Most agencies dodge this question, or bury it behind a “get a quote” form. That’s understandable — costs genuinely vary a lot — but it’s also unhelpful if you’re trying to budget. Here’s a straight answer, with the caveats that actually matter.
The short version
For a small UK business, a properly built website typically falls into one of three brackets:
- £800–£2,500 — a template-based or DIY-platform build (Wix, Squarespace, basic WordPress theme), suitable for a simple brochure site with a handful of pages.
- £2,500–£8,000 — a custom-designed small business website, built specifically around your business rather than a generic template, with proper on-page SEO foundations, usually 5–15 pages.
- £8,000+ — a larger or more complex build: e-commerce, bespoke functionality, multi-location businesses, or anything needing custom integrations (booking systems, CRMs, member areas).
These are UK small-agency ranges, not global or enterprise pricing, and not DIY platform self-builds where you do all the work yourself for the platform’s monthly fee alone.
What actually moves the price within those ranges
Number of pages and content complexity. A five-page site and a twenty-page site with multiple service areas are different jobs, even on the same platform.
Custom design versus template. A template is cheaper because the structural work is already done. Custom design costs more because every layout decision is made from scratch for your brand specifically — but it’s also why two businesses with templated sites in the same industry can end up looking near-identical.
Whether SEO foundations are included. This is the bit that often gets missed in cheaper quotes. A site built without proper technical SEO from the start (correct heading structure, clean URLs, indexable pages, decent page speed) often needs that work redone later anyway, which costs more in total than doing it properly the first time.
E-commerce or custom functionality. Online payments, bookings, stock management, CRM integration, or membership areas all add real development time, not just design time.
Copywriting and photography. If you need someone to write the content or take proper photos, rather than supplying your own, that’s a genuine extra cost most quotes separate out, and it’s worth asking specifically whether it’s included.
Ongoing costs after launch. Hosting (typically £10–£50/month), domain renewal (£10–£20/year), and any ongoing SEO or maintenance support (highly variable, often £150–£600+/month if you want active ongoing work rather than just upkeep) are separate from the build cost, and worth budgeting for, not just the headline build price.
Red flags worth knowing about
Extremely cheap quotes (under a few hundred pounds) usually mean a generic template with no real customisation, and often little to no SEO consideration, which can mean paying again later to fix it.
Vague “from £X” pricing with no detail on what’s included makes it hard to compare quotes fairly. Ask specifically what’s covered: number of pages, who writes the content, whether SEO setup is included, what happens after launch.
Ongoing SEO retainers with no clear deliverables. A good SEO arrangement should be able to tell you roughly what work is being done each month, not just “we’re working on it.”
What we’d suggest asking any agency, including us
- What’s included in the quoted price, specifically — pages, content, photography, SEO setup?
- What happens after launch — is there a maintenance or support cost, and what does it cover?
- Can you see examples of similar-sized projects and roughly what they cost?
- Is the site being built on a platform you can move away from later if needed, or are you locked into that agency’s system?
A good agency should be able to answer all of these clearly and without hedging. If they can’t, that’s usually worth noting.
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FAQs
How much does a small business website cost in the UK?
Typically £800-£2,500 for a template-based build, £2,500-£8,000 for a custom-designed small business site, and £8,000+ for e-commerce or more complex functionality.
What’s included in a typical website quote?
This varies significantly between agencies, so always ask specifically about page count, who writes the content, whether SEO setup is included, and what support is offered after launch.
Are there ongoing costs after a website is built?
Yes — hosting (typically £10-£50/month), domain renewal (£10-£20/year), and optionally ongoing SEO or maintenance support, which is separate from the initial build cost.