How much does a small business website cost in the UK?

The short answer

For a small UK business in 2026, a simple, well-built website typically costs between £400 and £1,200 as a one-off build. A larger business site with multiple pages, booking or lead capture usually lands between £1,000 and £2,500. E-commerce and custom web apps are scoped individually because the work varies so much.

Anything advertised at £99 is usually a template with your logo dropped in, and anything quoted at £10,000 for a five-page brochure site is almost always agency overhead rather than extra value.

What you get at each price point

Price tracks scope, not magic. Here's roughly what each band buys you:

• £400–£800 — a starter site: 3–5 pages, mobile responsive, contact form, basic SEO setup, hosted and live.
• £800–£1,500 — a business site: more pages, custom design, gallery or portfolio, Google Business integration, structured data and stronger on-page SEO.
• £1,500–£3,000 — booking systems, client portals, multi-location pages, or a small online shop.
• £3,000+ — custom web applications, integrations with other software, or ongoing product work.

The ongoing costs nobody mentions

A build price is only part of the picture. Budget for these each year so nothing surprises you:

• Domain name: roughly £10–£20 per year for a .co.uk or .com.
• Hosting: £0–£200 per year depending on the platform and traffic.
• Maintenance: updates, backups, small content changes and security checks.
• Optional extras: email hosting, premium plugins, stock photography.

How to avoid overpaying

Ask for a fixed price with a written scope before any work begins. Get clarity on who owns the domain, who owns the code, and what happens if you want to move elsewhere later. A fair supplier will answer all three without hesitating.

Be equally wary of quotes that are far below the market. The cheapest build often costs more later, when the site has to be rebuilt because it can't be edited, ranked or extended.

Common questions

Is a monthly website plan cheaper than paying up front?

Monthly plans spread the cost, but over two or three years you usually pay more, and you often don't own the site. A one-off build with a separate maintenance plan is normally better value.

Do I need to pay for SEO separately?

Basic on-page SEO — titles, descriptions, structure, speed, mobile — should be part of any decent build. Ongoing content and link work is a separate, optional service.