“How much does a website cost?” is the question we’re asked most, and “it depends” is the least useful answer. So here are real numbers for the UK in 2026, what drives them up or down, and how to tell a fair quote from an expensive one.
The short version: A professional small business website in the UK typically costs £3,000 to £15,000 to build, plus £30 to £150 a month to host and maintain.
- Specialist agencies charge roughly £5,700 to £14,100 for a brochure site and £7,300 to £21,600 for a small business site (Opace, 2026).
- DIY builders like Wix and Squarespace cost £9 to £30 a month, but you do the work.
- Ongoing costs matter as much as the build price: hosting, updates, security and domain renewal.
Typical UK website prices in 2026
| Type of website | Typical UK price (ex VAT) | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| DIY (you build it yourself) | £100 to £1,000 | Very small businesses happy to do it themselves |
| Freelancer | £1,500 to £8,000 | Simple brochure sites |
| Small agency | £5,000 to £20,000 | Growing businesses wanting bespoke design |
| Specialist WordPress agency | £15,000 to £75,000+ | Sites central to marketing or operations |
| Enterprise platforms | £50,000 to £250,000+ | Large e-commerce, publishers and complex products |
Those ranges are wide because “a website” can mean anything from five pages to a fully integrated sales platform. The useful question isn’t “what’s the average?” but “what does my site actually need to do?”
What makes a website cost more (or less)
- Number of unique page designs. Twenty pages that share four layouts are much cheaper than twenty bespoke designs.
- Functionality. Online payments, bookings, calculators, member areas and integrations with your CRM or accounts software all add development time.
- Content. If you supply finished words and photos, it costs less. Professional copywriting and photography are worth it, but they’re real costs.
- Accessibility and performance. Building properly to WCAG 2.2 AA and Google’s Core Web Vitals takes care. It’s cheaper to do from the start than to fix later.
- Migration. Moving lots of existing content and keeping your Google rankings intact takes planning, especially for large or old sites.
The costs people forget
The build is a one-off. These aren’t:
| Ongoing cost | Typical UK price |
|---|---|
| Managed hosting | £20 to £300+ a month |
| WordPress maintenance and updates | £25 to £200 a month (often included with managed hosting) |
| Domain renewal | £10 to £30 a year |
| Premium plugin licences | £50 to £500+ a year |
| Content updates and new features | As needed |
A cheap build on unmanaged hosting often ends up costing more over three years than a well-built site on proper hosting, because problems get fixed one emergency at a time.
How to compare quotes
When you have two or three quotes in front of you, check that they include the same things. In particular:
- Is the price fixed, or an estimate that could grow?
- How many design revisions are included?
- Who owns the website and code once it’s paid for?
- Is accessibility (WCAG 2.2 AA) mentioned at all?
- Is a cookie consent banner included, and does it actually block tracking until people agree?
- What happens after launch: support, hosting, updates?
- Will they set up redirects so you keep your existing Google rankings?
If a quote is much cheaper than the others, it’s usually because something on that list is missing.
How we can help
Our WordPress websites start at £3,450 + VAT for up to eight pages, with fixed prices for every package and hosting from £29 + VAT a month. Everything is listed on our pricing page, with no surprises.
Questions people ask
How much does a small business website cost in the UK?
Most professionally built small business websites cost between £3,000 and £15,000 in 2026, depending on the number of pages, features and who supplies the content.
Is it cheaper to use Wix or Squarespace?
The monthly price is lower, roughly £9 to £30 a month, but you design, build and maintain it yourself. For many businesses the time cost, and the limits on SEO and features, make a professional site better value.
How much does a WordPress website cost per month to run?
Expect roughly £30 to £150 a month for good managed hosting, updates and security, plus a domain renewal once a year.
Do I need to pay VAT on a website?
If your web developer is VAT-registered, they’ll add VAT at the standard rate. Most quotes are shown excluding VAT, so check before you compare.