/ Web design
How much should a small business spend on a website?
£2,500–£8,000 for a properly designed and coded small business site in the UK. £8k–£20k for ecommerce.
/ 01
The short version
The honest answer: enough that it actually earns money, not so much that you can't afford to market it. For most UK SMBs that's £2.5k–£8k for a brochure site and £8k–£20k for ecommerce.
/ 02
What each budget band actually buys you
Anything under £1,000 is a template someone dropped your logo into. Anything over £30k for a small business is usually agency overhead you're paying for. The interesting range is in the middle.
- • Under £1,000: template site, no strategy, no SEO, no ongoing support
- • £2,500–£5,000: proper design, 5–8 pages, basic SEO, launched by a competent freelancer or micro-studio
- • £5,000–£10,000: full custom design, copywriting help, local SEO, analytics — the sweet spot for most SMBs
- • £10,000–£20,000: ecommerce, integrations, migrations, or brand + site combined
- • £20,000+: enterprise ecommerce, custom platforms, multi-site
/ 03
Cheap sites cost more in the long run
The £500 site you bought last year isn't cheap once you count the leads you never got, the Google rankings you never earned, and the rebuild you now need to pay for on top.
A properly built site should last 3–5 years before needing a redesign. Divide the cost across that period and even a £6,000 site is £100/month — cheaper than most paid ad campaigns and it works while you sleep.
/ 04
What to spend money on vs cut
Spend on: strategy, copy, mobile UX, page speed, local SEO, analytics, and a proper CMS you can update yourself. Cut: stock imagery, custom animations that add nothing, complex CMS features you'll never use, and huge homepages that could be three well-written sections.
/ 05
Where RIOT fits in
We're a small Colchester studio helping UK SMBs get your website budget right without agency waste or freelancer flake. If you've read this far and you want a second opinion on your specific setup, book a 20-minute call and we'll tell you honestly whether it's worth doing anything at all.
We work with clients across Essex, Suffolk, London and the wider UK — and remotely with brands abroad. No lock-in, no monthly retainer minimums, no pretending your problem is bigger than it is.
/ FAQs
Common questions
Can I get a good website for £500?
No — not custom. You can get a decent Squarespace or Wix template for that if you're willing to build it yourself. That's a real option for very small operators; just don't call it a bargain if you value your time.
Are monthly-fee websites (like £99/month) worth it?
Rarely. Over three years you've paid £3,564 for something you don't own, can't move, and can't sell your business with. A proper £4k build is nearly always better value.
Still not sure?
Book a free 20-minute call — we'll answer your specific version of this question with no sales pitch.
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