How much does a website cost?

How much does a website cost?

The cynical answer would be “How much does a house cost? How long is a piece of string?”. This is true, but there’s more to it.

Here is a rough guide to costs and options along with the pros and cons of each method of getting a website up and running.

Costs will vary depending what you need

Just like a home, you might get along great with a 2 bedroom flat, but a family of 4 is going to be so much better placed in that nice 3 bedroom house with a garden. It would be nice to have the big house for yourself, but realistically you only need that if you have a big family.

So cost really comes down to value.

Will you get value from the large house? Or is a large house just a bunch of extra overheads that’s weighing you down?


One Bedroom Flat

Urban Eden



Happy to rough it to keep the costs as low as possible.

1 Bedroom Flat

Looking for help to get that professional look.

The Urban Eden

I need a partnership with some experts who can help drive traffic to my website and convert it to leads.

What I need

I don’t have much budget and these self-help website examples look good. I’m going to give it a try and do all the leg work myself.

I need a web presence, my company needs to look the part and I don’t want to be messing around trying to work out how to get a website looking good, how to get it up and running, or be found on Google.

I need a website that is part of my marketing strategy. It’s a tool that needs to work hard to bring in leads. It needs to be constantly updated to reflect the market, the target audience, and our latest campaigns. 


DIY websites require little spend and with a bit of skill, you can get a fairly decent looking website.

A freelancer or a web agency can build a site that’s going look that part without breaking the bank. You might not need all the services on offer, so it can be a good starting place to get the basics all in place.

You have a target driven solution aimed at generating new leads. It's not bound by the 'of the shelf website' context if you've selected the right digital partner. Your website doing exactly what you need it to do. Round hole, round peg.


This is a big distraction, to learn about building a website and marketing online (even the experts find it tough going). While you are busy doing this, you’re not doing your real job and there is a risk you might not get the results you need.

Depending on the approach, the website might be unable to grow as you grow. Meaning you need to re-do the site in a year or two. If an SEO expert has not been involved then it’s unlikely the site will bring in any new business.

You are reliant on your partnership working.


There are free options out there but expect to pay up to £1,000 for subscriptions, domain, images and hosting costs.

Expect anything from £2,000 to £5,000.

Two level of costs here:
Upfront cost: £5,000 to many £10’s of thousands. Annual spend on marketing activities (including SEO and social media): £5,000 annually upwards

What services do I need?

There are a range of services available, each at varying levels and costs. Good news is you can pick and choose what you need. You shouldn’t spend your budget on anything that’s not going to return investment.

Initial website build services can include:

  1. Design and build.
  2. SEO Consultancy site design
  3. Content development / writing
  4. Imagery

Ongoing services you may need can include:

  1. SEO consultancy and implementation
  2. Social media marketing
  3. Content marketing
  4. Hosting
  5. Domain renewals and management
  6. Security certificate management


How long is a piece of string? As long as it needs to be to help your business and that’s going to vary depending on the size and needs of your business.

At Mercurytide we believe in designing a truly fantastic web experience for customers that delivers results and return on investment. That's why we have developed a range of web design services and e-commerce software to rapidly provide everything you'd expect, but with a fully customised solution for your business. We have some great packages to help you spread costs too!

If you have any questions about the points I've raised, or want a more in-depth chat about all things web design, please get in touch.