Ask ten web designers what a website costs and you’ll get ten different answers, most of them starting with “it depends”. That isn’t much help when you’re trying to budget. So here’s a straight one.
For a small UK business, a good website usually costs somewhere between £450 and £2,000. Most sole traders and small firms land near the bottom of that. Bigger sites with more pages, an online shop, or custom features cost more. That’s the honest range.
What you’re actually paying for
A website isn’t just a design. When you pay for one, you’re paying for someone to:
- Understand your business and who your customers are
- Design pages that look right and load fast
- Build it so it works on phones, tablets and laptops
- Set it up to be found on Google
- Test it, launch it, and fix anything that breaks
The cheap end skips most of that. The expensive end does all of it, plus custom design and extra features.
Real price ranges
- A simple 5-page website: from around £450. Perfect for a tradesperson, a cafe, or a service business that needs to look professional and take enquiries.
- A larger business site (up to 10 pages): around £750. More room for services, a gallery, and proper contact tools.
- An online shop: from around £850. Products, payments and postage all set up for you.
Prices climb from there with custom design, lots of pages, bookings, memberships, or anything bespoke.
What makes a website cost more
- More pages and content. Ten pages take longer than five.
- An online shop. Products, payments and delivery add work.
- Custom features. Booking systems, calculators, member logins.
- Copywriting and photography. If you need words and images created, that’s extra.
- Ongoing SEO and marketing. A separate, ongoing cost, not part of the build.
Watch out for these
- “Free” website builders. They’re rarely free once you add a domain, remove ads, and unlock features. And you’re on your own when something breaks.
- Monthly “website” deals with no end. Some agencies rent you a website forever. Read the small print. You often never own it.
- Quotes with no detail. A real quote tells you what you get. A one-line number usually hides surprises.
The bottom line
You don’t need to spend thousands to get a website that wins you customers. You do need someone honest who tells you the price up front and sticks to it.
At Inspired Studios, our websites start from £450, with free hosting and unlimited revisions until you’re happy. No hidden costs, no surprise bills. See our full pricing for every package, or if you want a straight quote for your business, get in touch and we’ll give you one.
