How Much Does a Small Business Website Cost in the UK?
Website pricing in the UK can be confusing, especially when ranges vary so much between sources. Here’s a breakdown of typical costs based on common routes: building your own site on Wix or Squarespace, what a freelancer charges, what an agency charges, and what a done-for-you option costs. By the end, you’ll have a clear answer, and probably a clear decision.
What does a DIY website cost per year?
A DIY website on Wix or Squarespace typically costs between £240 and £360 a year — once you include a domain and a business email address.
One detail that often gets overlooked is what’s included in those base plans. Wix’s Core plan starts at £13/month (£156/year). The Business plan is £22/month (£264/year). Neither basic plan includes a custom domain, and neither includes a business email address; you get a Wix subdomain and a free Gmail. A domain costs another £10–20/year. A business email through Google Workspace or Microsoft 365 adds £3–10/month on top of that.
Then there are the premium apps. Booking systems, advanced contact forms, and proper analytics integrations often require paid upgrades on both platforms. It’s common to end up adding extra features like booking tools or upgraded forms, which can increase the total cost.
Along side the physical cost, none of this accounts for your time. Most small business owners spend two to four weekends building their first DIY site. It’s also worth factoring in the time it takes to build and manage the site.
What does a freelance web designer charge in the UK?
A UK freelance web designer typically charges between £800 and £3,000 for a simple small business site, with most straightforward 4–5 page builds landing around £1,200–£2,000.
Prices vary by location, experience, and complexity. A London-based freelancer will generally charge more than a regional one. Most freelancers charge separately for domain registration, hosting, and annual maintenance. Budget an extra £100–£300 a year on top of the build cost. The timeline is typically two to six weeks from briefing to launch.
A freelancer is the right option if you need something custom: a specific booking system, a portfolio gallery with filtering, or industry-specific functionality that a template builder can’t easily replicate.
What does a web design agency charge?
A UK web design agency typically charges £2,500–£10,000 for a standard small business website, with London agencies sometimes charging significantly more for the same specification.
That price often reflects additional overheads like project management and team involvement, which may or may not translate into a better outcome depending on the project. For a standard small business site (home, services, about, contact, maybe a blog), an agency build is usually more than most sole traders and small businesses need. The output can be excellent. The cost is hard to justify when you’re at the stage of just getting your first customers.
What does Duport’s done-for-you website cost?
Duport’s website build costs £360 as a one-off, with a £94/year renewal covering ongoing hosting, maintenance, and security updates.
That gets you a mobile-friendly, professionally built site with home, services, about, and contact sections. Typically live within 72 hours of you providing your content. You don’t need to deal with technical setup like DNS configuration or domain propagation. You provide the basics: what your business does, your contact details, your preferences, and Duport handles everything else.
You’ll need a domain if you don’t already have one. Duport offers domain registration from £20.99/year. That brings your first-year total to around £380, and your annual renewal to £94 thereafter.
Which option is right for my business?
A done-for-you website at £360 is better value than DIY for most small business owners, once you account for the time, the hidden costs, and the frustration of building it yourself.
DIY makes sense if you genuinely enjoy the technical side and have the time to invest in doing it properly. A freelancer makes sense if you need something custom. An agency makes sense for large-scale, complex projects. If you’re a sole trader or small business owner who wants a professional site that works, looks right on mobile, and doesn’t require a weekend to build, then a done-for-you option is often the best option for small businesses.
We’ve also looked in detail at why the ‘free’ and cheap DIY builders aren’t really free in Why DIY Website Builders Don’t Work for Small Businesses That article covers the hidden limitations most users only discover after they’ve already spent a weekend building. And if you’re still weighing up whether it’s time to stop doing it yourself, Should I Hire Someone to Build My Website? answers exactly that question.
Will my website be legally compliant?
One thing most builders won’t remind you about: legal compliance.
Whether you build it yourself or have it done for you, your website needs to meet UK legal requirements; a privacy policy, cookie notice, terms and conditions, and the right business information in your footer. Most DIY builders don’t flag when something is missing. Duport build websites check for legal compliance.
Already have a website? Run it through our free compliance checker to see what’s there and what isn’t.
Duport’s website build is £360, done for you, and live within 72 hours. You provide the content: Duport handles the rest. See what’s included at duport.co.uk/related-services/website-design. If you need a domain, register one at duport.co.uk — it takes five minutes and there’s no technical setup required on your end.
FAQs
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How much does a small business website cost per year in the UK?
Expect to pay £240–£360/year for a DIY site once you add a domain and business email, £100–£300/year ongoing after a freelancer build, or around £94/year with Duport’s done-for-you service.
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Does Wix include a domain and business email?
No. Wix’s standard plans do not include a custom domain or a business email address; both require additional paid subscriptions on top of your monthly plan.
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What is the cheapest way to get a professional website for my business?
Duport’s done-for-you website build at £360 is one of the most cost-effective options: cheaper than most freelancers, significantly less time than DIY, and professionally built rather than template-assembled.
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Does the £360 Duport website include hosting?
Hosting, maintenance, and security updates are covered by the £94/year renewal. You only need to add domain registration separately, from £20.99/year.
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How long does it take to get a small business website live?
With Duport’s done-for-you service, your site is live within 72 hours of submitting your content. Compared to two to four weekends if you build it yourself on Wix or Squarespace.
Quote this article and we’ll discount the website build to £144.
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Is my website legally compliant in the UK?
Not automatically. UK law requires your website to include a privacy policy, a cookie notice, clear terms and conditions, and specific business information (such as your registered company name and number if you’re a limited company). Most website builders include template pages for some of these, but they don’t check whether your content is accurate or complete. Use our free website compliance checker to see what your site has and what it’s missing.
