If you run a trade, shop or local service, you have probably wondered what a new website should cost - and why quotes vary so much. Here is a straightforward breakdown without sales fluff.
The short answer
Most small-business brochure websites in the UK are quoted as a one-off build fee plus a monthly care plan for hosting and support. Builds are often surprisingly affordable when scoped properly; the monthly fee is usually modest compared with slow WordPress hosting plus plugin renewals.
At Droitwich Web, every build gets a fixed quote after a short discovery call - design, development, launch and content setup included in that figure. Care plans start from £15/month from go-live.
What affects the build price?
Number of pages. A five-page trade site (home, services, about, areas, contact) costs less than a 15-page site with multiple service categories and case studies.
Content readiness. If your text and photos are ready, the build is faster. If I am restructuring copy from an old site, that takes longer.
E-commerce. A simple catalogue with Stripe Payment Links is different from a 200-product shop with a basket. Shops need more engineering and ongoing product care.
Migration complexity. Rebuilding a WordPress site with dozens of URLs and redirects takes more work than a greenfield build - but the speed and maintenance savings are often worth it.
Custom features. Booking systems, calculators and integrations are quoted separately because they vary wildly.
What should be included in a build quote?
A honest quote should cover:
- Design tailored to your business (not a generic template with your logo pasted on)
- Mobile-first layout with tap-to-call and enquiry forms
- Basic local SEO foundations - titles, descriptions, structured data
- Launch on fast hosting with SSL
- A staging review before go-live
Ask what is not included: copywriting from scratch, photography, domain registration and ongoing updates are often separate - and that is fine, as long as it is clear upfront.
Monthly running costs
After launch, you are not finished paying - but you should know exactly what for:
| Item | Typical cost |
|---|---|
| Care Lite hosting | from £15/month |
| Care Standard (content updates) | from £25/month |
| Shop Care (product updates) | from £35/month |
| Domain | ~£10-15/year |
There is no WordPress plugin renewal chain on a static site. You are paying for hosting, SSL, deploys and a direct line to the person who built the site.
Red flags in cheap quotes
- “£99 website” - usually a template, no local SEO, no support, upsells later
- Bundled platform lock-in - you cannot leave without rebuilding
- Unclear hosting - who pays when traffic grows or SSL renews?
- No mobile testing - most of your customers are on a phone
Red flags in expensive quotes
- Large agency retainers for a five-page trade site
- Charges per tiny text change without a sensible care plan
- Proprietary CMS you cannot access
What should you budget?
Think in two numbers: build and monthly. For a typical Worcestershire trade or shop:
- Build: scoped individually - request a fixed quote after a 20-minute call
- Monthly: from £15 for hosting; £25 if you want hands-on content updates
That is often less than the combined cost of cheap WordPress hosting, security plugins, backup services and someone to fix updates when they break.
Next step
Tell me about your business - how many pages you need, whether you are migrating an existing site, and what you want customers to do (call, book, buy). I will reply within one working day with a clear scope and fixed price. Build my website.