It’s one of the first questions most businesses ask when they start thinking about a new website.
How much is it going to cost?
The frustrating answer is that website prices vary enormously. You can build something yourself for next to nothing, pay a freelancer a few hundred pounds or spend tens of thousands with an agency.
None of those options is automatically right or wrong.
The important question is what you’re actually getting for your money.
A website isn’t just a collection of pages
A good business website has a job to do.
It needs to explain what you do, make you look credible, work properly on mobile, help people find you through search and make it easy for a potential customer to take the next step.
That means there’s considerably more involved than choosing a WordPress theme and adding a logo.
Before I start designing a website, I want to understand the business, its customers, its competitors and what somebody needs to see before they’ll make an enquiry.
The structure, copy and design should come from that.
What affects the cost of a website?
The size of the site is an obvious factor, but page count isn’t everything.
A five-page brochure website for a straightforward service business is very different from an e-commerce site containing hundreds of products.
Functionality matters too. Booking systems, payment facilities, membership areas, integrations, bespoke forms and other features all add development time.
Then there’s the content.
Who is writing it?
Who is sourcing and preparing the images?
Who is handling SEO?
Who is setting everything up with Google?
These things can be included in a project or presented as additional costs later.
That’s why comparing website quotations purely on the headline price can be misleading.
Cheap websites can become expensive websites
There’s nothing wrong with having a limited budget.
But a £500 website that produces no enquiries isn’t necessarily better value than a £2,000 website that generates business.
One of the biggest mistakes I see is businesses paying for a website and then discovering they still need somebody to rewrite it, improve the mobile version, sort out the SEO or fix basic technical problems.
The cheapest quote can become considerably less attractive once those costs start appearing.
What should you expect from a professional website?
For most small and medium-sized businesses, I believe a professionally built website should include responsive design, clear navigation, strong calls to action and content written around the customer rather than the company.
It should also have the fundamental SEO work completed properly.
For Get Pro Copy websites, that includes WordPress development, responsive design, content and on-page SEO, alongside Rank Math Pro configuration, Google Analytics, Google Site Kit and submission through Google Search Console.
The site shouldn’t simply look finished.
It should be properly set up to start doing its job.
What should a small-business website cost?
There isn’t one sensible figure because the scope can vary so much.
A straightforward small-business website will naturally cost less than a large bespoke build or e-commerce project.
As a broad principle, though, I’d be wary of buying a business website purely on price.
Ask what is actually included.
Is the content included? Is SEO included? Will it work properly on phones and tablets? Who deals with you during the project? What happens when the website launches?
Those answers tell you considerably more than the headline figure.
Start with what the website needs to achieve
Before asking “How much does a website cost?”, ask another question:
“What do I need this website to do for my business?”
If it simply needs to establish that your business exists, your requirements may be relatively simple.
If you want it to generate enquiries, support Google visibility, strengthen your brand and become part of your wider marketing, it needs more thought.
A website should be an investment in your business rather than another monthly expense you’ve forgotten about.
Get the fundamentals right at the beginning and it can keep working for you for years.
Need a new website? Get Pro Copy designs and develops WordPress websites for businesses in Liverpool, Manchester and across the UK.
