Why "how much does a website cost" has no single answer
Ask three web designers what a website costs and you'll get three answers between £200 and £20,000. That's not them dodging the question — it's that "a website" means six different things depending on who's building it and what it's for. A one-page brochure with a contact form is not the same product as a ten-page site with online booking, payment integration, blog, and Google-ready SEO structure.
This guide breaks down the four real options a UK local business faces in 2026 — what each one actually costs, what you get, and which hidden expenses to expect.
Option 1: DIY platforms (Wix, Squarespace, GoDaddy) — £0–£500/year
DIY website builders advertise as "free" but the usable tier is £12–£35 per month. That's £144–£420 per year, ongoing, forever. Add a custom domain (£10–£15/year) and a business email (£5/month per inbox) and you're at £250–£500 annually before you've touched marketing.
What you get: A template-based site you build yourself. Drag-and-drop editor, pre-built page sections, hosting included.
What you don't get: Anything bespoke. The site will look like every other Wix site to a trained eye, and — more importantly — to Google. Templates aren't penalised, but they're rarely optimised for the local-search structure Google rewards (clean URL hierarchy, schema markup, fast loading, proper heading order). DIY builders also limit how you can tweak the underlying HTML, which means local SEO work later costs more.
Who it's right for: A side-hustle, a personal portfolio, or a business that doesn't depend on Google traffic.
Option 2: A freelance web designer — £500–£3,000 one-off
A freelancer is the most common choice for UK trades, salons, restaurants and small consultancies. You'll find them on Upwork, PeoplePerHour, or via word of mouth. Quotes vary wildly — a junior designer might quote £400 for a five-page WordPress site; a senior freelancer with a portfolio of similar businesses might charge £2,500 for the same scope but deliver something that actually converts.
What you get: A custom-ish build, usually on WordPress. Often a theme they've adapted rather than a pure custom design. One round of revisions is typical.
What you don't get: Ongoing maintenance. Once the site is live, you're on your own. WordPress needs monthly security updates; plugins break; backups need configuring. Most freelancers don't include this and most clients don't know to ask. Six months later the site has been hacked or stops loading and the freelancer has moved on.
The hidden costs:
- Hosting: £5–£30/month (SiteGround, Kinsta)
- Plugin licences: £100–£400/year (forms, security, page builders)
- Maintenance: £50–£150/month if you outsource, or your time if you don't
- Updates and changes: £50–£100/hour after launch
Realistic annual total: £1,500–£4,000 for the first year, £600–£2,000/year ongoing.
Option 3: A web design agency — £3,000–£15,000+ one-off
A proper agency build runs £3,000 for a small-team shop and £8,000–£15,000 for an established mid-market agency. London prices skew higher (see our guide to choosing a London agency). At this tier you're paying for senior designers, project management, copywriting, and — increasingly — SEO and conversion-rate work bundled in.
What you get: A fully custom design, professional copywriting, proper UX research, accessibility compliance, and a project manager who fields your emails.
What you don't get (unless you ask): Ongoing local SEO. The build gets you a beautiful site. Getting it to the first page of Google is a separate engagement, usually £800–£2,000/month.
The hidden costs: Same as freelancer plus account management retainers (£500–£2,000/month) if you want anyone answering your calls after launch.
Option 4: Subscription model — £999 build + £99/month
The newest option, and the one we built Presencly around. You pay a smaller build fee upfront (£999 for a full custom installer site) and a flat monthly fee (£99) that covers hosting, security updates, plugin licences, two minor edits per month, and ongoing support. No hourly billing, no surprises.
What you get: Same quality as the £3,000–£8,000 agency tier (we benchmark against it), with the cost spread out and ongoing work baked in. For renewable installers specifically, you also get a 90-day page-1 Google guarantee on one agreed keyword — full refund if we miss.
Who it's right for: Small businesses that want agency-grade work but can't put £8,000 on a card. Particularly suited to trades and service businesses that need to be found locally on Google.
The real question: what should you spend?
The honest answer: spend enough to outrank the three competitors who currently take the leads you want. For most UK local businesses that's £2,000–£5,000 in year one. Anything cheaper either ranks badly or breaks within six months. Anything much more expensive is paying for an agency's office rent in Shoreditch.
Want to see exactly where your current site stands and what tier you actually need? We'll send you a free 2-minute audit Loom within 24 hours. No call required.