The short version
- Price is driven by page count, custom design, functionality and who writes the content.
- Compare the build price and ongoing costs over the period you expect to use the site.
- Hosting, domain, updates and security are ongoing costs whoever builds it.
- Always ask what happens after launch. That answer separates most quotes.
It is the first question almost everyone asks, and the honest answer is that it depends. That is unsatisfying, so this article explains what it actually depends on, so you can look at two quotes for the same job and understand why one is double the other.
What actually drives the cost of a website
- How many pages. A five page site for a trade business is a very different job from a thirty page site with a booking system.
- Custom design versus a template. A template is quicker and cheaper. A custom build looks like your business rather than everybody else's.
- Functionality. Contact forms are simple. Online booking, payments, customer logins and stock are not.
- Who writes the words. Useful copy explains your services, answers customer questions and supports relevant searches.
- Whether SEO is included. Ask which technical checks, page metadata and content work are included.
- What happens after launch. Ongoing support, updates and changes either come with it or they do not.
The different ways to pay for a website
Doing it yourself
A site builder can be a practical option if you have time to prepare the content and maintain it. Compare the subscription, any paid features and the time needed to design, check and update the site. Search performance depends on the resulting website and content, not simply on whether you built it yourself.
A one off build from a freelancer or agency
A one-off quote should identify the pages, design, content and functionality included. Ask what happens after launch: which fixes are covered, how future changes are charged and whether you can maintain the site yourself. Compare the same scope before treating one headline price as better value.
Build plus a monthly plan
JT quotes the initial build separately from ongoing website support. The monthly plan covers the published inclusions, with additional work agreed around your requirements. This gives you a defined route for support and updates after launch.
JT’s current build guide is £1,250–£1,750 for a single-page website, £2,500–£3,500 for a business website, £4,000–£6,000 for a larger business website and £6,000–£8,500+ for a substantial bespoke company website. These are guide ranges; your written quote sets the actual pages, content, features and final price.
Website Care is £99/month for hosting, a standard domain, versioned backups, monthly technical and form checks, and up to 30 minutes of small content edits. Active SEO and marketing plans are £249/month for Silver, £359/month for Gold and £599/month for Platinum. Those plans already include care, so the £99 is not an additional charge.
For comparison, a £1,250 build plus 12 monthly Care payments totals £2,438, before any separately agreed extras. A £3,000 build plus 12 Gold payments totals £7,308. These are budget illustrations, not fixed quotes or a statement of contract length.
The costs people forget
- The domain name, renewed every year.
- Hosting, which every site needs whether it is bundled or billed separately.
- HTTPS/SSL provision and renewal. This is often included with hosting; check whether there is any separate charge.
- Updates and security patching, which is not optional if you want the site to stay online and safe.
- Changes. Prices move, staff change, services get added. Somebody has to make those edits.
Compare the full scope and ongoing costs
For each quote, list the build fee, hosting, domain, support, content work and any paid features. Then ask who checks the contact form and keeps service information current. This reveals the work you would need to handle yourself or pay for later.
Check the search foundations too: descriptive page titles, useful service information, crawlable pages and a clear route to contact. Ongoing SEO is a separate scope to discuss. Our SEO cost guide explains how to compare that work.
Questions worth asking any web designer
- What is included in the price, and what is extra?
- Who writes the content, me or you?
- Is search engine optimisation part of the build or an add on?
- What happens after launch, and what does support cost?
- Do I own the site and the domain if I ever move away from you?
Ask for the answers in the written scope so you can compare providers and avoid surprises.
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