It’s the first question every business owner asks. And honestly, the answer you usually get, “it depends”, isn’t very helpful.
So let’s skip that and be straightforward. Here’s what a website actually costs for a small business in the UK in 2026, broken down by your main options and what you get at each price point.
The quick overview
For a professional small business website in the UK, you’re looking at roughly:
| Option | Upfront Cost | Monthly/Ongoing | What You Get |
|---|---|---|---|
| DIY builder (Wix, Squarespace) | Free - £300 | £12 - £35/month | Template site you build yourself |
| Freelance web designer | £500 - £3,000 | Varies | Custom-ish design, variable quality |
| Web design agency | £3,000 - £15,000+ | £50 - £200/month | Full custom design, more services |
| Managed service (like Bink) | £0 upfront | £59/month | Custom design, hosting, SEO, support |
Those are ballpark figures for a typical local business site. Think 3-8 pages covering your services, an about page, and a contact form. Not an e-commerce site with hundreds of products.
DIY website builders
Wix, Squarespace, GoDaddy, WordPress.com. You’ve probably seen the ads.
They’re free to start, then £12-£35/month once you want a custom domain and to get rid of their branding. You pick a template, drag things around, add your text and photos, and in theory you’re done.
In practice, it rarely works out that smoothly. Most business owners we talk to fall into one of three camps: they started building a site and gave up because it took ages and still didn’t look right, they finished something they’re not really happy with, or they never got around to starting because life kept getting in the way.
The hidden cost isn’t the monthly subscription. It’s your time. All those hours choosing templates, fighting with layouts, trying to figure out SEO, and writing copy. That’s time you could be spending on actual paying work.
If you genuinely enjoy tinkering with websites and have the time for it, DIY builders can work. For most busy business owners though, they end up being a source of frustration more than anything.
Freelance web designers
Expect to pay somewhere between £500 and £3,000 for a basic site. Usually WordPress-based, with hosting as a separate cost (£5-£15/month on top).
There are some genuinely talented freelancers out there. The problem is there are also a lot of average ones, and it’s hard to tell the difference before you’ve handed over your money.
A few things worth thinking about. Communication can be patchy when they’re juggling multiple clients. If you need a change in six months, will they still be around and responsive? Their portfolio might look great, but that doesn’t always mean your project gets the same level of attention. And then there are all the extras that aren’t usually included: hosting fees, domain renewals, SSL certificates, plugin licences, security updates. Those add up faster than you’d expect.
If you’ve found someone with solid reviews and a good portfolio, and you have a clear idea of what you want, a freelancer can be a decent option. Just make sure you know what’s included and what isn’t before you commit.
Web design agencies
This is where the numbers jump. You’re looking at £3,000 to £15,000+ upfront, plus £50-£200 a month for hosting and ongoing maintenance.
Agencies do produce excellent work, no question. The issue for most local businesses is simply the price. Dropping five or ten grand on a website is a big ask when you’re running a small plumbing business or a two-chair salon.
The process tends to be slower too. Many agencies work on 8-12 week timelines with discovery phases, multiple revision rounds, and approval stages. That makes sense for bigger companies with complex needs. For a local business that just wants a solid, professional website, it can feel like a lot.
Worth considering if you have a bigger budget and need something with complex functionality. For a straightforward local business site though, you’re probably paying more than you need to.
What actually drives the cost up (or down)
Whichever route you go, a few things have the biggest impact on price.
Number of pages is an obvious one. A simple 5-page site (home, about, services, gallery, contact) costs less than a 15-pager with individual service pages, a blog, and team profiles. For most local businesses, 5-8 pages hits the sweet spot.
Custom design vs templates makes a difference too. A design built from scratch for your brand costs more than tweaking a ready-made template, but it looks more professional and helps you stand out from competitors who all picked the same Squarespace theme.
Photography is one people forget about. Professional photos of your work, your team, and your premises make a massive difference to how your site comes across. Budget £150-£500 for a local photographer if you don’t have good photos already. Stock images are fine to start with, but real photos always perform better.
SEO is another big one. Some providers include basic search engine optimisation in the price. Others charge extra for it, sometimes a lot extra. Always ask. A website nobody can find on Google isn’t doing much for you.
Ongoing costs are where a lot of people get caught out. A website isn’t a one-time purchase. You’ve also got your domain name (£8-£15/year), hosting (£5-£50/month), SSL certificate (often free these days but not always), maintenance and updates (£20-£100/month), and content changes (often charged at £30-£75/hour). All in, that can add £300-£1,000+ per year on top of your initial spend.
Things to look for regardless of budget
Whatever you end up paying, make sure your website ticks these boxes.
It needs to look good on mobile. Over 60% of web traffic comes from phones these days, so if your site looks rubbish on a smaller screen, you’re losing people. It needs to load fast too. If it takes more than 3 seconds, visitors leave, and Google notices.
SEO should be built in from the start, not bolted on later. That means proper page titles, meta descriptions, and content that helps Google understand what you do and where you do it. You’ll want a contact form so customers can reach you easily. And HTTPS (the little padlock in the browser) is non-negotiable for security and trust.
Red flags to watch for
A few things that should make you think twice.
Make sure you actually own your website and your domain. Some providers build on proprietary platforms, which means if you ever want to leave, you lose everything. Vague quotes are another warning sign. If someone can’t clearly explain what’s included, be careful.
Watch out for long lock-in contracts with hefty cancellation fees. And be very sceptical of anyone promising “page 1 of Google in 30 days.” They’re either lying or using dodgy techniques that’ll end up getting your site penalised.
If they can’t show you examples of sites they’ve built for similar businesses, that’s worth worrying about too.
Working out what’s right for you
There’s no magic number, but here’s a useful way to think about it.
What’s a new customer worth to your business? If a new customer is worth £200 to you and your website brings in just two extra enquiries a month, that’s £400 in new revenue every month. Over a year, that’s £4,800. A website costing £59/month (that’s £708/year) pays for itself many times over.
A good website isn’t a cost. It’s something that should pay for itself, as long as it’s built properly.
So what’s the answer?
You don’t need to spend thousands to get a good website. But you do need to spend enough to get something professional, fast, and actually findable on Google. The cheapest option isn’t always the best value, and the most expensive option isn’t always necessary.
For most local businesses, the sweet spot is somewhere in between. A professionally designed site with SEO, hosting, and support included, at a price that actually makes sense when you’re running a small business.
At Bink, we build websites for local businesses at £59/month with everything included. Custom design, hosting, SEO, content updates, and ongoing support. No setup fees, no contract, cancel anytime. See our pricing or get in touch for a friendly, no-pressure chat about what your business needs.