£79 a month, or own it outright: small business website cost UK, part by part.

If you have searched for small business website cost UK, you have probably found that straight answers are hard to come by. Prices can be bundled, or quoted for different things, so two quotes rarely compare. I'm Serhat, a Bromley-based web designer, and I would rather show you the parts of the bill than one headline number.

For reference, my own prices are public: £79 a month plus a £49 setup fee for a five-page site, or £995 once to own it outright. The rest of this page applies whoever you hire, and it covers what to check before you pay anyone, me included.

Small business website cost UK: what the price is made of

Whatever the model, the same eight things have to be paid for by someone. A quote that leaves some of them out is not cheaper, only incomplete.

• Domain name: your address on the web, renewed every year.
• Hosting and security: the computer that serves your pages, plus the padlock (SSL) that stops browsers warning visitors.
• The build: design, writing, photos and making it work on phones.
• Changes and updates: new prices, hours and photos, for as long as the site lives.
• Booking software: only if you want customers to book online.
• Business email: an address that matches your domain.
• Google Business Profile: claimed, accurate and kept current.
• Your own time: every hour spent on it is an hour not spent on customers.

In my Show Up plan, the monthly fee covers hosting, security and SSL, your Google Business Profile and two content changes a month, with a one-page report each month. Booking comes with Show Up & Book.

Pay monthly websites for small business UK: what the fee covers

A pay-monthly website spreads the cost instead of asking for a lump sum, and it wraps the running costs into one number. That is only good value if you can see what is in the number. A website monthly fee should cover at least hosting, security, some changes and someone to ring when something breaks.

That monthly report is worth more than it sounds. In October 2026 I reviewed the websites of 95 small businesses around Bromley borough and south-east London, and 49 of 95, about half, had no visitor analytics at all, so the owner could not tell whether the site was doing anything. A web design monthly subscription should show you something every month, even if it is one page.

Do you have to pay for a website monthly?

No. There are two ways to pay, and neither is compulsory.

• Buy it outright. Own It is the five-page website and Google profile for £995 one-off. Nothing is due monthly unless you choose the optional care plan at £39 a month.
• Pay monthly. Show Up is £79 a month plus a £49 setup fee, with no minimum term. Cancel any time and the plan stops at the end of the month you have paid for.

Either way, I'm not VAT registered, so no VAT is added to these prices.

Own it or rent it?

Neither is right for everyone. This is how I would think about it.

• Rent it monthly if you would rather keep cash in the business, want someone handling changes each month, or are not sure the site will stay the same for years.
• Own it outright if you prefer one payment and no monthly line in your accounts. Talk through how you want changes handled, and add the optional care plan if you want ongoing help.

There is also some arithmetic worth doing. Counting the setup fee, the monthly route passes the Own It price after roughly fourteen months. That is not a like-for-like comparison, though: the monthly plan includes two content changes a month and a monthly report, which is ongoing help as well as a site. If you expect to use that help, renting can stay good value for years. If you will rarely touch the site, owning is likely to come out cheaper.

Questions to ask any web designer before you pay

These protect you with any provider. I am happy to answer them for my own plans on the first call, in writing if you like.

• Who owns the domain name, and can I take it with me if I leave?
• Is there a minimum term, and what does cancelling involve?
• What counts as a change, how many are included and what does an extra one cost?
• Is booking software included, or a separate subscription?
• Who looks after my Google Business Profile?
• What will I see each month to know whether the site is working?
• Is the price shown with or without VAT?

A provider who answers those clearly, with numbers, is worth shortlisting. One who cannot is telling you something too.

Doing it yourself: the cost is your time

A do-it-yourself builder is a fair choice for a simple site if you enjoy the work. The subscription is the visible cost. The invisible one is the evenings: choosing a layout, writing every page, sizing photos for phones, fixing what breaks and learning enough about Google to be found. If an hour of your time is worth more than the price difference, having someone else do it is cheaper than it looks.

A site you built once and never touched can also drift quietly out of date, with the wrong hours, old prices or a phone number that no longer works. That is the part two changes a month are there to catch.

Adding booking, and what to do next

If you take appointments, booking is the biggest extra on the list. Show Up & Book is £149 a month plus a £99 setup fee, and adds online booking with deposits and reminders, a WhatsApp chat button and click-to-call, missed-call text-back (coming soon), and review requests after each visit.

To see what you would be paying for, browse the example designs and try the online visibility checklist. The free business check shows where your online presence stands today, the page on web design in Bromley explains how I work locally, and every price is on the pricing page.

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