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The honest answer to the small business website cost UK owners ask about is "somewhere between nothing and £20,000". That is not much use, so this guide breaks it down by who builds the site, what you pay each year afterwards and how to tell whether a quote is fair.
Small business website cost in the UK: published ranges
These figures come from pricing guides by UK web companies, including SpotDev and Webpop Design. They are those companies' own estimates and they do sell web services, so treat them as a rough guide. Neither guide says whether its figures include VAT, so check that on any quote you get.
| Who builds it | Published range |
|---|---|
| You, with a template or website builder | £0 to £1,000 |
| Freelancer, brochure site | £500 to £6,000 |
| Regional or small agency | £2,500 to £10,000 |
| London agency, small brochure site | £6,000 to £20,000 or more |
| Online store or feature-rich site | £10,000 to £25,000 |
What you get at each level
- Template or builder. You do the work yourself. It suits a very small business that mainly needs to exist online, and your time is the real cost.
- Freelancer. One person, and often good value. Ask what happens if they are ill or fully booked when something breaks.
- Regional agency. A small team with someone to manage the project, which usually means more process and a higher price.
- London agency. Higher overheads, and worthwhile if you need people in the room or larger brand work.
- Offshore team. Costs are lower, so prices are too. The trade-off is that nobody visits your premises and you have to write a clear brief. Our guide on outsourcing to Pakistan covers how to do that safely.
The yearly costs on top
The build is only the first bill. Budget for your domain, hosting, any paid plugins or apps, and someone to handle updates. Kwiboo puts maintenance at about £500 to £3,000 a year. A simple brochure site can cost much less, while a busy online store can cost more.
What pushes the price up
- Someone else writing your text or taking your photos
- A design made from scratch rather than from a template
- Online bookings, payments or customer accounts
- Connections to your accounting, stock or CRM software
- Moving a large old site without losing your Google rankings
How to compare quotes
Ask each supplier the same questions, so you are comparing like with like:
- Does the price include VAT?
- How many pages and rounds of changes are included?
- Will the domain and hosting be registered in my name?
- Who owns the design and the code when the project is paid for?
- What will it cost each year after launch?
- Can I update the text and photos myself?
What we charge UK clients
We are a team in Pakistan, and our packages start at £70 for a site of up to five pages, £120 for up to ten pages and £155 for an online store with up to 50 products. That is far below the table above, because our costs are lower and each package covers only what it lists. If you need something custom, we will send you a fixed quote in pounds. See our pricing page and how we work with UK businesses, or send us a message.
Common questions
How much should a small business pay for a website in the UK?
Published guides put a freelancer-built brochure site at about £500 to £6,000 and a regional agency at about £2,500 to £10,000. What you need and who builds it make the biggest difference.
Is VAT included in website quotes?
Not always, so ask. A VAT-registered supplier adds 20%, which matters if your business cannot reclaim it.
How much does a website cost to run each year?
One UK guide puts maintenance at about £500 to £3,000 a year, on top of the domain and hosting. A simple site can cost much less if you handle updates yourself.
Ammar Sohail is the founder and CEO of Wolf Tech Agency, a web development and digital marketing team in Faisalabad, Pakistan. A full stack developer, Ammar enjoys building websites and web apps that solve practical business problems.
