Guide
How much does a small business website cost in the UK?
It depends less on the website than on who does the work: you, someone you hire once, or a service that builds it and keeps it up to date. Here is what each way costs in money and in time, the costs that arrive after launch, and the questions to ask before you pay anyone.
ThemeSmith is one of the three ways, and it's ours. Its prices are the only ones on this page, because they're the only ones we can stand behind; for everyone else, we tell you what to add up.
What are the three ways to get a website, and what does each cost?
Each way can be the right one. What changes is what you pay in money, what you pay in time, and who does the work after launch.
| The way | You pay | You also give | It suits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Build it yourself on a website builder | A monthly or yearly plan to the builder, and a domain name. The builder's own site has the prices; check what the plan renews at after the first year, not only the first-year price. | Your hours: choosing a template, writing every page, finding photos, learning the editor, and every update after launch. | Owners who have the time and enjoy making it. |
| Hire a freelancer or an agency to build it | A quote for the build. Then hosting, the domain, and whatever each change costs after launch, which is often a separate fee. | Usually the words and the photos, and the time it takes to brief, chase and approve. | Owners with a budget who want something made to a detailed brief. |
| Have it built and looked after (this is what ThemeSmith does) | £29 for the first page and £15 for each page after, paid once. Then £15 a month after a free first month, or £39 for a site that changes often. | A chat about your business, a choice of design direction, and a yes to your home page. | Owners who want it done, and changed when they ask, without learning anything. |
Thinking about a builder? ThemeSmith and Wix, side by side →
What are you actually paying for?
Eight things go into every small business website. Quotes differ mostly in which of them they include, so add them all up before comparing.
| The cost | What it is | With ThemeSmith |
|---|---|---|
| Domain name | Your address, like yourbusiness.co.uk. Paid every year, to whoever registers it. Make sure it is registered in your name. | Connect one you have, or buy one in your dashboard; each name shows its yearly price before you pay. It is in your name. |
| Hosting and security | The server the site lives on, the padlock (SSL) and protection from attacks. Paid monthly or yearly. | In the monthly plan: hosting on our global network, SSL, a web application firewall, and a restore point before every publish from your editor. |
| Design and build | Turning what you do into pages that look right on a phone. The part most quotes are about. | Priced per page, paid once. Two or three design directions to choose from, and up to five changes and one complete rethink before you approve the home page. |
| The words | What each page says. Often left to the owner, and often the reason a site never launches. | Written for you from the chat. We play back what we heard before anything is designed. |
| Photos | Your own, stock photos you license, or a photographer. | Made for you. Add your own whenever you like. |
| A logo | Often a separate job, with a separate designer. | Two designs with every build. Two more for £10 or four more for £15, chosen when you order. |
| Changes after launch | New prices, opening times, photos, a new service. The cost nobody adds up at the start. | A message in your dashboard or on WhatsApp. About ten small edits a month are covered on the £15 plan, about thirty on the £39 plan, and unused credits roll over. |
| Your time | Not on any invoice, but real: the evenings a builder takes, or the hours spent briefing and chasing. | A chat about your business. Your home page is then ready to look at in about twenty minutes. |
What do owners budget when they hire someone?
We read every website job posted with a budget in pounds on PeoplePerHour's public listings between 8 September and 8 October 2026. There were 27. The budgets ran from £15 to £1,300; 15 were under £100, 25 were under £300, and the middle one was £88.
A budget is what the buyer hoped to pay, not what the work costs. At those figures, ask exactly what is included: who writes the words, who supplies the photos, whether there is a logo, and what a change costs once the site is live.
Which costs arrive after launch?
The domain renews every year. Hosting or the builder plan carries on every month, and some plans renew at a higher price after the first year. And then there are changes: the new price list, the holiday hours, the photo of the new van.
Chris, who founded ThemeSmith, ran a web agency for twenty years. There, a small change such as a new phone number carried a minimum fee, and could wait about two weeks behind bigger jobs. Plenty of sites stalled before launch, waiting for the owner's photos and words.
ThemeSmith is set up so those three don't happen: a small edit comes out of the credits in your plan, most are live in a minute or two, and the words and photos are made for you.
What does a ThemeSmith site cost in its first year?
The build is paid once. Hosting is free for the first month, then £15 a month on Starter. These are the whole first-year figures, with nothing added at checkout.
| Pages | Build, paid once | First year in all |
|---|---|---|
| 1 page | £29 | £194 |
| 3 pages | £59 | £224 |
| 4 pages | £74 | £239 |
| 5 pages | £89 | £254 |
| 8 pages | £134 | £299 |
Hosting months two to twelve: 11 × £15 on Starter, about ten small edits a month. On Business, for a site that changes often, it is 11 × £39 (£429), with about thirty small edits a month and up to three sites. A privacy page and two logo designs come with every build. A domain bought through us shows its yearly price before you pay. After the first year, the monthly price carries on; the build is not charged again. The full price list →
What should you ask before you pay anyone?
Five questions that separate a fair price from an expensive one. Ask them of anyone, us included; our answers are underneath each.
Is the domain registered in my name?
If it is in the provider’s name, leaving can mean losing your address, and the email that goes with it.
ThemeSmith: Yes, whether you buy it through us or bring one you already have.
What does a change cost after launch, and how long does it take?
This is where small sites get expensive or go out of date.
ThemeSmith: A small edit comes out of the credits in your plan. Most are live in a minute or two.
Who writes the words and supplies the photos?
If the answer is you, budget the time. It is the commonest reason a site stalls before launch.
ThemeSmith: We do, from the chat. Your own photos are welcome but not needed.
What will I pay after the first year?
An introductory price that runs out is not the price.
ThemeSmith: The same monthly price. We give 30 days’ notice of any change, and existing customers keep their price while they stay subscribed.
Is there a contract or a setup fee?
A minimum term turns a monthly price into a commitment.
ThemeSmith: Neither. The plan is monthly, and you cancel from your account.
Questions about website costs
If yours isn't here, message us ↗ and we'll answer it. You might also want websites for your trade or, if you already have a site that needs replacing, Site Rescue.
- How much does a small business website cost in the UK?
- It depends on who does the work. Building it yourself costs a builder plan and a domain, plus your hours. Hiring a freelancer or agency costs their quote for the build, then hosting and any changes after launch. With ThemeSmith, the build is £29 for the first page and £15 for each page after, paid once; a four-page site is £74. Then hosting is £15 a month after a free first month: £239 for a four-page site in its first year, all in.
- How much does a website cost per month?
- With ThemeSmith, £15 a month on Starter, for a site that rarely changes, or £39 on Business, for a site that changes often. Either one covers hosting, SSL, a firewall, your domain connected and changes by message, and the first month is free. Elsewhere, add up the hosting or builder plan, the domain spread over the year, and what each change will cost you.
- Why do website quotes vary so much?
- Because they price different amounts of work. Some include the words, photos, a logo and changes after launch; some include only the build, and leave the rest to you. Compare what is included, what a change costs after launch, and the price after the first year, not just the first number.
- Do I have to pay extra for a logo and photos?
- With ThemeSmith, no. Photos and words are made for you, and two logo designs come with every build. If you would like more logo choice, two more are £10 or four more are £15 when you order.
- Can I start small and add pages later?
- Yes. A one-page site is £29. Adding a page later is £15, plus a few credits to plan it with you by message.
- Is there a contract?
- No contract and no setup fee. Hosting is free for the first month, then monthly, and you cancel from your account. We give 30 days’ notice of any price change, and existing customers keep their price.
See your exact price before you pay.
Choose your pages and the total adds up in front of you. Pay to start, and your home page is ready to look at in about twenty minutes; nothing else is built until you've approved it.
£29 for your first page, £15 for each one after. First month's hosting free, then £15 a month. No contract; cancel from your account.