If you're a UK small business owner researching website costs, you've probably seen quotes ranging from £500 to £10,000+ and wondered: what's the actual fair price for a professional website?
The truth is, website pricing varies wildly—and not always for good reasons. This guide will help you understand what you should actually pay in 2025.
Quick Answer: What Should You Expect to Pay?
For a professional 4-page small business website in the UK, expect to pay:
| Website Type | One-Time Cost | Monthly Cost |
|---|---|---|
| DIY Website Builder (Wix, Squarespace) | £0-£100 | £10-£40 |
| Template-Based Professional | £500-£1,500 | £5-£20 |
| Custom Professional Website | £1,500-£5,000 | £10-£50 |
| Premium Custom Build | £5,000-£15,000+ | £50-£200+ |
Most small businesses should aim for £100-£2,500 one-time plus £10-£30/month hosting.
What Affects Website Costs in 2025?
1. Number of Pages
The more pages you need, the higher the cost:
- 1-4 pages (Home, About, Services, Contact): £100-£2,000
- Perfect for most service businesses like plumbers, electricians, or accountants
- 5-10 pages: £2,000-£4,000
- Good for businesses with multiple service lines or locations
- 10-20 pages: £4,000-£8,000
- Suitable for established businesses with extensive content
- E-commerce site (50+ product pages): £5,000-£20,000+
- Online shops need shopping carts, payment processing, inventory management
Reality check: Most small businesses only need 4-5 pages. If a designer is quoting you £8,000 for a simple service-based business site, they're likely overcharging.
2. Custom Design vs Template
Template-based websites use pre-designed layouts and customize colors, text, and images:
- Cost: £500-£1,500
- Timeline: 5-10 working days
- Best for: Most small businesses
Custom designs are created specifically for your brand from scratch:
- Cost: £2,000-£10,000+
- Timeline: 4-12 weeks
- Best for: Large companies with strong brand requirements
Truth bomb: According to research from Stanford University, 75% of consumers judge a company's credibility based on their website design—but they can't tell if it's custom or template-based. A well-customized template looks just as professional and costs far less.
3. Features and Functionality
Basic features (contact forms, image galleries, maps) are usually included. Advanced features cost extra:
- Contact form: Usually included
- Online booking system: +£35-£1,000
- Great for hair salons, beauty salons, or personal trainers
- E-commerce shop: +£1,000-£5,000+
- Needed for retail shops selling online
- Customer portal/login area: +£1,500-£5,000
- Useful for service businesses managing client accounts
- Custom integrations (CRM, payment systems, APIs): +£500-£3,000 each
- Only add if you have a specific business need
Important: Only pay for features you'll actually use. Many businesses pay thousands for booking systems they never set up or complex features that go unused.
4. Who Builds Your Website
Different providers charge vastly different rates for similar work:
Freelancers: £500-£3,000
- Pros: Lower cost, direct communication
- Cons: Variable quality, often slower, may disappear mid-project
- Best for: Very tight budgets, simple sites
Small Agencies: £2,000-£8,000
- Pros: Professional work, accountable, established processes
- Cons: Higher cost than freelancers
- Best for: Businesses wanting reliability
Large Agencies: £8,000-£50,000+
- Pros: Extensive portfolios, full-service offering
- Cons: Premium pricing for fancy offices and sales teams
- Best for: Large corporations with big budgets
Specialized Services (like Vezra): £135
- Pros: Streamlined process, transparent pricing, fast delivery
- Cons: Limited customization vs full agencies
- Best for: Small businesses wanting professional results without premium pricing
Data point: Research from Clutch shows that large agencies often charge 3-5x more for similar work because they have higher overheads—not necessarily better results.
5. Ongoing Costs You Must Consider
Don't forget monthly and yearly expenses:
- Domain name: £8-£20/year
- Your website address (e.g., yourbusiness.co.uk)
- Web hosting: £5-£50/month
- Server space to store your website files
- Our hosting is £9.99/month with security included
- SSL certificate: Often included in hosting, or £50-£100/year
- Makes your site secure (the padlock in browsers)
- Maintenance/updates: £0 (DIY) to £100+/month (fully managed)
- Security patches, plugin updates, content changes
- Email hosting: £0-£7/month per inbox
- Professional email addresses (@yourbusiness.co.uk)
Annual total for ongoing costs: £150-£1,000+ depending on your choices.
What Should YOU Actually Pay?
For a typical UK small business needing a professional 4-page website:
Service Businesses
Plumbers, solicitors, consultants, accountants:
Fair price: £100-£2,500 one-time + £10-£30/month hosting
This should include:
- 4-5 professional pages
- Mobile-responsive design
- Contact form
- Basic SEO setup
- Google Maps integration
- At least one round of revisions
Hospitality Businesses
Restaurants, cafes, pubs:
Fair price: £500-£3,000 one-time + £15-£35/month
This should include:
- Menu display
- Online booking (optional extra)
- Photo galleries
- Opening hours and location
- Special offers section
Trades
Electricians, builders, landscapers:
Fair price: £100-£2,000 one-time + £10-£25/month
This should include:
- Service area coverage information
- Before/after photo galleries
- Emergency contact details
- Customer reviews/testimonials
- Certifications and insurance info
Red Flags: When You're Being Overcharged
Watch out for these warning signs:
1. Vague Pricing
Red flag: "It depends, I'll need to assess your needs first" without giving any ranges
Why it's bad: Professional designers should be able to give ballpark figures immediately
What to do: Ask for a typical range for sites like yours before committing
2. Hourly Billing Without a Cap
Red flag: "I charge £75/hour and it'll probably take 30-40 hours"
Why it's bad: Projects can balloon to £5,000-£10,000 with no accountability
What to do: Insist on fixed-price quotes or hourly with a maximum cap
3. "Premium" Features You Don't Need
Red flag: "Your site needs custom animations, parallax scrolling, and dynamic content loading"
Why it's bad: These rarely improve conversions and add thousands to cost
What to do: Ask: "Will this directly help me get more customers?" If no, skip it
4. Hidden Costs Revealed Later
Red flag: Setup fees, revision fees, "optimization" fees, content upload fees added after initial quote
Why it's bad: Your £2,000 quote becomes £4,500 by launch
What to do: Get all costs in writing upfront, ask "are there ANY other fees?"
5. Extremely Long Timelines
Red flag: 6 months for a 4-page website
Why it's bad: They're juggling too many clients, or padding timelines
What to do: Ask for milestone dates. Professional small sites take 2-6 weeks max
According to Government guidelines on choosing web designers, transparent pricing and clear timelines are essential indicators of professional service.
What You Should Get for Your Money
At minimum, any professional website should include:
- ✅ Mobile-responsive design - Works perfectly on phones and tablets (60%+ of traffic)
- ✅ Contact form that works - Tested and connected to your email
- ✅ Fast loading times - Under 3 seconds (Google data shows 53% of users abandon slow sites)
- ✅ Basic SEO setup - Page titles, descriptions, sitemap, structured data
- ✅ At least one round of revisions - Ability to request changes
- ✅ Clear ownership - YOU own the website and domain, not the designer
- ✅ Training or documentation - How to make basic updates yourself
Bonus features worth paying for:
- Google Business Profile integration
- Customer review sections
- Project/portfolio galleries
- Blog for content marketing
How Vezra Pricing Works
We've designed our pricing to be simple, transparent, and fair:
- £135 one-time for complete 4-page website
- 3 design options to choose from (not just one "take it or leave it")
- Domain registration included (up to £15 value)
- One revision round to perfect your chosen design
- £9.99/month hosting with security updates included
- 10-day delivery guarantee (or 5 days with rush option)
No hidden fees. No surprise costs. No hourly charges that spiral out of control.
See our full pricing breakdown or view how it works.
Comparing Popular UK Pricing Models
DIY Website Builders
Cost: £10-£40/month, you build it yourself
Pros:
- Very cheap
- Easy drag-and-drop
- No coding needed
Cons:
- Takes 20-40 hours of YOUR time
- Generic-looking results
- Limited SEO capabilities
- Ongoing monthly cost forever
- Can't truly "own" your site
Best for: Hobby businesses, very tight budgets
Budget Freelancers (Fiverr, Upwork)
Cost: £200-£800
Pros:
- Cheap
- Quick turnaround possible
Cons:
- Highly variable quality
- Communication challenges
- May disappear after payment
- Limited revisions
- Often use pirated themes/plugins
Best for: Very simple sites, can tolerate risk
Mid-Range Professional Services
Cost: £800-£3,000
Pros:
- Professional results
- Accountable
- Proper support
- You own everything
Cons:
- Higher upfront cost
- May have waiting lists
Best for: Most small businesses (recommended)
Premium Agencies
Cost: £5,000-£50,000+
Pros:
- Extensive portfolios
- Full-service (design, copywriting, photography, SEO)
- Dedicated account managers
Cons:
- Very expensive
- Long timelines (3-6 months)
- Overkill for small businesses
Best for: Large companies, e-commerce sites, complex projects
Common Website Cost Questions
"Can I get a professional website for under £500?"
Yes, but with limitations. You'll likely get:
- Template-based design with minimal customization
- Limited revisions (maybe 1 round)
- Basic features only
- Self-manage updates
This works fine for many small businesses. Just ensure the designer is professional (check reviews, portfolio, contract).
"Why do some designers charge £10,000 for a 5-page site?"
Usually because:
- Agency overhead - Fancy offices, large teams, sales staff
- Custom everything - Bespoke design, custom coding, professional photography
- Extensive process - Multiple revision rounds, stakeholder meetings, strategy sessions
- Brand name premium - You're paying for their reputation
For most small businesses, this is overkill and unnecessary.
"What's the difference between £1,000 and £5,000 websites?"
Often, less than you'd think:
£1,000 website:
- Professional template
- Customized branding
- Standard features
- 1-2 revision rounds
- 1-2 week timeline
£5,000 website:
- Custom design (may not look that different)
- More revision rounds
- Copywriting included
- Professional photography
- Longer timeline (4-8 weeks)
- Better agency support
Reality: Both can convert customers equally well. The expensive one offers more hand-holding and custom work, but doesn't necessarily perform better.
How to Choose the Right Option
Choose DIY builders if:
- Your budget is under £200/year
- You have 20+ hours to learn and build
- You're comfortable with tech
- It's a hobby or side project
Choose budget freelancers if:
- Your budget is £300-£800
- You can tolerate some risk
- You have a very simple site needs
- You can manage the project yourself
Choose professional services (like Vezra) if:
- Your budget is £100-£2,500
- You want professional results without premium pricing
- You're a small business needing credibility
- You don't have time to DIY
Choose premium agencies if:
- Your budget is £5,000+
- You need extensive custom work
- You want full-service (copywriting, photography, etc.)
- You're a larger business or complex e-commerce
Bottom Line: What to Pay in 2025
In 2025, a professional small business website in the UK should cost:
£100-£2,500 upfront + £10-£50/month ongoing
Anything under £100 is usually pure DIY. Anything over £3,000 for a simple 4-page site is premium pricing—which may or may not be worth it for your business.
Most important: Get quotes from at least 3 providers, ask exactly what's included, and watch for hidden costs.
Your website is an investment in your business growth. Don't overpay for features you don't need, but don't underpay for an amateur-looking site that won't help you get customers.
Need a professional website at a fair price?
Get started with Vezra - £135 all-in, delivered in 10 days, 3 custom designs to choose from.
Or view our pricing | See how it works | Browse industry examples