How Much Should a Website Actually Cost?
Website pricing is one of the most confusing parts of running a small business. Quotes can range from a few hundred pounds to several thousand for what looks, on the surface, like a similar site, and it's rarely clear why.
What Actually Drives the Cost
Number of pages - a five-page site and a fifty-page site are different jobs, not the same job at different sizes
Content readiness - a business that already has photos and copy ready costs far less in time than one that needs both created from scratch
Custom functionality - bookings, payments, membership areas, or anything beyond a standard page layout adds time
Ongoing needs - a one-off build differs from a site that needs regular updates or maintenance built in
Why Flat Hourly Pricing Makes This Simpler
Fixed "package" pricing often hides these variables behind a single number, which can either overcharge for a simple site or undercharge (and then get awkward) for a complex one.
A flat hourly rate, I charge £30 an hour, means the cost reflects the actual work involved, and a business only pays for the time a project genuinely takes.
What Tends to Add Unexpected Cost
Hosting and domain fees, which are usually separate from design costs (and should be, since they're ongoing regardless of who built the site)
Stock photography or licensed content, if a business doesn't have its own
Print costs for anything physical, like a prospectus or yearbook, which depend on page count and print run
The Honest Answer
There isn't a single right price for "a website", there's a right price for your website, based on what it actually needs to do. Being upfront about what drives the number is usually more reassuring to a small business owner than a flat quote with no explanation behind it.
Shore Design Dorset