If you’ve searched “how much does a website cost UK,” you’ve probably been met with wildly different answers — and that’s because website pricing genuinely varies from a few hundred pounds to tens of thousands. For a small trade or local business, that range is baffling and unhelpful. This guide cuts through the noise with real 2026 UK price ranges, exposes the hidden monthly costs nobody talks about upfront, and helps you understand what you’re actually paying for at each price point.
The short version: a good trade website in the UK costs between £500 and £1,500 as a one-off investment — and ongoing costs beyond that should be minimal. If anyone’s quoting you £79/month indefinitely, read this first.
The short answer: 2026 UK price ranges
Typical UK price ranges
Here’s a realistic breakdown of what small business websites cost in the UK in 2026, split by route:
| Route | Upfront cost | Monthly fees | Time investment |
|---|---|---|---|
| DIY (Wix, Squarespace) | £0–£50 | £15–£35/month | 20–50+ hours |
| Wix/Squarespace premium | £0 | £25–£45/month | 20–50+ hours |
| Freelancer (basic) | £400–£900 | £0–£20/month | 5–15 hours |
| Freelancer (mid-range) | £900–£2,000 | £0–£30/month | 3–10 hours |
| Small agency | £1,500–£5,000+ | £50–£200/month | 2–5 hours |
| Trade specialist (e.g. Express Website) | One-off fixed price | Minimal | ~2 hours |
Most tradespeople don’t need a £5,000 agency site. But they also can’t afford a DIY site that takes 40 hours to build and still doesn’t rank on Google or convert visitors into calls.
What changes the price
Several factors drive the cost up or down:
- Number of pages: A 5-page site costs less than a 15-page site, but a 5-page site done properly is often more valuable than a sprawling one done poorly
- Copywriting: If a developer writes your content, that costs more. If you write it yourself, you save money but the quality is often lower
- SEO setup: Title tags, meta descriptions, local SEO basics — these need to be built in, not bolted on later. Many cheap sites skip this entirely
- Photography: Stock photos are free; real job photos convert better. A site built with your actual images will outperform a generic template
- E-commerce or booking systems: If you need online payments or appointment scheduling, add £200–£800+
- Ongoing support and updates: Some providers include these; others charge separately or lock you into expensive maintenance contracts
DIY builders vs. freelancers vs. agencies
DIY builders (Wix, Squarespace, GoDaddy) are tempting because they’re cheap to start. You can get something online for £15–£30/month with no upfront cost. The problem isn’t the tool — it’s the time, the quality, and the hidden ongoing cost.
If you’re weighing up DIY platforms versus a professional build, our guide to building vs hiring someone for your website runs the numbers honestly. A Stoke-on-Trent heating engineer spent a weekend building a Wix site. It looked passable, but it had no local SEO, the page speed was poor, and it wasn’t showing up in Google for any relevant searches. He was also paying £26/month for a plan that included Wix branding in his footer. After 18 months, he’d paid £468 in fees and got two enquiries from the site. He then paid a professional to rebuild it properly — and wished he’d done it first.
Freelancers give you more control and a more professional result, but quality is wildly variable. A strong freelancer with trade-specific experience can build you an excellent 6-page site for £700–£1,200. A cheap one can produce something that looks fine but performs badly. Always ask for examples, and always check how they handle SEO.
Small agencies typically charge more and often include ongoing monthly fees for “support” that might amount to very little. The quality is usually consistent, but for a 5-page trade site, you’re often paying for overhead rather than extra value.
The hidden costs nobody advertises (monthly fees, renewals, add-ons)
Typical UK monthly/annual costs to watch for
This is where the real sting lives. When someone quotes you “just £799 for your website,” ask what’s included and what will cost extra:
- Hosting: £5–£25/month depending on quality. Some builders include it; others don’t.
- Domain name: £10–£20/year. Cheap, but don’t let the provider keep ownership of it.
- SSL certificate: Free with reputable hosts (Let’s Encrypt), but some charge £50–£100/year. If anyone’s charging you for SSL in 2026, question it.
- Premium plugins: WordPress sites often need paid plugins for contact forms, SEO, backup, security. Budget £100–£300/year.
- Maintenance: WordPress in particular needs regular updates or it becomes a security risk. Agencies often charge £50–£150/month for this.
- Email hosting: Some packages include it; others don’t. Google Workspace costs £5–£10/user/month.
What changes the total cost
Over three years, a “cheap” £15/month Wix site with premium features enabled can cost more than a one-off professionally-built WordPress site. Add the hidden extras — SSL, domain, premium features — and the monthly figure climbs.
The key question to ask any provider: “What will I be paying in year two and year three, on top of the initial build cost?”
One-off payment vs. monthly subscriptions over 3 years
Let’s run the actual numbers. These are realistic scenarios for a basic 5-page trade website:
Scenario A: DIY Squarespace (Business plan)
– Monthly fee: £27/month
– Domain: £15/year
– Year 1 total: £324 + £15 = £339
– Year 3 cumulative total: £1,017 + £45 = £1,062
– Plus: 40+ hours of your time to build and maintain it
Scenario B: Monthly agency subscription (typical trade site)
– Build fee: £0–£500 upfront
– Monthly: £75–£85/month
– Year 3 cumulative total: £500 + (£80 × 36) = £3,380
– Plus: you often don’t own the site
Scenario C: One-off professional build (e.g. Express Website)
– One-off price (fixed, transparent)
– Hosting: £10–£15/month (standard web hosting)
– Year 3 cumulative total: significantly lower, and you own everything
– You keep paying nothing except hosting as years go on
The monthly subscription model compounds against you. You’re paying full price forever, even after the build cost has been amortised a dozen times over. For most tradespeople, a one-off investment that you own outright is almost always cheaper over three to five years. We break this down in detail in our one-off vs monthly website cost comparison.
What you should expect for your money
A good trade website at whatever price point should deliver:
- A clean, mobile-first design that loads in under 3 seconds
- Your business name, services, and area clearly stated on the homepage — visible without scrolling
- A click-to-call button that works on mobile
- A contact form that sends you an email when someone fills it in
- At least one service page per core service
- Local SEO basics: page titles with location, meta descriptions, Google Maps embed
- HTTPS (the padlock in the browser bar — this is non-negotiable in 2026)
- A Google Analytics or Search Console setup so you can see how it’s performing
What you shouldn’t accept at any price point: a site that doesn’t show up on Google, doesn’t work properly on mobile, or has your provider’s branding on it.
How Express Website’s pricing works
Our approach
Express Website is built specifically for UK tradespeople and local businesses. The model is simple: a one-off fixed price, no monthly platform fees, built within 48 hours, and yours to keep. We don’t hide costs in the small print and we don’t charge you £80/month for something you already paid for.
What’s included
Every site includes: professional design tailored to your trade, mobile-first layout, click-to-call and WhatsApp contact, a gallery for your project photos, local SEO basics, contact form, and Google Business Profile setup guidance. No extras to pay for, no modules to unlock.
See current pricing at express-website.co.uk/#pricing.
Get a fixed quote and a free mockup
Before you spend anything, see what your website could look like. We build a free mockup of your actual site — your name, your trade, your area — and show you exactly what you’d be getting. No generic templates, no placeholder text.
Imagine a Derby plumber who uses this to compare options against two agencies he’s considering. He sees the mockup, sees the price, and makes his decision the same day. Live within 48 hours. The agencies are still sending proposals.
FAQs
How much should a simple 5-page trade website cost in the UK?
A reasonable budget for a professionally-built 5-page trade website with good SEO is £500–£1,200 as a one-off cost. Be wary of anything under £300 (likely cutting corners) or anyone charging ongoing monthly fees of £50+ indefinitely without a clear justification.
Do I have to pay monthly for a website?
No. The monthly fee model is common but not universal. A one-off payment gets you a site you own outright — you only pay for standard hosting (typically £10–£15/month) after that. Some builders charge monthly because it suits their business model, not because it’s the only way to build a website.
What’s the cheapest way to get a professional trade website?
Done-for-you specialists who build specifically for tradespeople (like Express Website) tend to offer the best combination of professional quality, fast turnaround, and fair pricing. DIY is cheaper upfront but costs far more in time and often produces worse results. Agencies offer quality but often at prices that don’t make sense for a small trade business.
See what your website could look like before you spend a penny. Get your free mockup — no obligation.
