How much does a website cost for a small business in the UK?

Website cost for a small business: the 2026 ranges

The website cost for a small business depends mostly on who builds it and how much it has to do. These are the prices we found published on 12 October 2026:

Sources: Squarespace pricing; Brambla, web design Portsmouth (7 day websites from £1,200, custom builds £2,500 to £8,000 or more, shops from £3,500, rented sites from £30 a month); Web Design Portsmouth (enquiry budgets from £750 to £1,500 up to £5,000 or more).

Do-it-yourself builders

A builder such as Squarespace costs £12 to £89 a month in the UK when billed yearly, and includes hosting and a secure address. It is the cheapest way to get online if you have the time to write the words, take the photos and learn the tool.

The catches are time, and the ceiling. Booking systems, menus, memberships and anything bespoke usually mean paid add-ons or a move to another platform later. If you already have one and it has stopped working for you, see how a move from Wix or Squarespace works.

Small custom websites

A small custom website, typically five to ten pages built by a local designer, costs from about £750 to £1,500 in Portsmouth. At that price you should expect a design made for your business, a site that fits phones, contact forms, a secure address and the basic search setup.

What separates a good one from a cheap one is what happens after launch: whether it loads fast, whether Google can read your business details, and whether you can change it yourself. In our check of 195 Portsmouth business websites, 77% gave Google no business details it can read, including many that were professionally built.

Bespoke sites, booking systems and shops

Once a website has to take bookings, sell products or connect to other systems, the price moves into thousands. One Portsmouth agency publishes £2,500 to £8,000 or more for custom builds and from £3,500 for online shops.

For restaurants, salons and clinics, the booking system is often worth more than the website around it. A booking page you own avoids paying a platform commission on every table or appointment. See how we approach booking without commission.

The running costs most quotes leave out

• Domain name. Hostinger lists a .co.uk address at £10.99 a year after any first year offer, checked on its domain search page.
• Hosting. Builders include it. With a custom site, hosting and care plans run from a few pounds to £65 a month or more, depending on backups, updates and support.
• Email. A business address on your own domain often costs extra per mailbox.
• Updates. New menus, prices and photos. Ask who makes changes and what it costs.
• Renewals. Plugins, themes and booking tools can carry yearly licences.

Renting a website or owning it

Some agencies build the site for little or nothing up front and charge a monthly fee for as long as it runs. That spreads the cost, but you may not own the site, and leaving can mean starting again. Before you sign, ask in writing who owns the design, the content, the code and the domain.

Our rule is simple: the business owns everything we build, including the code and the customer data, and the domain stays in your name.

How we price websites

We give one fixed price in writing after a 30 minute call, before any work starts, with the launch date. There are no hourly bills, no commission on your bookings, and you see a preview on your phone every week while it is being built. Read more on our website design page.

Questions to ask before you pay for a website

1. Is the price fixed, and what exactly does it include?
2. Who owns the site, the code and the domain when it is finished?
3. What will hosting, updates and email cost each year?
4. Can I change prices, menus and photos myself?
5. How will Google know my address, hours and services?
6. How fast does it load on a phone, and how will you prove it?

Already have a site and not sure it is worth replacing? Run our free website check first. Many websites need fixes, not a rebuild.