Introduction
If you're a small business owner, charity trustee, or community group organiser looking to get online, one of the first questions you'll hit is simple: how much does this actually cost? The honest answer is that it varies enormously depending on who builds your site, how many pages you need, and what ongoing support you want. This guide breaks down the real costs, from DIY builders to agencies to managed no-cost services, so you can budget with confidence rather than guessing.
The short answer
For a UK small business, charity, or sole trader, a straightforward website costs anywhere from free (with a managed service) to £5,000 or more for a custom build. On top of that, expect to pay £10 to £50 a month for hosting and a domain, whichever build route you choose. The exact figure depends on how many pages you need, whether you're paying for design and development time, and what ongoing support you want.
Below is a breakdown of what actually drives the cost, so you can budget properly.
What determines the cost of a website?
1. Who builds it
- DIY website builders (Wix, Squarespace, GoDaddy): roughly £10-£30 a month, no upfront design fee, but you do the work yourself.
- Freelance web designer: typically £500-£2,500 for a small business site, depending on experience and location.
- Web design agency: usually £2,000-£10,000+, particularly for bespoke design, e-commerce, or complex functionality.
- Managed/no-cost build services (such as Free Web Factory): the website itself is built at no development cost, and you pay only for hosting, typically around £35 a month billed annually. This suits organisations that want a professional site without the up-front design bill.
2. Number of pages
Most small businesses and charities need far fewer pages than they think. A home page, an about page, a services or programmes page, a contact page, and perhaps one more, five pages in total, covers the vast majority of needs. Larger sites with blogs, e-commerce, or dozens of service pages cost more, whichever route you take, because of the extra design and content work involved.
3. E-commerce and online payments
Adding a shop, booking system, or donation processing brings extra cost almost everywhere, whether that's a monthly platform fee (Shopify, WooCommerce), transaction fees, or additional development time. If you only need a simple donate button or a link to an external booking tool, you can usually avoid this cost entirely.
4. Ongoing hosting and maintenance
This is the cost people forget to budget for. Even a "free" website needs somewhere to live online, which means:
- Domain name: roughly £10-£15 a year
- Hosting: from a few pounds a month for basic shared hosting up to £50+ a month for managed hosting with support included
- Maintenance and updates: security patches, backups, and content changes, either done yourself or included in a support plan
5. Content: copywriting and photography
Many quotes only cover the build, not the words and images that go on the site. Professional copywriting can add £50-£150 per page, and photography can run into hundreds of pounds if you don't already have decent images. Charities and small businesses often supply their own content to keep costs down.
Typical cost ranges at a glance
- DIY builder (Wix, Squarespace): £0 upfront, then £10-£30 a month
- Freelance designer, small site: £500-£2,500 upfront, then £5-£20 a month for hosting
- Agency build, custom design: £2,000-£10,000+ upfront, then £20-£100+ a month
- Managed no-cost build (e.g. Free Web Factory): £0 upfront, then around £35 a month, billed annually
Do charities pay less for websites?
Not automatically, but there are routes worth exploring. Some web designers and agencies offer discounted rates for registered charities, and certain no-cost build services extend to community groups and non-profits on the same terms as small businesses. It's always worth asking directly whether a charity rate applies before assuming standard pricing.
Is a "free website" actually free?
Not quite, and it's worth understanding why. A genuinely no-cost build service covers the design and development time, which is normally the largest single cost in building a website. What you almost always still pay for is hosting, since a website needs server space to be visible online, and that's a recurring cost with every provider, free build or not. The key question to ask any "free website" provider is what the ongoing monthly or annual cost actually covers, and whether there are hidden extras for updates, extra pages, or support.
How much should a small business budget?
For most small businesses, sole traders, and community organisations that need a straightforward five-page site, a sensible budget is:
- £0-£500 upfront if using a DIY builder or a managed no-cost service
- £35-£50 a month for hosting, whichever provider you use
- An extra buffer for content, photography, or a logo if you don't already have these
If you need e-commerce, a large content library, or bespoke functionality, budget from £2,000 upwards for the build alone.
Frequently asked questions
Can I get a website for free?
Yes, some services build the website itself at no development cost and charge only for hosting. This typically works for straightforward sites of up to around five pages, without e-commerce or blogging functionality.
How much does a five-page website cost in the UK?
A five-page website ranges from £0 with a managed no-cost service, to £500-£1,500 with a freelancer, to £2,000+ with an agency, plus hosting from around £10 to £50 a month.
What's the cheapest way to get a business website?
The cheapest routes are a DIY builder (from around £10 a month) or a managed no-cost build service where you only pay for hosting (typically around £35 a month, billed annually).
Do I need to pay monthly for a website?
Yes, in almost all cases. Even a free-to-build website needs hosting to stay online, so budget for an ongoing monthly or annual fee regardless of which provider builds the site.