Cost Of New Website Design | How Much Should I Spend?

Investing in a new website design is one of the most important decisions a business can make - yet it’s also one of the hardest to price correctly. With quotes ranging from a few hundred pounds to well into five figures, many business owners ask the same question:

How much money should I invest in my new website design?

• The short answer: it depends on your goals.
• The better answer: your website budget should be directly tied to the value it’s expected to generate.

A new website design is an investment - not a cost - because a strategic, user-focused design drives leads, increases conversions and delivers measurable return on investment.

Bespoke Web Design Prices

The cost of building a website from scratch can vary depending on several factors, but generally speaking, you can expect to pay anywhere from £5,000 to £10,000 for a high-quality, custom-built website.

🖼️ 1. Brochure Website Design: £3,000 – £6,000

A clean, user-friendly website designed to professionally showcase your services, case studies, and brand, while making it easy for potential customers to understand what you offer and get in touch.

Best for: Startups, sole traders, and early-stage businesses looking to establish credibility and generate initial enquiries.

• Up to 6 strategically structured pages
• Mobile-responsive design for all devices
• Basic on-page SEO optimisation (titles, meta descriptions, clean URLs)
• Clear calls-to-action and contact forms
• Easy-to-manage CMS for content updates

Timeline: 6 - 8 weeks

Example: A local trader or self-employed needs a simple, professional site with a homepage, service pages, and a contact form to build credibility and capture enquiries.

Recommendation: Ideal as a strong first investment, but should be built with future growth in mind so it can scale as your business evolves.

🏢 2. Business Web Design: £5,000 – £10,000

A professionally designed, conversion-focused website built to attract, engage, and convert visitors into leads, while supporting your wider marketing and SEO efforts.

Best for: Established businesses, service-based companies, and growing brands that rely on their website to generate consistent enquiries.

• Custom web design aligned with your brand
• UX-led page layouts designed to increase conversions
• 8 - 15 pages (including service, location, or landing pages)
• Fully responsive design across desktop, tablet, and mobile with a focus on the best web design trends.
• SEO-friendly site structure with on-page optimisation
• CMS-driven content for easy updates (Webflow or WordPress)
• Contact forms, lead capture, and basic integrations

Timeline: 8 - 12 weeks

Example: This type of website is ideal for service-based businesses, including consultants, firms and providers of bookkeeping support - that rely on their website to generate consistent, high-quality enquiries.

Recommendation: This is often the best-value investment for small and mid-sized businesses. It provides the flexibility, performance, and scalability needed to support ongoing SEO, paid advertising, and future growth without requiring an early redesign.

🛒 3. e-Commerce Website Design: £5,000 – £15,000+

A conversion-focused ecommerce website designed to sell products efficiently, scale with your business and provide a seamless shopping experience across all devices.

Best for: Product-based businesses, online retailers, and brands looking to grow online revenue through a reliable, high-performing ecommerce platform.

• Shopify or WooCommerce setup, tailored to your business model
• Custom or semi-custom design and development
• Optimised product, collection and checkout pages
• Secure payment gateway and shipping configuration
• Mobile-first design elements
• Search engine optimisation (product and category structure)
• Inventory and order management setup

Timeline: 8 - 10 weeks

Example: A retail brand wants to sell products directly online, with optimised product pages, secure checkout, inventory management, and mobile-first design.

Recommendation: A successful website launch is just the beginning. Ensure you budget for ongoing marketing, SEO, and conversion rate optimisation to attract the right traffic and steadily increase revenue over time.

⭐ 4. High-End & Modern Website Design: £15,000+

A fully bespoke, strategy-led website built to support complex business goals, advanced functionality, and long-term digital growth.

Best for: Scaling brands, established companies, enterprise-level businesses, and SaaS platforms with complex requirements.

• In-depth user experience research and digital strategy
• Custom graphic design and web development
• Advanced functionality and third-party integrations
• Performance, security and scalability optimisation
• Custom CMS or advanced platform configuration
• SEO, analytics and marketing automation setup

Timeline: 10+ weeks

Example: A SaaS company or enterprise brand needs a bespoke site with advanced UX, integrations, custom CMS, and performance optimisation to support growth, leads, and conversions.

Recommendation: This level of website investment should be treated as a long-term business asset. When executed properly, a high-end website becomes a central driver of growth, marketing efficiency, and brand authority — not just a digital presence.

Bespoke Website vs Template Website

When planning your website budget, one of the biggest decisions you’ll face is whether to go with a bespoke (fully custom) website or a template-based website. Both have their place - but they differ significantly in cost, flexibility, scalability, and long-term value.

📌 What Is a Bespoke Website?

A bespoke website is designed and built from scratch specifically for your business. Every visual element, interaction and UX decision is tailored to your audience, brand and conversion goals.

Investment range:

• £7,000 – £15,000 for mid-range bespoke sites
• £15,000+ for high-complexity or enterprise projects

*Bespoke doesn’t mean expensive for the sake of it - it means the site is custom-crafted to solve business problems and support growth.

Advantages:

• Fully custom design and layout
• Conversion-focused UX tailored to users, incorporating vibrant color and visual appeal
• Infinite scalability and flexibility
• Optimised performance, SEO, and speed
• Easier long-term maintenance and upgrades

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📌 What Is a Template Website?

A template website is built using a pre-designed layout or theme that is customised with your branding, content and images. Templates are commonly used on platforms like Webflow, WordPress, and Shopify.

Template costs:

• Webflow templates: £49 – £129 one-off
• WordPress premium themes: £29 – £150 one-off
• Shopify themes: £150 – £350 one-off

*These are separate from the cost of design and development services - the template is just the starting point.

Advantages:

• Lower upfront cost
• Faster turnaround time
• Good for simple, informational websites

Limitations:

• Design limitations - layouts and modules are fixed
• Generic UX and user journeys
• Templates are reused many times
• Difficult to scale or customise for complex goals
• Require plugin or workaround solutions for advanced functionality

What Affects Website Design Costs?

Website design costs can vary significantly, even between projects that appear similar on the surface.

💡 1. Website Scope & Size

The size and complexity of your website is the biggest contributors to cost.

Key considerations include:

• Number of pages
• Depth of content
• Number of user journeys
• Required functionality

Examples:

• A 5-page brochure website with basic content will cost far less than a 20-page marketing site with multiple services and landing pages.
• An e-commerce store with 10 products is far simpler than one with hundreds of products, filters, and variants.

Recommendation: Clearly define your core pages and goals before requesting quotes. This ensures pricing is accurate and comparable.

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💡 2. Design Approach: Template vs Bespoke

The design method has a direct impact on both cost and flexibility.

• Template-based websites are faster and cheaper but limited in navigation, graphics & digital experiences
• Bespoke websites are designed from scratch, allowing for aesthetically pleasing and strategic freedom

Example:

• A template may look good initially, but a bespoke design can improve conversion rates by tailoring layouts specifically to your audience.

Recommendation: If your website plays a key role in lead generation or sales, bespoke design is often the better long-term investment.

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💡 3. Platform & Technology Choice

Different platforms come with different website development requirements and costs.

Common platforms include:

• Webflow – design-led, high performance, low maintenance
• WordPress – flexible, content-driven, plugin-based
• Shopify – ecommerce-focused, scalable, secure

Each platform varies in:

• Build time
• Hosting and licensing costs
• Ongoing maintenance
• Web design and development

Recommendation: Choose the platform that best supports your business model and future growth - not just initial cost.

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💡 4. Content Creation & Copywriting

Content is often underestimated in website budgets, yet it plays a major role in conversions and S E O.

This may include:

• Website copywriting
• SEO-optimised page content
• Photography or illustration
• Video or motion design

Example:

• A professionally written homepage can significantly increase enquiries without increasing traffic.

Recommendation: Allocate budget for content creation early - strong design relies on strong messaging.

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💡 5. Search "SEO" & Performance Optimisation

A modern website should be built with visibility, load time and speed in mind.

SEO-related costs may include:

• Keyword research
• Site structure planning
• On-page optimisation
• Backlink building
• Page speed improvements

Recommendation: Building S E O foundations from day one is more cost-effective than retrofitting later.

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💡 6. Functionality & Integrations

Additional features increase both development time and cost.

Common examples include:

• E-commerce and payment systems
• Booking or scheduling tools
• CRM or email marketing integrations
• Membership areas or gated content

Recommendation: Focus on features that directly support business goals and phase in advanced functionality as your site grows.

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💡 7. Support, Maintenance & Scalability

Website costs don’t end at launch. To remain secure, fast, and effective, your website requires ongoing investment - especially if it plays a role in lead generation.

Domain Names

The first step in creating your website is choosing a domain name—your website’s unique address (e.g., www.yourbusiness.com).

A good domain name should:

• Be short, memorable, and easy to spell.
• Reflect your brand or business.

Where to Buy a Domain Name?

You can purchase domain names from registrars like:

• GoDaddy
• Namecheap
• Google Domains

Cost of a Domain Name

• Standard domains typically cost £8 - £15 per year, depending on the registrar and domain extension (e.g., .com, .co.uk, .org).
• Premium domains (shorter or highly desirable names) can cost significantly more.

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Web Hosting

Once you’ve secured a domain, you’ll need web hosting—a service that stores your website files and makes them accessible online.

Types of Web Hosting

1. Shared Hosting

• Best for small websites or blogs.
• Cost: £3 - £10 per month.
• Examples: Bluehost, SiteGround, DreamHost.

2. VPS Hosting

• Offers more resources and flexibility for medium-sized websites.
• Cost: £15 - £50 per month.

3. Dedicated Hosting

• Ideal for large websites with high traffic.
• Cost: £75+ per month.

4. Cloud Hosting

• Scalable and reliable, suitable for growing businesses.
• Cost: £10 - £80 per month.

Free Hosting Options

Website builders like Wix, Weebly, and Squarespace offer free hosting, often bundled with:

• A free subdomain (e.g., yourbusiness.wix.com).
• SSL certificates for security.

*Avoid cheap or shared hosting - performance and security issues often cost more to fix than they save.

How To Decide What You Should Spend On?

Ask yourself:

• Is my website a digital brochure or a sales tool?
• Do I rely on S E O, ads, or referrals?
• How much is one customer or lead worth to my business?
• Will this website need to scale in 12–24 months?

Simple rule of thumb:

• Low reliance on website → lower investment
• Website drives leads or sales → invest properly
• Website is core to revenue → bespoke + ongoing budget

Hire Agency vs Freelancer

Another key decision that affects both cost and outcome is whether to hire a web design agency or work with a freelancer. While both options can produce good results, they suit very different types of projects and businesses.

Web Agency

A web design agency provides a team-based approach, including web designers and developers, a project manager, a copywriter and marketing support.

Best for:

• Businesses relying on their website for leads or sales
• Building complex web pages and seamless user experiences
• Companies planning long-term growth
• Brands investing in search optimisation or paid advertising

Advantages:

• Access to multiple specialists/experts
• Strategic planning and eye-catching interactive websites
• Built-in quality control and testing
• Scalable post-launch support & warranty
• Clear processes, timelines and accountability

Choose an agency if:

• Your website is a core business tool
• You need leads, sales or conversions
• You want visually appealing animations
• You value the latest web design trends and quality over speed & templates

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Freelancer

A freelancer is typically a single individual handling everything from design, development and content.

Best for:

• Small brochure websites
• Startups with very limited budgets
• Simple projects with clearly defined requirements

Advantages:

• Lower upfront cost
• Direct communication with the person building the site
• Faster for small, simple projects

Choose a freelancer if:

• Your website is informational only
• The budget is extremely limited [<£2,000]
• You don’t rely on digital marketing

Conclusion

Investing in a website is more than just a design cost - it’s a long-term business asset. Your budget should reflect your goals, whether that’s establishing credibility, generating leads, selling products, or scaling your brand.

By understanding the different website types, costs, and strategic options, you can make an informed decision that maximises ROI, supports growth, and ensures your website works for your business today and in the future.