How much does a website cost for a small business in the UK?
For a small UK business, a website costs anywhere from about £10 a month on a DIY builder to £5,000 or more for an agency build. The price depends mostly on who does the work. Sorted Online is fixed and simple: £15 a month, which includes your website, your own domain, and forwarding email, with nothing to pay at sign-up.
Typical UK market ranges are below. Treat them as a starting point for getting a written quote, not as fixed prices — every provider sets its own.
| Route | Typical up-front cost | Typical ongoing cost | Who does the work |
|---|---|---|---|
| DIY builder (Wix, Squarespace, GoDaddy) | £0 to a few hundred | roughly £10–£30 a month, plus domain | You |
| Freelancer or local web designer | roughly £500–£1,500 | hosting, domain, and updates | They build, you update |
| Agency | roughly £1,500–£5,000+ | a monthly retainer for care and changes | They do everything, on a schedule |
| Sorted Online (done for you) | £0 | £15 a month | We do everything |
The costs that are easy to forget
The headline price is rarely the whole price. Watch for:
- Your own time. A DIY builder is only cheap if your hours are free. Most sole traders lose evenings and weekends to it, then leave the site half-built.
- Domain and email. A domain is a small annual cost, and professional email is often a separate monthly subscription. Check whether they are included.
- Changes. A one-off build often means paying again for every later change. Ask whether updates are included or billed by the hour.
- Hosting and renewals. Some "£0 up front" offers lock you into a renewal or a hosting fee later.
Why the cheapest option often costs more
A site you never finish earns nothing. For a sole trader, the real cost of a DIY builder is the weeks of evenings before it goes live — weeks when a customer finds someone else instead. Done-for-you trades a little monthly cost for the one thing you cannot buy back: your time.
What Sorted Online includes for £15 a month
- Your website, written and published for you.
- Your own domain, registered and managed.
- Forwarding email on that domain.
- Simple UK Direct Debit billing through GoCardless.
- Nothing to pay at sign-up.
Cancel whenever you are ready to stop. That is the entire price. There is no build fee and no separate hosting bill.
What to ask any provider
- Is the domain included, or do I pay separately?
- Is the price a one-off or monthly, and what happens after year one?
- What does a later change cost?
- Can I keep my domain and my email if I leave?
- Who writes the words, and who chooses the design?
If the answers are vague, the true cost is probably higher than the quote. See done-for-you website vs Wix for the main decision, and business email on your own domain for the email question.
Next step
Start your website at £15 a month, with nothing to pay today. It takes a few minutes and your first site is usually live within minutes after that.