Getting a price for a website feels a bit like getting a price for “a car.” It could mean a runaround or a sports car, and the quotes you get back will be all over the place. That’s not designers being shifty. It’s that the word “website” covers a huge range of things.
I build websites for small businesses, a lot of them across Milton Keynes and Luton, and I want to make the pricing make sense. Here’s what the numbers actually look like in 2026, what changes them, and the costs people forget to budget for.
The Realistic Price Bands
Broadly, a small business website falls into one of three buckets. The right one depends on what you need the site to do, not on how much you want to spend.
| Type | Typical cost | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| DIY builder (Wix, Squarespace) | £0 – £400/year | Testing an idea, very simple presence |
| Template, set up by a pro | £800 – £2,500 | Most small businesses wanting a solid site |
| Custom design and build | £3,000 – £10,000+ | Established firms, specific features, e-commerce |
DIY website builders
Wix, Squarespace and the rest let you build something yourself for the price of a monthly subscription. If you’re just starting out and need a simple presence quickly, there’s no shame in it.
The catch is your time, and the ceiling. These tools are easy until you want something they don’t do, and then they fight you. Sites built this way also tend to look like the template they came from, which is fine until you’re trying to stand out from three competitors using the same one.
Template, set up properly by a designer
This is where most small businesses get the best value. You start from a well-built foundation, but a designer customises it to your brand, writes or shapes the content, sorts the structure for search, and makes sure it actually works on a phone.
You get most of the polish of a custom site for a fraction of the cost, and far quicker. For a typical local business that needs a few pages, a contact form, and to be found on Google, this is usually the right call.
Custom design and build
A fully custom site is designed and built from scratch around your specific needs. That’s the right choice when you have particular features in mind, an online shop, a booking system, or when your brand needs to feel genuinely distinctive.
It costs more because it’s more work, and it takes longer. But for the right business, a site that’s built exactly to fit is worth every penny. If a custom build is what you’re after, here’s how I approach web design.
What This Means for a Milton Keynes Business
Milton Keynes has an unusual mix for a city this size: a dense cluster of corporate head offices and business parks sitting right next to independent shops, trades and local services. That corporate presence sets a certain expectation of what a “proper” website looks like, and it’s easy for a small MK business to assume matching that means a custom five-figure build.
It doesn’t. A well-set-up template, customised properly and built to be found on Google, gets a small Milton Keynes business the polish it needs to compete on the same search results page as the bigger names, without the corporate price tag. Save the custom build for when you genuinely need a specific feature, not just to look as big as your neighbours.
The Costs People Forget
The build price is only part of the story. A website isn’t a one-off purchase, it’s something you own and run. Budget for these too:
- Domain name. Usually £10 to £20 a year. Cheap, but easy to forget you’re renting it.
- Hosting. Anywhere from a few pounds a month to much more, depending on traffic and what the site does.
- Maintenance. Updates, security, backups, the occasional fix. Either your time or a small ongoing fee.
- Content. Words and images don’t appear by magic. Either you write them, or you pay someone to.
- Changes down the line. Businesses change. A site you can update without starting over saves money later.
None of these are huge on their own, but ignoring them is how people end up surprised. A good designer will be upfront about the running costs before you commit, not after.
What Actually Changes the Price
If you want to understand why two quotes differ, look at these:
- Number of pages. A five-page site is less work than a forty-page one.
- Functionality. A brochure site is simple. E-commerce, logins, or booking systems add real complexity.
- Content. If you’ve got copy and photos ready, that saves time. If you need them created, that’s part of the cost.
- Design from scratch versus template. Custom design takes longer, full stop.
- SEO and performance. A site built to load fast and rank well takes more care than one that just exists.
Cheap Sites and the Hidden Bill
The same trap that catches people with cheap logos catches them with cheap websites. A bargain site that’s slow, hard to update, or invisible on Google isn’t a saving. It’s a cost you pay in lost enquiries.
I’ve rebuilt plenty of sites where the original was so locked down or so badly made that fixing it cost more than doing it properly would have. If a quote looks too good to be true, ask what’s not included.
It’s also worth being clear-eyed about whether you need a website at all if you’re relying on social media. I covered that in do you still need a website if you have Instagram, and the short version is yes, but the longer version is more interesting.
Questions to Ask Before You Pay
Before you sign off on any website quote, get clear answers to these. They separate a fair deal from a future headache:
- Will I be able to update it myself? Some cheap builds lock you out, so every tiny change means paying the developer again.
- Do I own everything? The domain, the content, the site itself. You’d be surprised how often the answer is no.
- Is it built to be found on Google? A pretty site nobody can find is a brochure, not a lead source.
- What are the ongoing costs? Hosting, maintenance, any licences. Get the yearly figure, not just the build price.
- How fast does it load, especially on a phone? Speed affects both how many enquiries you get and how well you rank.
A good designer will answer all of these without flinching. Vague answers are a warning.
So What Should You Budget?
For most small businesses, I’d aim for the £800 to £2,500 range: a professionally set-up site, customised to your brand, built to be found and easy to live with. Go custom when you have a real reason to, not just because it sounds more impressive.
If you’re choosing who to build it, you might find my guide on freelancer versus agency useful, since the cost difference there is significant.
If you’re a business in Milton Keynes, or near Luton or anywhere in between, and want a straight answer on what your site would cost, tell me what you need and I’ll give you a realistic figure. Quotes are free with no obligation, and I reply within a day. You can also email me at me@louislantos.com or call 01582 206160.