How much should a UK small business website cost?

There are three tiers. The £500 tier, the £2-5k tier, and the £10k+ tier. Each makes sense for different businesses.

Tier 1: £500–£1,000

Templated theme on WordPress, Wix or Squarespace, basic 5-page setup, stock photos, no real SEO. Right for: business owners who genuinely just need a placeholder presence and will edit it themselves. Wrong for: anyone hoping to compete on Google.

Tier 2: £1,500–£4,500

Custom-designed site (template or scratch) on a proven platform, proper SEO foundations, mobile-optimised, fast hosting. 5–10 pages. Right for: most UK small businesses serious about Google as a lead channel. The sweet spot.

Tier 3: £8,000+

Bespoke design, custom features, content production, ongoing optimisation. Right for: businesses with complex integrations, higher transaction values, or significant existing traffic to monetise. Wrong for: a plumber who needs leads next month, overkill.

Where SMBs waste money

• Paying for design when SEO is the problem. Pretty doesn't convert.
• Paying for SEO before the site is fixable. Optimising a broken site is worse than rebuilding.
• Long contracts. Month-to-month is fine. Anyone insisting on 12-month lock-ins should be questioned.
• "Free" sites in exchange for backlinks. The backlinks come off, the site's gone.

Use our calculator to get a personalised range.