A simple five-page website for a UK small business costs about £1,500 to £3,000 from a freelancer and £3,000 to £5,000 from an agency, according to published UK price guides (2026). A do-it-yourself builder looks cheaper at roughly £15 to £40 a month, but you do all the work. The quote is rarely the full cost, so this guide lists what each route includes and what it quietly leaves out.
How much does a small business website cost in the UK?
There is no single price because "a website" can mean a one-page card or a 50-page business. Most small businesses, such as a plumber, a salon or an accountant, need a home page, an about page, a services page, a contact page and one or two more. That is the "five-page website" that price guides use as their standard example.
Published UK price guides (2026) put that site at £1,500 to £3,000 with a freelancer. Some guides stretch the range from £500 at the very bottom to £4,000 at the top. Small agencies charge £3,000 to £5,000 for the same five pages, mostly because a team, a project manager and an office have to be paid for.
| Route | Typical cost for 5 pages | Who does the work | Main catch |
|---|---|---|---|
| DIY website builder | About £15–40 a month | You | Your evenings, your writing, your mistakes |
| Freelancer | £1,500–3,000 once | One person | Quality varies; copy and hosting often extra |
| Agency | £3,000–5,000 once | A team | Highest price; small jobs are not their priority |
| Done-for-you service | Setup fee plus a monthly fee | The provider | You rely on one company for upkeep |
How much does a freelance web designer charge?
A good freelancer is often the best value for a business that wants a person to talk to. For a five-page information site you can expect £1,500 to £3,000. You will find cheaper, and some of it is perfectly fine, but a price under £500 usually means a ready-made template with your logo dropped in and no time spent on your wording.
The risks are practical, not moral. One person can be ill, busy or gone. If they hold the logins to your hosting, you may struggle to move away later. Ask before you pay: who owns the domain, who holds the hosting account, and what happens if you want a change in two years.
How much does a web design agency charge?
Agencies charge £3,000 to £5,000 for a small business site, and more once you add custom design, many pages or extra features. You are paying for specialists: a designer, a developer, sometimes a copywriter, and someone who answers the phone. For a firm with a bigger budget and a brand to protect, that can be money well spent.
For a sole trader or a small team, the same money often buys more than you need. Check how many rounds of changes are included, how long it takes (six to ten weeks is common) and whether you can edit text yourself afterwards without a ticket and a bill.
Is a DIY website builder cheaper?
On paper, yes. Builder subscriptions cost roughly $15 to $40 a month, and the first draft can be live in a weekend. What the price does not show is your time. You choose a layout, write every page, find or take photos, set up your domain, fix how it looks on a phone and learn why the site does not appear in Google.
If you enjoy that and have the hours, a builder is a fair choice and the cheapest in cash. If an hour of your time is worth £30 to £50 on the job you actually do, twenty hours of fiddling is £600 to £1,000 of unbilled work. Many owners start on a builder, run out of patience by page three and end up paying a freelancer anyway.
What is a done-for-you website, and what does it cost?
A done-for-you service sits between a builder and an agency. You answer a few questions about your business, and the provider writes the pages, builds the site, hosts it, secures it and handles small updates for a monthly fee. You do not log into anything.
Adyft Sites works this way. You answer a few questions on WhatsApp, and we write every page and build the site. The Starter plan in the UK is £999 setup plus £49 a month for five pages (home plus four you choose), live in under seven days. The monthly fee covers hosting, security, small changes and a report. Growth is £1,999 plus £99 a month for 25 pages. Full details are on the pricing page.
💡 Compare the cost over three years, not the first invoice. A £2,000 site plus £150 hosting and £600 maintenance a year is not a £2,000 site.
What is usually included in a website quote?
Most quotes cover the same core. Read yours for each of these, because "included" is where quotes differ most:
- 1Design of the pages, usually from a template adjusted to your colours and logo.
- 2Building the site so it works on phones, tablets and desktops.
- 3A contact form that sends enquiries to your email.
- 4Basic search engine set-up: page titles, descriptions and a sitemap.
- 5Putting the site live on your domain.
- 6A short handover, ideally with a guide or video on how to make simple edits.
What is usually NOT included?
This is the list that surprises first-time buyers. Ask about each item, in writing, before you sign:
| Often left out | Typical extra cost (UK guides, 2026) |
|---|---|
| Writing the text (copywriting) | £50–150 per page |
| Hosting | £50–300 a year |
| Maintenance and updates | £300–1,200 a year |
| Fuller search engine set-up | £300–1,000 |
| Domain name | About £10–15 a year |
| Professional photos or stock images | Varies; ask who pays for licences |
| Privacy policy and cookie wording | Sometimes extra, sometimes a template |
Copywriting is the big one. A freelancer who quotes £2,000 for five pages may expect you to supply every word. Writing a page that sells your service is harder than it looks, and weak text is the main reason a good-looking site brings no enquiries. If you write it yourself, budget a weekend. If someone else writes it, budget £250 to £750 for five pages.
What hidden costs should I budget for each year?
Once the site is live, the running costs begin. Published UK price guides (2026) show three recurring items that catch people out:
- 1Hosting, the computer that keeps your site online: £50 to £300 a year, depending on speed and support.
- 2Maintenance, meaning security updates, backups and fixing what breaks: £300 to £1,200 a year if you pay for it.
- 3Your domain name: about £10 to £15 a year. Check it is registered in your name, not the designer’s.
Add changes on top. Swapping a price, adding a team member or a new service is a small job, but some designers bill an hourly rate with a minimum, so a five-minute edit costs £40. Ask whether small changes are in the monthly fee or charged each time.
How much should I budget in total for the first three years?
Here is a worked comparison for the same five-page site. The freelancer and agency lines use the middle of the published ranges plus the typical extras above; they are illustrations, not quotes.
| Year 1 | Years 2 and 3 (each) | Three-year total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Freelancer | £2,250 build + £150 hosting + £500 maintenance | £650 | About £3,550 |
| Agency | £4,000 build + £150 hosting + £600 maintenance | £750 | About £6,250 |
| Adyft Sites Starter | £999 setup + £588 monthly fees | £588 | About £2,763 |
The point is not that one route always wins. A freelancer you trust who answers messages quickly can be cheaper and warmer. The point is that the cheapest-looking first invoice and the cheapest three years are often different answers.
How many pages does a small business website need?
Fewer than most owners think, and more than a single page. A plumber can do very well with a home page, a services page, an areas-covered page, an about page and a contact page. A solicitor or dentist usually wants a page per service, because people search for those one by one.
Price rises with page count, so start with the pages that bring in work and add more later. Our template pages show what a typical site looks like for common trades, for example a plumber, a dentist or a florist.
How do I choose between the options?
- 1Choose a builder if you have the time, enjoy the work and money is very tight.
- 2Choose a freelancer if you want a real person, local if possible, and can supply the text and manage the hosting.
- 3Choose an agency if you have a bigger budget, a brand to build or complicated needs.
- 4Choose a done-for-you service if you want it live fast, with no logins and one monthly cost.
Whichever you pick, ask for a fixed price in writing, the list of pages, who owns the domain, how long it takes and what the monthly or yearly fee covers.
Questions about small business website costs in the UK
How much does a 5-page website cost in the UK?
Published UK price guides (2026) put a five-page site at £1,500 to £3,000 from a freelancer and £3,000 to £5,000 from an agency. Some guides show a wider range, from £500 to £4,000 for freelancers. Copywriting, hosting and maintenance are often extra.
Why is there such a big range in website prices?
Because the work behind the price differs: a template with your logo, or a custom design with written copy, photos and search set-up. Agencies also price in their team and overheads. Always compare what is included, not only the total.
How much does website hosting and maintenance cost per year?
UK price guides (2026) show hosting at £50 to £300 a year and maintenance at £300 to £1,200 a year if you pay for it separately. Done-for-you services usually fold both into one monthly fee.
Do I need to pay for copywriting?
Not if you write the text yourself, but it is the part owners most underestimate. A copywriter usually charges £50 to £150 a page. Adyft Sites writes every page from your answers, so the setup fee covers it.
Can I get a decent website for under £1,000?
Yes, with a builder you set up yourself, a very basic freelancer package or a done-for-you plan like our £999 Starter. Under £500 is possible, but expect a bare template and little or no help with wording.
Who should own my domain name?
You. Check that it is registered in your own name and that you hold the login. With Adyft Sites the domain is registered in the owner’s name, at about £10 to £15 a year.
A finished website, priced up front
Answer a few questions on WhatsApp. We write the pages, build, host and look after the site. Starter is £999 plus £49 a month.