How much should you pay for a website?
With a product to suit all budgets, your website needn't cost the earth.
Posted by Natalie Mayes some time ago
If you’ve been looking around, you’ve probably seen prices ranging from a few hundred pounds to tens of thousands. So how do you know what’s right for your business?
Your website is often the first point of contact with potential customers, so it needs to make a good impression. Here, we explain what affects the price, what you can expect for your budget and which ongoing costs to consider.
How much does a website cost in the UK?
It’s usually one of the first questions people ask, and often one of the hardest to get a straight answer to: “How much does a website cost?”
If you’ve already had a look around, you’ll probably have seen everything from a few hundred pounds to tens of thousands. That’s quite a difference when you’re trying to work out a realistic budget.
Your website is often the first place potential customers encounter your business, so it needs to make a good impression. How much you spend will depend on what you need it to do, the design and the work involved in bringing it all together.
How much does a small business website cost?
For a straightforward, professionally built website, a budget of around £1,500 to £3,000 is a useful starting point. This usually covers a handful of pages introducing your business, explaining your services and helping people get in touch.
Often called a brochure website, this might include Home, About, Services and Contact pages, along with a simple enquiry form. For examples of this type of website, take a look at Highlight Accounting and Timeout Boxing.
At mohunky, small business websites start from around £1,500 plus VAT. These are straightforward, well-designed websites that do what you need them to do, without unnecessary extras.
If you need more pages, more involved design work or room for additional features, our mid-range projects start from around £6,000 plus VAT. The extra budget reflects the scope of the work, while keeping the website easy to manage and giving it flexibility to grow.
You can find out more about our approach on our small business web design services page.
How much does an eCommerce website cost?
An eCommerce website lets you sell products or services online. There’s more to consider than with a brochure website, including product pages, payments and how customers move through the checkout.
At mohunky, eCommerce websites typically start from around £7,500 plus VAT. The final cost depends on the design, the product catalogue and any integrations needed to help everything work together behind the scenes.
Examples of eCommerce websites we’ve worked on include The Games Bunker and Forestrall.
How much does a bespoke website cost?
More complex websites are shaped around the way a business operates. They might include customer portals, integrations with other systems or custom functionality that goes beyond a standard brochure website.
Our larger bespoke projects start from around £12,500 plus VAT. The cost depends on the features, the amount of content and the overall scale of the build.
Our larger projects include Annington, Roxburgh Milkins and Echo Research. These illustrate the types of websites we work on rather than the individual project costs.
What affects the cost of a website?
It mostly comes down to how much the website needs to do.
A small site with a few pages and a contact form is a different job from one with lots of content, multiple enquiry routes, integrations or custom features. The more involved the requirements, the more time goes into planning, building and testing it.
Design plays a part too. A fully bespoke design will generally involve more work than adapting an existing layout.
Then there’s content. If your text and images are ready to go, that helps keep things moving. If they need organising or developing, there’s more work involved in getting everything ready for the page.
Who you choose to build your website also affects the price. Larger agencies often have higher costs, while a smaller team can offer a more affordable approach with personal service.
At mohunky, we’re based in Clevedon, just outside Bristol, and work with small and medium-sized businesses. Our focus is on providing experienced design and development support at a price that works for smaller businesses.
We also build with a lightweight, low-maintenance approach. You can read more about why we use Umbraco for small business websites.
Is it cheaper to build your own website?
Building a website yourself can reduce the upfront cost, particularly if you’re starting out with a limited budget. Online courses through providers such as Udemy or Coursera can help you learn the basics.
The main thing to factor in is your time. Learning to design and build a website takes effort, and that’s time you could otherwise spend running your business.
We sometimes hear from businesses that have tried doing it themselves or chosen a cheaper option, only to find the website has become difficult to manage or no longer does what they need. In some cases, that means starting again.
That doesn’t mean a lower-cost option can’t work. It’s about understanding whether it will suit your needs and how much work you’re comfortable taking on yourself.
For businesses that would rather hand over the technical side, working with a small agency can be a better use of their time and budget.
What are the ongoing costs of running a website?
The initial build is only part of your website budget. You’ll also need to allow for hosting and any email services you require, alongside any updates or enhancements you ask for later.
At mohunky, we don’t require you to sign up to a monthly support package. Our websites are built to be long-lasting and easy to manage, with an approach that reduces the need for routine maintenance.
If you need help with changes or want to add something new, we’re here to help. You won’t be pressured into an ongoing support commitment you don’t need.
How much should you budget for a website?
Start with what you need your website to do. A smaller website may be enough to introduce your business and bring in enquiries. If you need online sales, more content or connections to other systems, you’ll need to allow for the additional work.
The aim is to find a balance between your budget, your needs today and what you’re likely to need as your business develops.
If you’re still at the “not totally sure what we need yet” stage, that’s completely normal. We’re always happy to have a quick chat and help you work out where to start.
No pressure, just honest advice 👍
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