Quick answer: In 2026, a professionally built small business website in the UK typically costs £500–£2,500 for a 5–10 page brochure site, £1,200–£8,000+ for an online shop, and £5,000+ for a custom system. On top of that, budget around £150–£1,500 a year for hosting, your domain and maintenance. A DIY website builder costs less upfront (roughly £9–£35 a month) but you do all the work yourself.
If you’ve already searched for prices, you’ll have seen websites advertised for £199 and others for £15,000. Both can be honest quotes. The price depends on what the website has to do for your business, who builds it, and how much of the work you take on yourself. This guide breaks down real UK prices so you can budget with confidence.
How much does a website cost in the UK in 2026?
Here are typical UK prices for a website built by a professional, by type of site:
| Type of website | Typical build cost (UK, 2026) | Typical build time |
|---|---|---|
| One-page or landing page site | £300–£800 | 1–2 weeks |
| 5–10 page brochure website | £500–£2,500 | 2–6 weeks |
| Larger custom business website | £2,500–£7,000 | 6–10 weeks |
| Small online shop (up to ~50 products) | £1,200–£3,500 | 4–8 weeks |
| Medium or larger ecommerce store | £3,500–£8,000+ | 6–12+ weeks |
| Custom web application or platform | £5,000–£20,000+ | 10–16+ weeks |
These ranges are wide because two “5-page websites” can involve very different amounts of work: one might reuse a template with your text dropped in, while the other includes bespoke design, copywriting, SEO setup and training.
What are your three options, and what does each cost?
1. DIY website builder (Wix, Squarespace and similar)
You build the site yourself using a drag-and-drop editor. In 2026, UK plans for Wix run from about £9 to £119 a month and Squarespace from about £12 to £79 a month on annual billing, with most small businesses landing in the £9–£35 range. A domain name is often free for the first year, then around £10–£20 a year.
- Good for: testing an idea, hobby projects, very tight budgets.
- Watch out for: your time is the real cost, templates can look generic, and moving away later usually means rebuilding from scratch.
2. Freelance web designer
A single professional builds the site for you. Expect roughly £500–£2,000 for a small business site and £1,200–£3,000 for a basic online shop.
- Good for: a personal service at a moderate price.
- Watch out for: quality varies hugely, and you rely on one person’s availability for fixes and updates.
3. Web design agency or studio
A team covers design, development, copywriting and SEO. Larger agencies typically charge £1,500–£6,000+ for a small business site and £2,500–£15,000+ for ecommerce.
- Good for: businesses where the website is a main source of enquiries or sales.
- Watch out for: overheads in city agencies push prices up; ask exactly what is included.
What do IceRocket Design websites cost?
We’re a Gloucestershire web design studio, so we sit between a freelancer and a big agency on price. All our sites are bespoke (no templates) and built on WordPress. Our packages start from:
| Package | From | What’s included |
|---|---|---|
| Starter | £499 | Up to 4 pages, unique design, search engine friendly setup |
| Business | £699 | Up to 8 pages, free logo design, 300–500 words of content writing, SEO, 1-2-1 training, monthly plugin updates |
| Professional | £999 | Over 8 pages, ecommerce, up to 2,000 words of SEO-optimised content, custom functionality, weekly plugin updates |
You pay a one-off build fee plus an annual hosting fee, with no hidden extras. See the full breakdown on our pricing page.
What affects the cost of a website?
- Number of pages and page types. A 5-page site costs less than a 30-page site, and each unique page layout (home, service page, blog, shop) adds design time.
- Bespoke vs template design. A template is faster and cheaper; a custom design fits your brand and is built around how your customers buy.
- Functionality. Booking systems, member areas, job boards, multi-language support and integrations with your CRM or accounts software all add cost.
- Ecommerce. Product setup, payment gateways, shipping rules and VAT settings take time to configure and test properly.
- Content writing. Supplying your own text is cheapest. Professional copywriting costs more but usually converts better and ranks better.
- SEO. Basic on-page SEO should be included as standard. Keyword research, local SEO and ongoing content work are often quoted separately.
- Who builds it. Experienced designers charge more, but are less likely to need expensive fixes later.
- Ongoing support. A build-only quote is cheaper than one that includes updates, backups and help after launch.
How much does it cost to run a website each year?
A website is not a one-off purchase. These are the typical UK running costs:
| Running cost | Typical UK price |
|---|---|
| Domain name (.co.uk or .com) | £10–£20 a year |
| Hosting (small business site) | £60–£300 a year |
| SSL certificate (the padlock) | Usually free with good hosting |
| Maintenance and security updates | £20–£100+ a month, or DIY |
| Premium plugins or apps | £0–£200 a year |
| Business email | £4–£10 per user a month |
| Ongoing SEO or marketing (optional) | £150–£800+ a month |
Worked example: a typical small business might pay around £1,500 upfront for a professionally built brochure website, then roughly £300–£1,500 a year to keep it hosted, secure and up to date.
Is a cheap website a false economy?
Often, yes. Very cheap websites are usually rushed, built on generic templates and set up with little thought for SEO or how visitors become customers. Many get replaced within a year or two, so you pay twice. The better question isn’t “how cheap can I get a website?” but “what does this website need to achieve, and what is that worth to my business?” A site that brings in two or three extra jobs a month usually pays for itself quickly.
How do you get an accurate website quote?
- Write down what the website must do: generate enquiries, take bookings, sell products.
- List the pages you think you need (Home, About, Services, Contact and Privacy Policy is already 5 pages).
- Decide whether you’ll write the content or want help.
- Ask every designer for an itemised quote that shows the build fee, hosting, and what happens after launch.
- Check who owns the website when it’s finished. You should.
Frequently asked questions
How much should a small business pay for a website in the UK?
Most UK small businesses pay between £500 and £2,500 for a professionally built 5–10 page website in 2026. Online shops usually cost £1,200–£8,000+, depending on the number of products and features.
How much does a web designer charge in the UK?
UK freelance web designers typically charge £500–£2,000 for a small business website, while agencies usually charge £1,500–£6,000+. IceRocket Design’s bespoke WordPress websites start from £499.
How much does it cost to run a website per year?
A typical small business website costs around £150–£1,500 a year to run, covering the domain name, hosting, security updates and any premium plugins. Ongoing SEO or marketing is extra if you choose it.
Is Wix cheaper than paying a web designer?
Wix is cheaper upfront, at roughly £9–£35 a month for most small businesses, but you build and maintain the site yourself. Over three to five years, subscription fees plus your time can cost more than a professionally built site.
Why do website quotes vary so much?
Quotes vary because they include different amounts of work: template versus bespoke design, whether copywriting and SEO are included, the features needed, and whether support after launch is part of the price.
Get a clear, honest quote
Tell us what you need your website to do and we’ll give you a fixed price with no jargon and no hidden extras. Request a free quote or call us on 01666 817151.
Related reading: Web designer vs website builder · How long does it take to build a website? · How to choose a web designer
