It's usually the first question, and the hardest one to get a straight answer to. Ask three people and you'll hear three very different numbers, often with "it depends" attached. Here's what the price actually depends on, what the usual options tend to cost, and the running costs that catch people out.
What you're actually paying for
Every website has the same few ingredients, whoever builds it. The price mostly comes down to who does the work, and how much of it there is.
- The design: how the site looks and how it's laid out
- The words: what each page says about your business
- The build: turning the design into a site that works on phones and computers
- The domain: your web address, renewed every year
- Hosting: keeping the site online
- Changes: updating it once it's live
A cheap quote usually leaves some of these to you. An expensive one often includes things a small business doesn't need.
The three usual routes
Doing it yourself with a website builder
Subscription website builders are the cheapest way in: typically a monthly fee, plus your own time. The catch is the time. You choose a template, write every word, find the photos and make it all work on a phone. Plenty of owners start one and never finish it.
A freelancer
A freelance designer might charge anything from a few hundred pounds to a couple of thousand for a small site, depending on their experience and what's included. Good freelancers are excellent value. Ask what happens after launch, because changes are often charged by the hour.
An agency
Agencies bring a team, and the price reflects it. For a small business site, quotes in the thousands are common, and a larger project with bookings or payments can go well beyond that. You'll usually get a polished result, and a longer wait.
The costs that come after launch
The build is a one-off. The running costs are what you'll live with, so ask about them before you agree to anything.
- Your domain name, usually a small yearly fee
- Hosting, paid monthly or yearly
- A security certificate, sometimes included and sometimes extra
- Changes and updates, which over a few years can cost more than the site itself
The cheapest website is rarely the one with the lowest quote. It's the one you can keep up to date without paying every time.
That last point is the one people forget. If every new photo, price or opening time means emailing someone and waiting for an invoice, the site quietly falls behind.
What we charge
We keep it simple. A Contact Page is £250, flat. That covers up to five content pages, written and designed around your business, working on phones, tablets and computers, with a contact form and a security certificate. Most are live within a week.
If you need more, like bookings, payments or customer accounts, a Full-Service Website is quoted after a short conversation. Most land between £300 and £400, and most quotes are sent within two working days.
Every site then carries £30 a month for hosting, upkeep and Rizer, which lets you make changes yourself by describing them in plain English. There are no hourly charges for small edits, and no surprise extras.
Want the full breakdown? See our pricing