How much does it cost to build a website?

There are many different types of businesses, each presenting unique traits, necessities, and peculiarities. Yet most of them share one common feature – they can benefit greatly from an online presence.

One of the best ways to reach more customers and build a name for your business is via a website.

In this article, we answer the question of how much it costs to build a website in the UK. We offer insights into the different elements that influence this price and provide guidance on approaching this project efficiently.

How much does it cost to build a website: Overview

Building a website can be expensive, but it can also be an affordable journey that involves do-it-yourself work and acquiring new skills.

In broad terms, the following components help shape the price of creating a website in the UK:

• Domain name – from £0 to £40 per year;
• Web hosting – between £3 and £250 per month;
• SSL certificate – from £30 to £1400 per year;
• Website builder – from £0 and £320 per month;
• Themes and templates – £15 to £500 per year ;
• Professional web design – £25 to £100-plus per hour & between £1,500 and £65,000 per website;
• Payment solutions – a percentage plus a fixed fee per transaction (widely varies across providers).

In the next section, we detail these prices and explain each component in depth.

How much does it cost to build a website: Detailed breakdown

The cost of building a website depends on various factors and includes several crucial things. Let’s see what they are.

Domain name

The very first stage of creating an eCommerce website is creating a domain registration or choosing a custom domain.

The domain name represents the address of your website and is the URL that users can utilise to find your business online. Without it, it’s impossible to build a website. 

Before purchasing a domain name, it’s essential to choose one that best represents your brand. Make sure to select an extension (.com, .org, .net, or .co) that also fits in well with your targeted locations and audience.

In most cases, .com domains are slightly pricier than other alternatives due to their popularity. 

You can register a domain name with different providers, like Domain.com, DreamHost, and Namecheap. 

Domains are purchased for a specific period, with most providers offering a one-year plan. After this time, you’ll need to pay for another year to continue using your domain name.

Usually, domains are sold in package deals with hosting services. It is a preferred option by most website owners as there are multiple advantages, such as receiving a free domain for a year (in some cases). 

Domain name prices vary across different providers. However, they’re considered affordable and are only a tiny portion of total website costs. 

The affordability of your chosen domain will depend on its popularity and strength. For example, domain names that include top-searched-for keywords are more expensive than rather unpopular ones. 

Annual subscriptions for a domain name can span from £0 to £40 a year. 

Some examples of domain prices based on providers include:

• Namecheap – £5.58 first year;
• Domain.com – £8.78 first year;
• DreamHost – £6.38 first year.

Web hosting

Even if you already own a domain, your online store or other type of website can’t function without web hosting.

A hosting provider will host your website on a web server, ensuring that all of your website’s files (images, videos, and content) are properly stored at all times. 

Your hosting costs will ultimately depend on the type of hosting you choose. There are plenty of options to explore, such as shared hosting, dedicated hosting, managed hosting (like managed WordPress hosting), and VPS.

Shared Hosting

Shared hosting is usually a preferred option for small businesses with low traffic. In this scenario, your website shares a server with other websites instead of having its own dedicated server.

Shared hosting is very similar to renting a home. You often share the costs and the assets with other individuals.

Naturally, this option is associated with lower hosting costs. In the UK, shared hosting plans range between £3 and £15 per month.

However, this solution won’t be enough if you plan to grow your website and host high-traffic volumes.

Dedicated hosting

Dedicated server hosting is the most appropriate option for larger, more complex websites that plan to attract a lot of traffic.

This solution provides dedicated server hosting for every website, where security is at the highest level. 

Considering that dedicated hosting means that you can enjoy better bandwidth and advanced support, prices are usually higher, spanning from £60 to £250 per month.

WordPress hosting

Earlier, we mentioned that you can also select managed hosting, like WordPress hosting. 

Companies like WordPress (an open-source website builder that comes with a content management system) now provide platform-specific hosting plans. 

These packages are designed to allow the website to run as smoothly as possible with the particular builder and often provide additional capabilities, like automatic updates, data backups, and more. 

If you plan to use this type of hosting, you can expect to pay somewhere between £3 and £20 per month.

VPS hosting

VPS, or Virtual Private Server hosting, offers a combination of shared hosting and dedicated server hosting. 

While VPS is a single server, it supports different sites through multiple servers. 

This partially eliminates the challenges associated with shared hosting, like speed. 

Most VPS hosting plans cost between £17 and £50 per month.

Based on the type of ecommerce hosting you’re looking for, there are many providers to choose from.

Some of the best web hosting services include:

• Bluehost;
• Hostinger;
• GoDaddy;
• Namecheap;
• DreamHost.

Keep in mind that there are multiple packages to select from, enabling you to reduce the total cost of building a website.

SSL certificate

No matter whether you’re creating a large or small business website, signing up for an SSL certificate is equally important. 

SSL or Secure Sockets Layer is an encryption security protocol that guarantees the safety of your website’s visitors. Purchasing this certificate ensures that all information exchanged between users’ browsers and your website is secure.

An SSL certificate ensures that all sensitive data, such as passwords and payment information, is safe and private. In fact, if you plan to support payments on your website, an SSL certificate is an absolute must.

Just like the domain and hosting, this cost is not something to worry about, as it’s usually affordable. 

You can even enjoy a free SSL certificate, in some cases, when purchasing a web hosting package. However, on some occasions, it might be best to opt for a paid solution to enjoy additional features, support, and advanced encryption. 

Some of the most popular SSL certificate providers in the UK include:

• Comodo – from £75 per year
• SSL.com – from 30 per year
• AlphaSSL – from £38 per year 
• DigiCert – from £289 per year 
• Sectigo – from £70 per year

Website Builders 

Website builders have a central part in eCommerce website pricing. 

Once you’re ready to create your site, you can explore two paths – having a professional, custom-built website by an experienced designer or the DIY (do-it-yourself) path. 

Regardless of whether you’re planning to have a custom website or you can turn your ideas into reality with a premade template, having a website builder is a must. 

Why? Even if you partner with a web designer to create specific elements on the website, having a website builder will enable you to stay in control, if necessary. 

Of course, some online stores, for example, require advanced features and must be created using solely programming code. In this case, it’s key to start planning for website development costs with a professional. 

However, by exploring the available options, you’ll find that many website builders offer premium features for small extra costs. 

That enables both experienced and non-experienced individuals to create websites from scratch and personalise them as needed. 

Most website builders offer access to a drag-and-drop website editor that is easy to use, even for beginners. 

Also, note that creating an online shop with a website builder is often more expensive than building a standard website, like a blog. This is because the support necessary for running an online store is more advanced, including product features, payments, deliveries, and more.

Themes and templates

When bringing your eCommerce site to life, you’ll also need to consider the prices for themes and templates. 

Website builders allow users to choose from diverse themes and templates that can be customised to fit the needs of the business. 

For example, themes on WordPress can cost between £15 and £235 per year, based on their features and capabilities. Some premium themes can cost anywhere up to £500. 

Some, like Divi and Elementor, can be tailored using a visual interface. However, others may require coding skills and more experience. 

When choosing a website builder for your site, research the included themes and templates and learn more about the costs of acquiring more advanced ones.

How much does it cost to use a website builder?

With the growing interest in online space, there are now hundreds of different website builder platforms from which to choose. 

While they all provide standard features, some website builder tools stand out. 

Naturally, website builder prices vary depending on the level of complexity of the tools, the available capabilities, and more. 

Here are some of the website builders and their monthly prices:

• WordPress – from £5.50 per month;
• Shopify – for £19 per month;
• Wix – from £7.50 per month;
• Squarespace – from £12 per month;
• Weebly – from £5 per month.

Keep in mind that the price for a website builder often includes different components, like plugins or apps, hosting services, themes, an SSL certificate, and even a domain name. In other words, it’s essential to observe your builder cost as a package rather than a separate expense. 

If you’ve previously purchased individual services and prefer using the website builder for its basic features, you can enjoy the tools for free on many occasions.

Professional design

Professional design is one of the most significant cost elements of an eCommerce website (for business owners who rely on web designers).

If you don’t have the time for web development with a builder and would prefer to take a large portion of the weight off your shoulders – hiring a professional web designer is the best choice. 

Whether you work with a web design agency or a professional web design freelancer, prepare to invest heavily in this part of your website creation. 

Working with web designers, you can rely on experts to curate the design and layout of your pages, optimise user experience, and partner with web developers to reach the optimal version of your website. 

Whether you’re looking for business-type web design, a portfolio, or an online shop, your web designer can help you materialise your ideas. 

When it comes to the price of web design in the UK, it depends on different factors, such as:

• The web designer’s level of experience;
• The complexity of the project;
• The type of industry your business is in;
• The features and capabilities of your website;
• The time it takes for the professional to complete the website.

Some web designers charge per hour, while others provide a flat rate or a monthly retainer. In most cases, a web designer can cost between £30 and more than £100 per hour. 

While it’s difficult to predict the exact cost of building a website in the UK, you can expect to pay between £1,500 and £65,000 for web design.

DIY design (do-it-yourself)

As mentioned above, you can also embrace the DIY road to creating both large and small business websites. 

Creating your own website using a website builder is the best way to save money. At the same time, you can still enjoy a custom site thanks to the vast range of themes and plugins available online. 

Building a website without the help of a professional is usually an achievable goal when you’re creating a simple website. 

However, in cases where the business requires advanced data collection, more complex features, or other capabilities, it may not be appropriate. 

In addition, it’s worth assessing whether your experience will enable you to create a do-it-yourself site that can attract and please visitors. 

There are multiple details to consider. Some of them are straightforward, while others may require a more experienced eye and mindset. 

For example, you’ll be in charge of creating service, product, company, blog, or informational pages. You’ll also need to remember the basics, like providing your contact details where users expect to see them and customising your contact forms. 

Not to mention that the visual appeal of your website is only one part of the equation. 

You’ll also need to optimise your pages for search engines to attract traffic and rank high in search results. In some cases, user experience plays a part as a ranking factor. 

Overall, the costs of producing a website by yourself are from minimal to none. You’ll only need to invest in a domain name, hosting, SSL certificate, and potentially – themes and plugins. 

At the same time, these cost savings may become expensive if you spend valuable time building a website rather than other priority business tasks.

Payment solutions

If your website is designed to support and accept online payments, you’ll also need to factor in the costs of using a payment solution.

Through a reliable payment solution, users can purchase products and services directly from your site using cards, mobile wallets, bank transfers, and other payment methods. 

Apart from its main role of enabling payments on your website, an online payment solution can also provide:

• Time efficiencies;
• Seamless management;
• Reliability;
• Security;
• Minimise risk of theft.

There are a range of different payment solutions to choose from. Some of them work based on a monthly fee in combination with commissions per transaction. Others have more complex and advanced pricing structures. 

With its quick and easy set-up, no hidden costs, and no subscription or set-up costs, the online checkout is among the preferred options in the UK. It provides your customers with a seamless payment experience and guarantees instant funds settlement.

While the set-up and monthly fees are zero, myPOS charges 1.30% + £0.15 per transaction. 

On the other hand, other payment solutions, like PayPal, charge 2.99% + £0.38 per transaction.

Additional costs to consider

The above-mentioned costs of building a website are only the essentials.

When discussing how much it costs to build a website, it’s also key to acknowledge some additional expenses included.

Content creation

After successfully setting up your website, enriching it with valuable and helpful content is fundamental. 

Website builders with a built-in content management system, like WordPress, are extremely helpful. 

High-quality, original content won’t just serve the purpose of informing your website visitors and encouraging purchases. It will be evaluated according to ranking standards that will dictate how visible and discoverable your website is. 

Better optimised site content increases the chances of first-page rankings in search results, resulting in higher traffic volumes. 

To produce website content for products, services, blogs, or other pages, you can hire in-house content creators or work with freelancers and agencies.

Management

As your website grows and becomes more advanced, you may find that hiring a website manager or a webmaster is also vital. 

This professional is responsible for managing the website and ensuring all on-site content is up-to-date and optimised. 

The costs of working with a webmaster differ based on whether you work with a freelancer, an in-house expert, or an agency. You can also negotiate the terms, meaning you could agree on a per-hour payment, contractual work, or salary.

Digital Marketing 

You’ll also need to invest in digital marketing for your website to grow and thrive.

This multi-layered field consists of different branches, such as social media marketing, Search Engine Optimisation, content creation, paid advertising, and more. 

While these aspects require specialised expertise, you can create a team of several freelancers or in-house team members to help you build brand awareness.

Before you start: Essential tips

Starting your first website can seem daunting, especially in the beginning. 

However, with a strategic approach, you can enjoy a cheap eCommerce website that offers all the features and functionalities your business needs. 

We offer some valuable tips that will help you achieve this:

• Determine the size and scope of your website in advance – think about how many pages your site needs to have to provide all essential information to visitors. This will help you negotiate a reasonable price with web developers and designers if you choose to work with professionals.
• Brainstorm the site’s functionality features – every site is unique and offers different functionalities to users or shoppers. Carefully think about all the functions you need across your pages to prevent overspending or completing your website with insufficient features.
• Only use the features you absolutely need – creating a complicated website doesn’t mean that you have an efficient and functional website. Complex themes and plugins often make processing times longer, damaging the website’s performance. Make a list of the features you need, and don’t be tempted by the vast richness of the availability of options.
• Invest in security – when it comes to reducing costs, ensure it’s not at the expense of quality. Regarding security features, spending more can result in savings over time. 

Website costs by industry

While some website costs apply to all industries, there are some that change based on the market your business is in. 

Here are some of the price ranges for building a website in different industries:

• Small business informational website – between £1,500 and £7,500 for design and £350 and £1000 annual for maintenance costs;
• Corporate website – between £8,000 and £30,000 for design and between  £1,500 to £13,000 for annual maintenance costs;
• eCommerce website – from £3,500 to £43,000 for design and between £13,000 and £25,000 for annual maintenance costs;
• Database-driven website – from £4,000 to £65,000 for design and from £25,000 to £55,000 for annual maintenance costs.

Note that these prices can vary based on your business specifics. For example, some eCommerce sites that only sell two products might cost a similar price to that of creating a small informational website.

Create your first eCommerce website with myPOS

If you’re looking for a way to create a high-quality eCommerce website at a minimum cost, get started with myPOS Online. 

Take advantage of stunning predefined themes that require no coding experience, vast customisation options, and no monthly fees.

Ready to get started? Find out more and unleash the potential of your business online.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does it cost to use a web designer?

Hiring a web designer can cost anywhere from £1,500 to £65,000 per website. Most web design agencies work on a per-hour basis, with prices ranging from £25 to more than £100. However, if you are looking for a more affordable eCommerce website design, you can rely on website builders or a combination of do-it-yourself work and professional web design work.

Is it more affordable to create a DIY website or work with professionals?

Naturally, creating a do-it-yourself website costs much lower than working with experts. In the first scenario, you’ll only be responsible for paying for a domain, hosting, SSL certificate, and website builder. With a professional, you’ll also need to pay for their labour, which is often costly.

Can I create a website without an SSL certificate?

Yes, SSL certificates are not mandatory unless your website will support online payments. However, even if you don’t plan to sell products or services, an SSL certificate makes your website more secure, giving peace of mind to your visitors.