How much should a business website cost in 2026?

Why two quotes for the same site differ by ten times

Website quotes vary because the word 'website' covers everything from a five-page template with your logo dropped in to a bespoke platform with integrations, content production and a search strategy behind it. The difference in price is rarely the number of pages. It is how much thinking, writing, designing and engineering is included.

A cheap quote usually excludes the expensive parts: strategy, copywriting, photography, technical SEO and testing. Those costs do not disappear. They move to you, or they show up later as a site that does not perform.

What actually drives the cost

Complexity of functionality is the first driver. Ecommerce, booking, member areas, calculators and CRM integrations all add engineering and testing time.

Content is the second, and it is the one most businesses underestimate. If the copy has to be written and the photography shot, that is real work by real specialists.

Design depth is the third. A bespoke visual system designed around your market costs more than a theme, and it is the main reason a site looks like your business rather than anyone's business.

How to compare quotes fairly

Ask each supplier the same four questions: who writes the copy, who is responsible for search visibility, what happens to the existing rankings, and what support looks like after launch. The answers separate a build from a project.

Then ask what the site is supposed to achieve commercially. A supplier who cannot answer that is quoting for pages, not outcomes.

A sensible way to budget

Work backwards from value. If an average client is worth several thousand pounds and the site plausibly influences a handful of extra enquiries a month, the budget conversation becomes straightforward.

We scope every project individually and give a fixed price against a fixed scope, so the comparison you are making is a real one.