How much does a website cost for a small business?
Cameron · Solent Web29 Sept 20263 min read“How much will it cost?” is the first question almost everyone asks, and the most common answer — “it depends” — isn’t very helpful. So here’s an honest breakdown of what websites cost for small businesses in the UK, what you get at each level, and the running costs to budget for.
The short answer
| Option | Typical cost | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| DIY builder (Wix, Squarespace etc.) | Roughly £10–£40 a month, plus your time | Very tight budgets, side projects, testing an idea |
| Freelancer / small studio | Roughly £400–£3,000 one-off | Most small local businesses |
| Agency | Roughly £3,000–£15,000+ | Larger companies, complex systems, big teams |
These are broad, typical ranges — prices vary a lot depending on who you speak to and what’s included.
What actually drives the price
Two websites can look similar and cost very different amounts. These are the things that make the biggest difference:
- Number of pages and page types. Five pages that share a layout are quicker to build than five completely different designs.
- Custom design vs a template. A design made for your business takes longer than filling in someone else’s layout — but it fits your brand and your customers.
- Functionality. Online payments, bookings, member areas and integrations with other software all add time.
- Content. If you need help writing the words or sourcing photos, that’s extra work — and it’s often where projects stall.
- Selling online. An online shop needs product pages, a basket, a checkout, payments, delivery rules and testing, so it costs more than a brochure site.
The running costs nobody mentions
The build is a one-off cost, but every website has a few ongoing bills. Budget for:
- Domain name — usually around £10–£20 a year for a .co.uk or .com.
- Hosting — anywhere from free for a simple, lightweight site up to £10–£30 a month for heavier platforms like WordPress with managed updates.
- Business email — services such as Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace start from roughly £5 per person per month.
- SSL certificate (the padlock) — should be free with any decent host these days. Be wary of anyone charging extra for it.
- Maintenance — optional, but someone needs to keep things updated, backed up and secure. Care plans typically run from around £25–£100 a month.
Cheap vs good value
A £200 website that nobody finds, loads slowly and doesn’t bring in enquiries is expensive. A £1,000 website that brings in one extra customer a month usually pays for itself quickly. It’s worth thinking about what a new customer is worth to your business and working backwards from there.
The best question isn’t “how cheap can I get it?” — it’s “what will this bring back?”
Questions to ask before you pay anyone
- Is the price fixed, and what exactly is included?
- Who owns the website, the domain and the content?
- What will I pay each month or year after launch?
- Can I update the content myself, and how?
- What happens if something breaks after launch?
- Can I see examples of similar work?
What Solent Web charges
For reference, Solent Web’s starting prices are £395 for a landing page, £750 for a business website and £1,800 for an online shop — with a fixed written quote after a free chat, and no lock-in. You own everything from day one.
If you’d like a straight answer on what your project would cost, email me with a few lines about your business and I’ll get back to you within a day.