For most UK small businesses, a website costs somewhere between £350 and £5,000 to build, or £99–£219/month on a managed plan that bundles hosting and maintenance in. Where you land in that range depends on how many pages you need, whether you're selling online, and whether you want someone else handling the technical side afterwards.
Here's an honest breakdown, from the cheapest options to the most expensive, along with our take on when each one makes sense. Not sure you even need one yet? Our guide on whether your small business needs a website covers that question first.
Option 1: DIY Website Builders (£180–£360/year)
Platforms like Wix, Squarespace, and Shopify let you build a site yourself using drag-and-drop templates, typically £15–£30/month. They're cheap, fast to set up, and require no technical knowledge.
What you get: A decent-looking site, basic hosting, and a free subdomain (yoursite.wix.com) unless you pay for a custom domain.
What you don't get: A truly custom design, proper SEO control, fast load speeds, or anything that looks significantly different from thousands of other sites using the same template.
DIY builders are a valid starting point if you have no budget at all, but most business owners underestimate how long it takes to build something that actually looks good. And once you factor in your time, the cost isn't as low as it appears.
Option 2: Freelance Web Designer (£600–£3,000)
A UK freelance web designer typically charges between £600 and £3,000 for a straightforward small business site, usually 4–6 pages.
What you get: A custom design built around your brand, someone to handle the technical setup, and a site that actually reflects your business.
What to watch for: Freelancers vary wildly in quality. Check their portfolio carefully. Also confirm what's included, many charge separately for hosting, domain registration, and ongoing maintenance, which can add £200–£400/year on top.
Option 3: Small Agency (£350–£5,000, or from £99/month)
Small marketing agencies, like us, typically sit between a freelancer and a big agency in both price and service, with the advantage of bundling in SEO, domain setup and photography that a solo freelancer wouldn't offer.
We do publish our pricing, because we'd rather business owners knew what to budget for before they call us. At Marketing Handled:
- Single-page website: £99/month (12-month minimum, no setup fee) or £350 one-off build, live in 1–2 weeks
- Professional multi-page website: £169/month or £650 one-off build, live in 2–4 weeks
- E-commerce website: £219/month, live in 2–4 weeks
Monthly plans include hosting, maintenance and technical SEO, they have a 12-month minimum term and then roll monthly, and you work directly with the two of us, Ella and Alex, not an account manager. Based in Horsforth, Leeds and Ashtead, Surrey, we work with small businesses across West Yorkshire, Surrey, and the wider UK, all via video call where needed.
One example: Mark Thompson (Leeds) Ltd, a family-run heating and plumbing firm, had an old site generating zero enquiries. We rebuilt it with a dedicated page per service and clearer mobile calls to action. In the first month it had 19,200 impressions and 160 clicks in Google Search Console, and generated 16 leads, up from none, and the site now brings in 25+ leads a month. "It has generated lots of additional work for us and we couldn't be happier," says Mark. See the full Mark Thompson case study.
Option 4: Big Agency (£2,500–£10,000+)
UK web design agencies typically charge £2,500–£10,000 for a standard small business website, and complex or e-commerce builds can run to £20,000–£30,000+. London agencies can charge significantly more. You're paying for their overhead, their account managers, their project management software, and their brand, not necessarily a better website.
For most small businesses, an agency at this price point is overkill. The extra cost doesn't translate to proportionally better results.
What Does an E-Commerce Website Cost?
Selling online adds complexity, and cost, on top of a standard build. A small e-commerce site typically runs £3,000–£10,000 with an agency, or you can get a managed e-commerce build from us for £219/month with hosting and payment setup included. DIY platforms like Shopify start around £25–£260/month depending on plan, before transaction fees, and WooCommerce (free plugin) still needs paid hosting and a developer to set up properly.
What Does Ongoing Maintenance Cost?
This is where many business owners get caught out. A website isn't a one-off purchase, it needs hosting, security updates, occasional tweaks, and domain renewal every year.
- Domain name: £10–£25/year (.co.uk tends to sit at the cheaper end, .com slightly more)
- Hosting: £5–£10/month for basic shared hosting, up to £40–£200+/month for cloud or dedicated hosting on busier sites
- Maintenance: £0 if you DIY, or £50–£220/month with a managed service
- SSL certificate: Usually free with good hosting
At Marketing Handled, every monthly plan includes hosting, maintenance and technical SEO as standard, so you're not left trying to fix things yourself when something breaks, and there's no separate maintenance invoice on top. Our monthly website maintenance checklist shows what that upkeep should actually cover, and if you're torn between paying monthly or upfront, see our pay monthly vs one-off website comparison.
Questions to Ask Before You Sign Up
- Is the price a one-off build or a monthly plan, and what happens if I want to leave?
- Is hosting, domain registration and basic SEO included, or billed separately?
- Do I own the final site and its content, or does it belong to the agency?
- How long will the build actually take, and what do you need from me to hit that?
So What's the Right Budget?
For most UK small businesses, a realistic budget for a professional, lead-generating website is £350–£3,000 to build, or £99–£219/month on a managed plan, plus the ongoing costs above if you're not on a bundled plan.
The most important thing isn't how much you spend, it's making sure you get a website that actually works for your business.
What About SEO?
A website without SEO is like a shop without a sign. Make sure whoever builds your site includes at least basic on-page SEO, proper page titles, meta descriptions, clean URL structure, fast load speeds, and a Google Business Profile setup. These aren't extras; they're essentials, and we include them free with every build. Curious what ongoing SEO costs on top? Read our guide: How Much Does SEO Cost for a Small Business in the UK?.
If you want to learn more about how local SEO works, read our guide: What Is Local SEO? A Plain-English Guide for Small Businesses.
The Bottom Line
Don't go with the cheapest option just because it's cheap, and don't assume the most expensive agency will deliver the best results. Look at their portfolio, ask what's included, and make sure they understand small businesses, not just web design.
If you'd like to know what a website would cost for your specific business, take a look at our website design and build service or get in touch. Tell us what you're after and we'll put together a clear, no-surprises quote.
FAQs
What is the average cost of a website for a small business in the UK?
Most UK small businesses pay between £350 and £5,000 to build a website, or £99–£219/month on a managed plan that bundles hosting and maintenance in. Simple single-page sites sit at the bottom of that range; multi-page or e-commerce builds sit at the top.
Is it cheaper to build my own website?
On paper, yes, a DIY builder like Wix or Squarespace costs £15–£30/month. But once you add the hours it takes a non-designer to build something that looks professional, plus the lack of proper SEO control, it's rarely the cheapest option once your time is factored in.
How much does an e-commerce website cost in the UK?
A small e-commerce site typically costs £3,000–£10,000 to build with an agency, or from £219/month on a managed plan that includes hosting and payment setup. DIY platforms like Shopify start around £25–£260/month depending on the plan, before transaction fees.
What should I budget for ongoing website costs?
Beyond the build, budget for a domain name (£10–£25/year), hosting (£5–£200/month depending on provider), and maintenance (£0 if you DIY, or £50–£220/month with a managed service). SSL is usually included free with decent hosting.
Do I own my website if I pay monthly?
It depends on the agency. At Marketing Handled, sites on a monthly plan are managed and hosted by us, becoming fully yours after 12 rolling months; one-off builds are fully yours from day one.