If you've ever asked a web designer for a price and got "it depends" back, you're not alone. Website pricing in the UK can feel vague: published UK price guides show quotes ranging from a few hundred pounds to many thousands for what sounds like the same job [1][2], and it's hard to tell what the difference actually is.
This guide explains what you should expect to pay for a small business website in 2026, what affects the price, and the running costs people often forget about.
The short answer
Published UK price guides put a small business site built by a freelancer at roughly £600 to £3,000 [1][2], with running costs of a few hundred pounds a year or more [1]. Online shops cost more, typically several thousand pounds [2]. Some smaller studios (including us) charge less than that range, so always compare what's included.
You can pay much less if you build the site yourself, and much more with a large agency. Here's how the options compare.
Option 1: Do it yourself (about £9–£30 a month)
Website builders like Wix and Squarespace let you build a site yourself for a monthly fee. In the UK, Wix's paid plans start at £9 a month and Squarespace's at £12 a month, both billed yearly [3][4]. The upfront cost is low, but there are trade-offs:
- Your time. Getting a DIY site to look right can easily take several evenings or weekends. Put a value on your own hourly rate and a "cheap" website can turn out to be quite expensive.
- Design. Templates look great with professional photos and polished wording. With your own photos and rushed copy, they often look generic.
- SEO basics. Page titles, descriptions, headings and local business information are easy to get wrong if you don't know what Google looks for.
- The monthly fee never stops. Over five years, a £20/month plan adds up to £1,200, and you still did all the work.
DIY can be the right choice if you enjoy it and have the time.
Option 2: A freelancer or small studio (roughly £600–£3,000)
This is a popular route for local businesses. A freelancer or small studio builds the site for you, usually with 5–10 pages: home, services, about, gallery, reviews and contact.
What you should get at this price:
- A mobile-friendly design (around half of UK web traffic is on phones [5], and often more for local services)
- A contact form and clear ways to get in touch
- Basic local SEO: proper page titles, descriptions, and your business name, area and services set up so Google understands them
- A map or list of the areas you cover
- Fast loading and an SSL certificate (the padlock in the browser bar)
The quality varies a lot, so ask to see examples and check exactly what's included. Is copywriting included, or do you have to write every word? How many rounds of changes do you get? Who owns the site afterwards?
Option 3: An agency (roughly £2,500–£15,000+)
Agencies make sense for bigger businesses that need custom features, integrations with booking or stock systems, or a full marketing strategy. UK price guides put agency builds at roughly £2,500 to £15,000 or more [1][2]. For a sole trader or a small local business, that's often more than you need. You end up paying for account managers, meetings and overheads that don't make your phone ring any more often.
Option 4: Pay monthly (roughly £45–£100 a month)
Pay monthly websites spread the cost (UK services advertise from around £45–£49 a month [1]): there's little or nothing to pay upfront, and you pay a fixed monthly fee that usually includes hosting and updates. It's a good option if cash flow matters more than the total cost.
Check the small print:
- Minimum term. Many have one, often 12 or 24 months (ours is 24).
- Ownership. What happens to the site and domain if you stop paying?
- What's included. Are edits included, or are they extra?
The running costs people forget
Whatever route you choose, budget for these:
| Cost | Typical price |
|---|---|
| Domain name (.co.uk) | Usually under £10 a year [6] |
| Hosting | Varies; often around £15–£25 a month through a freelancer [1] |
| SSL certificate | Often included with hosting |
| Business email | e.g. Google Workspace Business Starter, £5.90–£7 per person a month plus VAT [7] |
| Updates and security | £0 if you do it yourself; care plans vary widely [2] |
A website isn't a one-off purchase. Software needs updating, backups need taking, and your prices and photos will change. A care plan that covers this can work out cheaper than paying for an emergency fix after something breaks.
What actually affects the price?
- Number of pages. Five pages costs less than twenty.
- Who writes the words. Copywriting takes time, and good copy is what turns visitors into enquiries.
- Features. Booking systems, online payments and shops add cost.
- Photos. Professional photography is extra, but your own good phone photos of real work show customers what you actually do.
- How many changes you want. Endless rounds of revisions add up.
What we charge at Yesmo (and why we publish it)
We think you should know the price before you get in touch, so ours are on our website:
- Starter: £549. Up to 5 pages, contact form, map and basic local SEO.
- Business: £999. Up to 10 pages, copywriting included, booking or enquiry forms, gallery, analytics, fuller local SEO, and you can edit it yourself.
- Online shops: from £1,750.
- Pay Monthly: £79 a month with no build fee upfront (your first £79 month is due at sign-up), including hosting and Care (24-month minimum).
- Care plans from £29 a month for hosting, SSL, backups, security updates and small edits (12-month minimum).
We're not VAT-registered, so there's no VAT to add: the price you see is the price you pay. See the full breakdown, including add-ons, on our pricing section.
Everything is done by email: you tell us about your business, we send you a free proof within 2 working days, and you reply "yes" when you're happy. Starter sites go live within 7 days once we have your content.
How to avoid overpaying (or underpaying)
- Get a fixed price in writing before any work starts.
- Ask who owns the domain. It should be registered in your name.
- Look at real examples from the designer, ideally from businesses like yours.
- Be wary of very cheap quotes. Ask exactly what you get. A very low price can mean a template with your logo dropped in and no help once it's live.
- Ask who owns the site. At Yesmo you own your words, photos and domain from day one (see our FAQ).
- Think about the return. Work out what one extra job is worth to you. If the website brings in even a few more jobs a year, it can cover its own cost.
The bottom line
UK price guides put a professionally built small business website at roughly £600–£3,000 from a freelancer [1][2], plus ongoing hosting and care. Smaller studios like ours start at £549. Spend more if you need a shop or custom features. Spend less only if you have the time and patience to do it yourself.
Get your free proof
Want a fixed price for your business? Send us one email with your business name, your town and what you do. We'll reply with a free proof within 2 working days, with no calls and no jargon.
Email hello@yesmo.co.uk to get your proof, or use the contact form.
Run a trade? See what's included in our websites for plumbers and websites for electricians.
Sources
Checked by web search on 13 Oct 2026. Prices change, so recheck before publishing. 1. UK Web Marketing, "How much does a website cost in the UK in 2026?": https://ukwebmarketing.com/blog/how-much-does-a-website-cost-uk-2026 2. Pixelish, "How Much Does a Website Cost in 2026? UK Pricing Guide": https://www.pixelish.co.uk/cost-of-website-build/ 3. ExpertSure, "Wix Pricing UK 2026": https://www.expertsure.com/uk/web-design/wix-pricing-uk/ 4. Lux Branding, "Squarespace Website Cost UK vs Wix" (prices taken from squarespace.com/pricing, Oct 2026): https://luxbranding.co.uk/wix-vs-squarespace-uk/ 5. StatCounter Global Stats, Desktop vs Mobile Market Share, United Kingdom: https://gs.statcounter.com/platform-market-share/desktop-mobile/united-kingdom 6. Namecheap .co.uk registration pricing: https://www.namecheap.com/domains/registration/cctld/co-uk/ 7. Google Workspace Help, plan prices (GBP): https://knowledge.workspace.google.com/admin/billing/compare-flexible-and-annual-fixed-term-payment-plans