How much does it cost to build a website for a small business in 2025?

Building a website for a small business doesn’t have to break the bank-but it also isn’t free. Too many people think they can slap together a site using a free template and call it done. Then they end up with a slow, insecure, confusing mess that turns customers away. On the other hand, hiring a full agency can cost £5,000 or more. So where’s the real middle ground? In 2025, the average small business in the UK spends between £500 and £3,000 to build a website that actually works. That range covers everything from a simple brochure site to a full online store with booking and payment systems.

What’s included in a small business website?

Before you look at prices, you need to know what you’re paying for. A basic small business website isn’t just a page with your logo and phone number. It needs to do real work: attract visitors, answer common questions, build trust, and turn people into customers. That means it should include:

• A clear homepage with your value proposition
• A dedicated services or products page
• An about page that shows who you are
• A contact form (not just an email address)
• Mobile-friendly design (over 60% of visits come from phones)
• Basic SEO setup (title tags, meta descriptions, fast loading)
• SSL certificate for security
• Hosting and domain name

That’s the bare minimum. If you want to accept payments, schedule appointments, or track leads, you’ll need extra features-and that changes the price.

DIY website builders: £0 to £1,000

If you’re comfortable learning as you go, DIY tools like Wix, Squarespace, or WordPress.com can get you online fast. You don’t need to code. You drag and drop elements. These platforms bundle hosting, security, and basic design into one monthly fee.

Here’s what you’ll pay:

• Wix or Squarespace (starter plan): £12-£20 per month, or £144-£240 per year. Includes domain for the first year.
• WordPress.com (Personal plan): £4-£8 per month. Limited features, no e-commerce.
• Extra costs: Premium templates (£20-£100), custom domain (£10-£15/year), and apps like booking forms or payment gateways (£5-£30/month).

That’s £500-£1,000 for the first year if you go all-in on premium features. But here’s the catch: you’re locked into that platform. If you want to switch later, you can’t easily take your site with you. And if you need advanced functionality-like custom forms, inventory tracking, or membership areas-you’ll hit limits fast.

WordPress.org: £500 to £2,500

Most professional small businesses in the UK use WordPress.org (self-hosted). It’s free software, but you need hosting, a domain, and often a developer or designer to set it up right. This option gives you full control, scalability, and ownership.

Breakdown of costs:

• Domain name: £8-£15/year (from providers like Namecheap or Nominet)
• Web hosting: £3-£10/month for shared hosting (SiteGround, Hostinger, or UK-based providers like Kualo)
• Theme: Free themes work, but premium ones like Astra or GeneratePress cost £40-£70 one-time
• Plugins: Essential plugins (SEO, security, caching) are free. Premium ones like Elementor Pro (£59/year) or WooCommerce (free, but extensions cost extra) add up
• Design and setup: This is where most people spend. If you hire a freelancer, expect £300-£1,500 for a 5-page site with custom styling and basic functionality. Agencies charge £1,500-£3,000+

So total first-year cost? Around £500-£2,500. After that, you’re mostly paying £30-£100/year for renewals and updates. WordPress sites last 5-10 years with proper maintenance.

Ecommerce websites: £1,500 to £5,000+

If you’re selling products online, the price jumps. You need secure payment processing, product catalogs, inventory management, shipping calculators, and tax rules. WooCommerce (for WordPress) is the most popular choice in the UK-it’s free, but the setup isn’t.

Here’s what adds cost:

• Payment gateway: Stripe or PayPal integration (£0-£50 setup, plus 1.4%-2.9% per transaction)
• Product images: Professional photos cost £50-£200 per product if you outsource
• Inventory and shipping: Plugins like WooCommerce Shipping or advanced tax tools (£20-£100/month)
• Security: SSL is free, but PCI compliance and malware scanning cost extra
• Developer time: A simple online store with 10-20 products takes 15-30 hours. At £30-£60/hour, that’s £450-£1,800.

Most small UK businesses spend £2,000-£3,500 for a fully functional online store. If you need custom features like bulk ordering, loyalty programs, or multi-vendor support, you’re looking at £5,000+.

What you’re really paying for: time and reliability

Let’s be honest: the cheapest option isn’t always the cheapest overall. A £200 website built by a freelancer on Fiverr might look nice at first. But if it crashes every time traffic spikes, if the contact form doesn’t send emails, or if Google flags it as unsafe, you’re losing sales. That’s not a bargain-it’s a liability.

Professional websites cost more because they’re built to last. They load fast. They’re secure. They’re optimized for search engines. They work on every device. And if something breaks, someone’s there to fix it.

Think of it like buying a car. A £500 used car gets you from A to B. But if it breaks down every week, you’re spending more on repairs than if you’d bought a reliable £10,000 car upfront.

Hidden costs most people forget

Many small business owners think once the site is live, they’re done. They’re wrong. Here are the hidden costs:

• Updates: WordPress, plugins, and themes need regular updates. If you skip them, your site gets hacked. Budget £100-£300/year for maintenance.
• Content updates: Adding new products, changing prices, posting blogs-this takes time. If you don’t do it yourself, hire someone. £20-£50/hour for small edits.
• SEO: A website that doesn’t show up on Google is invisible. Basic SEO setup is included in most builds, but ongoing optimization (keywords, content, backlinks) costs £200-£800/month if you outsource.
• Backup and recovery: If your site gets hacked or you delete something by accident, do you have a backup? Professional hosting includes this. Cheap hosting doesn’t.

Ignoring these costs means your website becomes a digital ghost town within 12-18 months.

How to save money without sacrificing quality

You don’t need to pay £5,000 to get a great website. Here’s how smart small businesses cut costs:

1. Start small. Launch with 5 pages max. Add features later when you have customers.
2. Use free tools. Canva for graphics, Google Docs for content, LottieFiles for animations-no need to pay for expensive software.
3. Do your own writing. Your voice matters more than perfect grammar. Write your own copy. Hire an editor later if needed.
4. Choose a local developer. Freelancers in Leeds, Manchester, or Birmingham often charge £30-£45/hour. London agencies charge double.
5. Buy hosting from UK providers. Sites hosted in the UK load faster for British visitors. Kualo, UK2, and Hostinger UK offer better speeds and support than US-based hosts.

Real examples from UK small businesses

Here’s what actual businesses paid in 2025:

• A local bakery in Leeds: £750. WordPress.org, pre-made theme, contact form, online ordering via WooCommerce. No ads. Just photos of cakes and a phone number. They got 30% more orders in 3 months.
• A plumbing company in Birmingham: £2,100. Custom design, booking system, Google Maps integration, testimonials, blog for local SEO. Now they rank #1 for "plumber near me" in 3 postcodes.
• A freelance photographer in Manchester: £1,200. Portfolio site with gallery, client login, invoice system. No e-commerce. Just a way to showcase work and get booked.

None of them spent more than £2,500. All of them made their money back within 6 months.

What to avoid

Don’t fall for these traps:

• "Free website" offers from web designers. They’ll slap together a template and charge you £500/month to "host" it. You don’t own it.
• Templates from Fiverr under £100. They’re often copied, poorly coded, and full of malware.
• Building on Facebook or Instagram only. You don’t own those platforms. They can shut you down anytime.
• Using GoDaddy’s website builder. It’s expensive, slow, and hard to customize. Stick with WordPress or Wix.

Your website is your digital storefront. Treat it like one.

Final cost summary: What you can expect in 2025

Most small businesses in the UK should aim for the £1,000-£2,500 range. That’s where you get the best balance of quality, control, and value.

Next steps: How to start today

Here’s what to do right now:

1. Write down your top 3 goals for the website. (Get more calls? Sell more products? Build trust?)
2. List your 5 most common customer questions. Your website should answer these on the first page.
3. Decide if you need to take payments online. If yes, WooCommerce is your best bet.
4. Get a domain name. Use Nominet or Namecheap. Choose something simple: yourbusiness.co.uk.
5. Book a 30-minute call with a local WordPress developer. Ask for a fixed-price quote for a 5-page site.

You don’t need to do everything at once. But if you wait, someone else will get your customers first.