How Much Does a Website Cost in the UK?

Tom Altham

Web Developer Updated 22 August 2026 3 min read

Key Takeaways

Cost depends on scope, not just page count — content, custom design, ecommerce and integrations all add work.
DIY builders, freelancers and agencies trade off cost, capability and how much time your business puts in.
Ecommerce sites usually cost more, since checkout, payment, tax and delivery all add requirements.
Ongoing costs like hosting, updates, security and content continue well beyond the initial build.
The best way to get a useful estimate is to share the pages, content and integrations you already know about.

There is no useful single figure without a scope. A small brochure site, a custom WordPress build and a WooCommerce store involve different content, design, development and ongoing responsibilities.

Six factors behind website cost

These factors explain why two sites with the same page count can require very different amounts of work.

Scope and page types. Repeating a standard content page is different from designing service, landing, location and ecommerce templates.
Content. Writing, editing, photography, video and migration all affect the workload.
Custom design and development. A custom theme requires different work from configuring a pre-built template.
Ecommerce. Products, checkout, payment, delivery, tax and account features add operational decisions.
Integrations. CRM, email, booking, stock and reporting connections need specification and testing.
Ongoing support. Hosting, updates, backups, security and future changes should be considered beyond launch. The most expensive websites we’ve seen weren’t expensive to build — they were cheap to build and expensive to keep alive, because nobody budgeted for support.

Builder, freelancer or agency?

The cheapest starting route is not automatically the lowest-cost long-term route, and the most expensive is not automatically the best. Compare the level of custom work, support, ownership and internal time each option requires. For a first custom site, a freelancer is usually the better starting point — you’re talking directly to the person doing the work, with nothing lost to account management in between. Agencies earn their price on bigger, multi-person builds, and DIY builders earn theirs when a professional budget genuinely isn’t there yet.

DIY website builder. Lower initial professional input, with more planning, setup and maintenance retained by the business.
Freelancer. Often a direct working relationship, with capability and support varying by individual.
Agency. Can bring broader capability, but team size, overhead and delivery model vary widely.

Costs that are easy to overlook

What ongoing costs does a website have?

Typical categories include hosting, domains, maintenance, software licences, content updates and marketing. The exact list depends on the build.

Does ecommerce cost more?

Usually, because products, checkout, payment, tax, delivery and operational integrations add requirements beyond a brochure site. This is also why we build on WooCommerce rather than a hosted platform: it costs more to set up properly, but you own the store outright instead of renting it.

What should I include in a website brief?

Include the pages, content, ecommerce requirements, integrations and ongoing support you already know about. Unknowns can then be identified during scoping.

A useful estimate starts with a useful scope

Share the pages, content, ecommerce needs and integrations you already know about. Unknowns can be identified rather than hidden inside a guess.

Start your website brief.

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