How much does a website cost?

The short answer

Word to the wiseA website costs whatever the work involved costs. Two sites that look alike can take very different amounts of time to plan, design, write, build and test. Ask for a written quote that lists exactly what’s included, and ask what it will cost to run each year.

You won’t find a price list in this guide, including ours. That’s deliberate. A number without context either scares off people who need something simple, or hides the extras from people who need something bigger. What’s more useful is knowing what drives the cost, so you can compare quotes properly and spot the ones that don’t add up.

What you’re actually paying for

When you pay for a website, you’re mostly paying for people’s time and skill. A typical project includes:

• Planning. Working out who the site is for, what it needs to do, which pages it needs and how visitors will get in touch.
• Design. How it looks and feels, on phones first and then on bigger screens.
• Content. The words and photos. Often the most underestimated part.
• Build. Turning the design into a working website that’s fast, secure and easy for you to update.
• Testing. On real phones and browsers, checking forms, speed, accessibility and tracking.
• Launch and handover. Going live without breaking anything, setting up analytics, and training you to use it.

After launch, you keep paying for things that keep it running. More on that below.

Nine things that change the cost

1. How many pages, and what kind

A handful of pages about one service is very different from a site with a page for every service, every location and every product. Pages that need their own research, writing and design take the most time.

2. Custom design or a template

A template is quicker because the design decisions are already made. A custom design fits your brand and your customers properly, but takes more time. Many good sites sit in between: a solid framework, designed around your business.

3. What it needs to do

A contact form is simple. Online booking, taking payments, selling products, customer logins, quote calculators or connecting to your CRM, stock or accounts system all add work, and sometimes software costs.

4. Who writes the words and takes the photos

If you supply finished text and good photos, the project moves faster. If the agency writes the copy or organises photography, that’s extra time, but it’s often the difference between a site that sells and one that just sits there. Real photos of your team and your work nearly always beat stock images.

5. Moving from an old website

If you already have a site, moving content across and setting up redirects from old web addresses to new ones takes care. Get it wrong and you can lose rankings you’ve spent years building.

6. SEO set-up

Every decent site should launch with the basics: sensible page titles, headings, fast load times, structured data and your business details written consistently. Ongoing SEO work to rank for competitive searches is a separate, monthly job.

7. Accessibility

Building a site that works for people using screen readers, keyboards or zoom takes care in design and testing. It’s the right thing to do, and it’s part of the legal picture below.

8. Platform and licences

Some platforms charge monthly. Some sites rely on premium plugins, themes, fonts or photo licences that renew every year. Ask what’s included and what renews.

9. Timescale

A rush job means reshuffling other work. A realistic timeline, agreed in writing, is usually cheaper and gives you a better result.

Costs after launch

These are the costs people forget when they compare quotes. Ask for them in writing.

The legal bits that affect the work

A UK business website has a few legal requirements that can add to the scope. A good agency will mention them without you asking.

Cookies and tracking

Cookie rules come from the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR), which were amended by the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025. Changes that took effect on 5 February 2026 mean some analytics cookies no longer need opt-in consent, as long as you tell people about them and give them a simple way to object. Advertising and tracking cookies, like remarketing pixels, still need consent first, and pre-ticked boxes don’t count.

In practice: a site running ad tracking still needs a proper consent banner, which is extra work. A site with no tracking, or only qualifying analytics, may not. Sources: ICO, Clifford Chance.

Accessibility

The Equality Act 2010 applies to private businesses providing services, including online, and requires reasonable adjustments for disabled people. There’s no specific legal standard for private business websites, but the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 at level AA are the usual benchmark. If you sell to consumers in the EU, the European Accessibility Act may also apply to some services. Sources: Equality Act 2010, W3C.

Company details

If you’re a limited company, your website must show your registered company name, company number, the part of the UK you’re registered in and your registered office address. It’s usually in the footer. Source: The Company, Limited Liability Partnership and Business (Names and Trading Disclosures) Regulations 2015.

Privacy notice

If your site collects personal data, even just through a contact form, you need a privacy notice explaining what you collect and why, under UK GDPR. Source: ICO.

How agencies price websites

None of these is wrong. What matters is that you understand exactly what you’re getting, what you own, and what it will cost to run.

Red flags

• A price before anyone has asked what your business does or what the site needs to achieve.
• No written scope, or a scope so vague you can’t tell what’s included.
• The domain registered in the agency’s name rather than yours.
• A long contract you can’t leave, or a site you lose if you do.
• “Guaranteed first page of Google.” Nobody controls Google’s rankings.
• No mention of running costs until after you’ve signed.
• They can’t show you live websites they’ve built.
• You won’t be able to update your own site.

Questions to ask before you sign

• Who owns the domain, the website and the content?
• Exactly what’s included in the quote, and what isn’t?
• What will it cost to run each year, and what renews automatically?
• What happens if I want to leave or move the site?
• Will I be able to update it myself, and will you show me how?
• Who’s writing the words and sourcing the photos?
• If I already have a site, how will you protect my current Google rankings?
• Will it be fast, work properly on phones and meet accessibility guidelines?
• How will we track enquiries from the website?
• Can I talk to one of your clients?

How we quote at Think Mad

We start with a brew and a natter: how you win work, who your best customers are and what the website needs to do. Then you get a written plan with a fixed quote. What’s in it is what you pay, anything new is agreed before it’s done, and there’s no long lock-in. We’ll also tell you upfront what it will cost to run.

Ask us for a quote or read more about our web design and website care.