes live.
Do you charge monthly?
No. You pay once for the build. There's an optional Care Plan if you want help after launch.
Can I add a shop later?
Yes. Just ask and we'll tell you what it would involve.
Ready to talk about your website?
A chat on Google Meet with our team. Pick a time that suits you.