For most Irish small businesses the strongest setup is a .ie domain, an Eircode shown on the contact page and the Google Business Profile, and a footer carrying the company details the Companies Act 2014 asks for. A standard 5–10 page site costs roughly €1,500–5,000 from Irish freelancers and agencies, according to one 2026 price guide. Below we cover the domain rules, why the Eircode matters for local search, what the Data Protection Commission (DPC) expects from cookie banners, and a worked example for a heating firm in Cork.
Should an Irish business use a .ie or a .com domain?
Both work for Google. The difference is in what customers read into them and how easy they are to get.
| .ie | .com | |
|---|---|---|
| Who can register | Anyone who can prove a real connection to the island of Ireland, plus their identity | Anyone |
| What it signals | An Irish business, serving Irish customers | Neutral; could be anywhere |
| Documents checked at registration | Yes, identity and Irish connection | No |
| Must you justify the name? | No, not since 21 March 2018 | No |
| Best for | Local trades, shops, clinics, firms selling mainly in Ireland | Businesses selling mostly abroad |
Until 2018 you also had to show a claim to the exact name, such as a matching business name. The registry dropped that requirement in March 2018, but kept the connection-to-Ireland check, so a .ie still tells visitors there is a real Irish business behind it. Whichever you choose, register it in your own or your company’s name, not your web designer’s, and expect to pay roughly €15–30 a year.
Why put your Eircode on your website?
Ireland’s postcode system, launched in July 2015, gives every postal address a unique seven-character code: a three-character routing key for the postal area plus four characters that pick out the exact address. For a country where many rural addresses share a townland name, that precision matters. A customer or a delivery driver can type it straight into a map app.
Use the same Eircode everywhere your business appears, in exactly the same format:
- 1On your contact page and in the footer, next to the full address.
- 2In your Google Business Profile address.
- 3In the site’s LocalBusiness structured data, as the postal code, so search engines read the same address you show visitors.
- 4In directory listings and your social profiles.
Google ranks local results on relevance, distance and prominence, and says you cannot pay to rank higher. Consistent, exact address details help it work out the distance part. If you serve customers at their premises and do not want visitors at yours, Google Business Profile lets you hide the address and show a service area instead; the website can then name the towns you cover.
What must a limited company show on its website?
Section 151 of the Companies Act 2014, as summarised by Irish law firms, requires a company’s website to show, in a prominent or easily accessible place:
- 1The company’s registered name and legal form (for example, “Limited” or “DAC”).
- 2The place of registration and the company’s registered number (the CRO number).
- 3The registered office address.
On top of that, the EU e-Commerce Directive, which applies to sole traders and partnerships too, expects a geographic address and an email address that allows direct contact; a contact form on its own does not meet that standard. Regulated businesses, such as those authorised by the Central Bank, should name their regulator. The simplest place for all of this is a two-line footer that appears on every page.
What does the DPC expect from a cookie banner?
The DPC published guidance on cookies and other trackers in April 2020, under the Irish ePrivacy Regulations (S.I. No. 336 of 2011) and the GDPR standard of consent. Summaries by Irish and international law firms highlight these points:
- 1No pre-ticked boxes, and no treating a visitor’s silence or scrolling as consent.
- 2Do not nudge: the accept button should not be made more prominent than the option to reject or manage cookies.
- 3Consent for each purpose separately, not bundled.
- 4Withdrawing consent should be as easy as giving it.
- 5Ask again after no more than six months where a cookie stores the visitor’s choice.
The compliance period the DPC allowed ended in October 2020, so these are not new expectations. As elsewhere, the cheapest compliance is fewer trackers: a site with no ad pixels and click-to-load maps may need no consent banner at all, only clear information in the privacy notice.
💡 Same name, same address, same Eircode, same phone number on the website, the Google Business Profile and every directory. Consistency is free and it is what local search relies on.
How do Irish customers search for local businesses?
Overwhelmingly on Google: StatCounter put it at about 93.5% of Irish searches in September 2026, with Bing at about 4%. Searches are often phrased by county or town, such as “boiler service Cork” or “plumber Ballincollig”, and people expect to see opening hours, the area served, a mobile number and reviews at a glance. Since Bing is the only other engine of size, a quick submission to Bing Webmaster Tools covers almost everyone else.
AI assistants that answer “who services boilers near Douglas?” draw on the same signals: a clear website, a consistent Business Profile and genuine reviews. The site cannot fake any of that, but it can state what you do, where and for whom, in plain words that machines and people both read.
Worked example: a family heating and plumbing firm in Cork
Picture a limited company with four engineers, based in Ballincollig, doing boiler servicing, heat pump installation and emergency call-outs across Cork city and county. Work arrives by phone and from people searching on Google.
The site runs on a .ie domain in the company’s name. Five pages serve it: Home, Boiler Servicing, Heat Pumps, Areas We Cover (naming the real towns, with the jobs typically done there), and Contact. The footer carries the registered name, CRO number, place of registration, registered office and the yard’s Eircode. The phone number is tappable on every page because most callers are on mobile.
The Google Business Profile shows a service area rather than the yard address, matching the Areas page. The contact form asks only for name, phone, Eircode and the problem, and the privacy notice says how long enquiries are kept. No tracking pixels, so no consent banner is needed. As the firm grows, separate pages for each main town are a natural step, but only where it has real work and something specific to say about each.
On Adyft Sites that is Starter at $1,499 setup plus $69 a month, live in under seven days. Moving to Growth at $3,499 plus $129 a month gives 25 pages for town and service pages later.
How much does a small business website cost in Ireland?
One Irish price guide from March 2026, published by a company that sells its own low-cost builder, gives these ranges excluding VAT: €1,500–5,000 for a standard 5–10 page site, €2,500–6,000 or more for e-commerce, €60–600 a year for hosting, €600–1,500 a year for agency maintenance and €75–150 an hour for content changes. Freelancers sit at the lower end; agencies cost more once branding, copywriting and SEO are added.
Those running costs add up. A €3,000 site with €300 hosting, €1,000 maintenance and a few hours of changes a year costs more than €4,500 in the first year and over €1,500 every year after. Adyft Sites puts the same items into one monthly fee, quoted in US dollars: Starter is $1,499 plus $69 a month, and the monthly price includes hosting, SSL, security, small changes sent on WhatsApp, Google and AI-search set-up and a monthly visitor report.
Does the European Accessibility Act affect Irish small businesses?
The Act has applied since 28 June 2025 to certain consumer services, including e-commerce. The part small owners need is the microenterprise exemption: businesses with fewer than 10 people and turnover or balance sheet of €2 million or less are exempt from the requirements for services. The Directive also requires each country to give microenterprises guidelines and tools, and in Ireland the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) has consulted on such guidelines.
The Cork heating firm does not sell online and has four engineers, so it is outside the Act twice over. A 12-person garden centre selling plants and tools online to consumers would be inside it. If you are close to either threshold, follow the CCPC’s guidance as it is published, and build accessibly anyway: it helps older customers, people on small phone screens and search engines alike.
Is Adyft Sites a good fit for an Irish business?
It is a good fit if you want a site written for you and kept right without having to manage it. You answer questions on WhatsApp; we write every page, register the domain in your name, add your company details and Eircode, and set the site up to be found on Google and read by AI assistants. FAQ, Contact and Privacy pages are free on every plan, and there are 42 industry designs to start from.
It is not the best fit if you need a large custom system, such as a trade portal tied to your job-management software, or if you want a designer who calls to your premises. A local agency or freelancer serves those needs better, and a DIY builder is the cheapest option if you have the time and enjoy it.
Questions about small business websites in Ireland
Do I still need a connection to Ireland to register a .ie domain?
Yes. Since March 2018 you no longer have to justify the specific name, but you must still prove your identity and a real connection to the island of Ireland. Your registrar will say which documents it accepts.
Should I add my Eircode to my Google Business Profile?
Yes, if customers visit your premises. Use the same address and Eircode on the profile, your website and directories. If you only visit customers, you can hide your address on the profile and show a service area instead.
What company details must be on an Irish company website?
Under section 151 of the Companies Act 2014, the registered name and legal form, the place of registration and registered number, and the registered office, in a prominent or easily accessible place. A footer works well.
Do I need a cookie banner on my Irish website?
Only if you use cookies that are not strictly necessary, such as advertising or most analytics tools. When you do, the DPC’s guidance expects no pre-ticked boxes, a reject option not hidden behind accept, and the choice repeated within six months.
How much does a 5-page website cost in Ireland?
One 2026 Irish price guide puts a 5–10 page site at €1,500–5,000 excluding VAT, plus hosting and maintenance each year. Adyft Sites Starter is $1,499 plus $69 a month with hosting and changes included.
Does the European Accessibility Act apply to a sole trader?
Generally not for services, if the business has fewer than 10 people and €2 million or less in turnover or balance sheet. Larger businesses selling online to consumers are in scope since 28 June 2025.
Sources: .ie registry, liberalisation of registration rules — https://weare.ie/liberalisation · Eircode, what is Eircode — https://www.eircode.ie/what-is-eircode · Mason Hayes & Curran, disclosure of company particulars — https://www.mhc.ie/latest/insights/disclosure-of-company-particulars · Companies Act 2014, s.151 — https://revisedacts.lawreform.ie/eli/2014/act/38/section/151/revised/en/html · Bird & Bird, DPC cookie guidance (2020) — https://www.twobirds.com/en/insights/2020/global/irish-data-protection-commissioner-publishes-updated-cookie-guidance-and-cookie-sweep · Google, local ranking — https://support.google.com/business/answer/7091?hl=en · Google, LocalBusiness structured data — https://developers.google.com/search/docs/appearance/structured-data/local-business · An Irish website-builder seller’s small business cost guide (March 2026) ·CCPC microenterprise guidelines consultation — https://conventuslaw.com/report/ireland-ccpc-launches-consultation-on-microenterprise-guidelines-on-the-european-accessibility-act/ · European Accessibility Act, Art. 4 — https://www.legislation.gov.uk/eudr/2019/882/article/4 · StatCounter, Ireland search share — https://gs.statcounter.com/search-engine-market-share/all/ireland
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