It's one of the most common questions I get asked: "How much should I expect to pay for a website?" The honest answer is that it varies enormously — and understanding why will help you make a much better decision for your business.
The options — from free to tens of thousands
DIY website builders (Free — £25/month)
Platforms like Wix, Squarespace, and WordPress.com let you build a website yourself using templates. They're fine for getting something online quickly, and some small businesses use them successfully for years.
The trade-offs: they tend to be slower than custom-built sites, harder to optimise for SEO, and your site can end up looking like thousands of others using the same template. If your time is valuable, the hours you spend learning and building could cost more than hiring someone.
Freelance web designers (£500 — £3,000)
A freelance designer or developer will build something tailored to your business. The quality varies enormously depending on who you hire, so it's worth looking at their portfolio carefully and asking about their process.
This is where MachFly Digital Studio sits. Our projects start at £799 for a Starter site and go up to £4,999 for a full Enterprise build — with transparent, fixed pricing and no surprises.
Small agencies (£2,000 — £10,000+)
A small agency typically has a team of designers, developers, and account managers. You get more resource, but you also pay for the overhead — and you may not always work directly with the person doing the actual work.
Large agencies (£10,000 — £100,000+)
Large agencies work primarily with big brands and corporates. Unless you're running a significant operation, this bracket isn't relevant to most small businesses.
The question to ask yourself: What is a new client worth to your business? If a single client is worth £500, a website that brings you two new clients per year has already paid for itself.
What affects the price?
Several factors influence how much a website costs to build:
- Number of pages — a 5-page brochure site is very different from a 30-page website with a blog
- Custom design vs template — a bespoke design takes longer and costs more than starting from a template
- E-commerce — online shops require significantly more work than brochure sites
- Content — if you need copywriting or photography, that adds to the cost
- Integrations — booking systems, CRMs, payment gateways all add complexity
Ongoing costs to factor in
The build cost is just one part of the picture. You'll also need to budget for:
- Domain registration — typically £10–20 per year
- Web hosting — from £5/month for basic shared hosting
- Ongoing maintenance — updates, security, content changes
- Optional: care plan or support contract
How to avoid getting burned
The website industry has more than its share of bad actors. Here are the red flags to watch out for:
- No clear, written quote before work starts
- No portfolio of previous work to review
- Vague deliverables with no defined scope
- Pressure to sign up quickly or pay everything upfront
- No mention of what happens after the site launches
A good website is an investment, not an expense. The question isn't just "how much does it cost?" — it's "how much value will it bring?" If you're unsure what your business actually needs or what a fair price looks like, I'm happy to have an honest conversation about it, with no obligation on either side.