“How much is a website?” is the first thing almost everyone asks me. It’s a fair question, and the honest answer is that it depends on which route you take. Here’s what each one really costs, so you can compare like for like.
The short answer
For a small business on the Fylde coast, you’ll usually see three kinds of price:
- Do it yourself on a website builder: a monthly fee, plus a lot of your own time.
- A website on subscription: a low monthly fee, often around £30 a month locally, but you usually don’t own the website.
- A custom website: a one-off price, often from around £1,500, and the website is yours.
My websites start at £1,500. If that’s a lot in one go, you can pay £300 to start, then £125 a month for 12 months (£1,800 in total).
The three routes, side by side
| Do it yourself | Subscription | Custom-built | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Upfront cost | Low | Low | From £1,500 |
| Monthly cost | A plan, forever | A fee, forever | Optional care |
| Your time | A lot | A little | A little |
| Who owns it | The platform | Usually the provider | You |
| Built around your business | No, a template | Usually a template | Yes |
None of these is wrong. A subscription can suit a business that wants the lowest cost today. A custom website suits a business that wants something that fits how it works, and wants to own it.
What changes the price
When I price a website, these are the things that move it up or down:
- How many pages you need. A trades business might need five. A hotel with rooms, offers and events needs more.
- Whether it needs to do a job for you. Taking bookings, selling online or selling tickets is more work than showing information. My booking calendar is £500, an online shop is £750 and ticketing is £750.
- Words and photos. If you already have them, it’s quicker. If not, I’ll give you a simple guide to follow.
- Branding. A simple wordmark logo and brand colours come free with every website I build, so you don’t need to pay a designer separately.
The running costs nobody mentions
The build price is only part of it. Before you sign anything, ask about these:
- Your domain name, like yourbusiness.co.uk. Usually a small yearly fee.
- Hosting, which keeps the website online.
- Updates and security. Websites need looking after, like a van needs servicing.
- Changes after launch. Some designers charge for every small edit.
My care plan covers hosting, updates, backups and 30 minutes of changes each month. It’s £49 a month, or £99 a month if your website has a system like a booking calendar.
Questions to ask any web designer
Whoever you choose, these questions will save you a nasty surprise later:
- Is the price fixed and written down before you start?
- Who owns the website and the domain when it’s finished?
- What happens if I want to move to someone else?
- What are the monthly costs, and what do they cover?
- How long will it take, and what do you need from me?
- Can I see websites you’ve built for businesses like mine?
If a designer can’t answer these clearly, that tells you something.
Get your own price in a minute
If you’d like a guide price for your business, try my website cost calculator. It asks a few quick questions and gives you a price straight away, with no need to talk to anyone. Or get in touch and I’ll give you an honest answer and a fixed price.
