2026 UK Pricing Guide
How much does a website cost for a small trade business?
The honest answer: anywhere from £150 to £5,000 — depending on who builds it and how much hand-holding you want. Here's a no-jargon breakdown of what UK tradespeople actually pay in 2026, and what you really get for the money.
The four real options
DIY website builder (Wix, Squarespace, GoDaddy)
£12–£30/month
Pros
- Cheap upfront
- No technical skills needed for basics
Cons
- ✗Takes 20–40 hours of your own time
- ✗Templates look generic
- ✗You're the IT department forever
Freelancer on Fiverr / Upwork
£150–£800 one-off
Pros
- Affordable
- Custom-ish design
Cons
- ✗Wildly variable quality
- ✗Often handed over with no support
- ✗Hosting and updates become your problem
Local web design agency
£1,500–£5,000 + £30–£100/month
Pros
- Properly designed
- Ongoing support included
Cons
- ✗Slow — usually 6–12 weeks
- ✗Expensive for sole traders
- ✗Often over-engineered for a 5-page site
TradeReady (flat fee)
£200 build + £49/month
Pros
- Live in 48 hours
- Built for trades specifically
- Hosting, SSL and updates included
- UK human support
Cons
- ✗Up to 5 pages — designed for service businesses, not online shops
What you actually need (and don't)
Most tradespeople don't need a 30-page website with a blog and an online store. You need:
- A homepage that says what you do and where, with a giant phone number
- A services page listing the work you take on
- An about page with your face and your accreditations
- A contact page with a short form and a map
- A reviews/gallery page to prove you're not a cowboy
That's it. Anything more is usually over-engineering — and over-engineering is why agencies charge £4,000.
Hidden costs to watch for
- • Domain renewal — usually £10–£20/year.
- • SSL certificate — should be included; if it isn't, walk away.
- • Hosting — £5–£30/month if you DIY, included with most flat-fee services.
- • Edits and updates — agencies often bill £80–£150/hour for small changes.
- • Email hosting — Google Workspace is around £5/month per mailbox.
The TradeReady answer: £200 + £49/month
Flat fee, no surprises. We build a proper mobile-first website for your trade business in 48 hours. Hosting, SSL, updates and UK human support included.
Get my website