The honest answer: anywhere from £500 to £50,000+. Here’s what most agencies won’t tell you—and how to decide what YOU should spend.
What you get: – 5-8 pages (Home, About, Services, Contact, etc.) – Mobile-responsive design – Basic SEO setup – Contact forms – Content management system (WordPress) – SSL certificate and security – 3 rounds of revisions – Basic training
Timeline: 4-6 weeks
Best for: Sole traders, consultants, local service businesses, professional portfolios
Real example: We built a website for a Nottingham-based legal consultant for £3,200. Within 6 months, they were generating 15 qualified leads per month—a 350% increase from their old site.
What you get: – Everything in Simple Website, plus: – Product catalogue (up to 100 products) – Shopping cart and checkout – Payment gateway integration (Stripe, PayPal) – Inventory management – Customer accounts – Order tracking – Email automation – Advanced SEO – Performance optimization
Timeline: 8-12 weeks
Best for: Retail businesses, online stores, subscription services
Real example: An e-commerce retailer came to us with a slow, confusing Shopify store. We rebuilt it on WooCommerce for £12,500. Result: 225% conversion increase, 180% revenue growth, and page load times dropped from 8 seconds to under 3.
What you get: – Everything in E-Commerce Website, plus: – Custom functionality and integrations – Advanced user portals – API development – Multi-language support – Custom reporting dashboards – Advanced automation – Scalable architecture – Dedicated project manager
Timeline: 12-24 weeks
Best for: SaaS platforms, membership sites, enterprise businesses, complex booking systems
Real example: We developed a custom logistics platform for a Birmingham-based company for £38,000. They now process 40% more dispatches with 60% fewer errors, saving them £50,000 annually.
Let me break down where your money goes (because transparency matters):
Design Complexity (20-30% of cost) – Custom design vs template customization – Number of unique page layouts – Brand development and visual identity – User experience research
Development Work (40-50% of cost) – Custom coding vs plugin solutions – Integrations with third-party systems – Database architecture – Testing across devices and browsers
Content & SEO (15-20% of cost) – Copywriting and content strategy – Keyword research – On-page optimization – Image sourcing and optimization
Project Management (10-15% of cost) – Planning and strategy sessions – Regular updates and communication – Quality assurance testing – Training and documentation
Fair question. DIY website builders work for some businesses, but here’s when they don’t:
You should use a DIY builder if: – You need something online quickly (within days) – You have very basic needs (digital business card) – You’re comfortable with design and tech – You don’t need custom functionality – You’re okay with limited SEO capabilities
You need a professional website if: – You’re serious about generating leads or sales online – You need custom features or integrations – You want to rank in Google search results – You need your site to load fast (under 3 seconds) – You want full ownership and control – You plan to scale your business
The real cost of cheap: A client came to us after spending 8 months trying to build their own Wix site. They’d invested £1,200 in premium features and countless hours of frustration. We rebuilt it properly for £4,500, and within 3 months they’d generated £18,000 in new business. The “cheap” option actually cost them more in lost opportunity.
I get it—not every business has £10,000 sitting around for a website. Here are your realistic options:
Option 1: Phased Approach (Recommended) Start with a simple 5-page site (£3,000-£4,000), then add features as you grow: – Phase 1: Basic website with strong SEO foundation – Phase 2: Add blog and content marketing (3-6 months later) – Phase 3: Add e-commerce or custom features (6-12 months later)
Option 2: Template Customization Use a premium template but have us customize it professionally (£2,000-£3,500). You get professional setup, security, and training without starting from scratch.
Option 3: Essential Features Only We’ll help you identify what you actually need vs. nice-to-haves. Often, clients think they need 15 pages when 6 strategic pages would perform better.
What we don’t recommend: Hiring the cheapest freelancer on Fiverr. We’ve rebuilt dozens of sites from £500 “bargain” builds that weren’t secure, weren’t mobile-friendly, and couldn’t be edited without breaking.
Here’s what you need to budget for beyond the initial build:
Domain Name: £10-£50/year (you own this)
Hosting: £100-£500/year depending on traffic and needs
SSL Certificate: Usually included in hosting, but verify
Maintenance & Updates: £50-£200/month or £600-£2,400/year – Security monitoring – Plugin/theme updates – Backups – Performance optimization – Technical support
Content Updates: If you can’t do it yourself, budget £50-£100/hour for professional updates
At Webxcell, we’re upfront about all of this. No surprise invoices, no hidden fees, no lock-in contracts. You own everything—code, design, content, domain, hosting. If you want to leave, you can. (Though our clients rarely do.)
Ask yourself these questions:
1. What’s the lifetime value of one customer? If one client is worth £5,000 to your business, and a £8,000 website generates 10 extra clients per year, that’s a 525% ROI in year one.
2. What’s your current website costing you? If your site is slow, outdated, or not mobile-friendly, you’re losing leads every day. We’ve seen businesses lose 40-60% of potential customers due to poor websites.
3. What are your growth goals? If you’re planning to scale, invest in a website that can grow with you. Rebuilding every 2 years costs more than building it right the first time.
4. What’s your competition doing? If competitors have professional sites and you don’t, you’re losing credibility before prospects even contact you.
After 30 years in this industry, here’s what we do differently:
✅ Transparent pricing – No hidden costs, no surprise invoices ✅ You own everything – Code, design, content, domain, hosting. No lock-in contracts. ✅ Real-time project tracking – See exactly where your project stands via Motion.io ✅ 24/7 support – True round-the-clock support (critical issues resolved in 1-2 hours) ✅ Results-focused – We measure success by traffic, leads, and revenue—not just pretty designs ✅ 30 years’ experience – We’ve built 1,000+ websites across every industry
Legal Firm (£4,200 investment): – 420% increase in organic traffic – 350% more qualified leads – 60% reduction in paid ad spend – ROI achieved in 4 months
E-Commerce Retailer (£12,500 investment): – 225% increase in conversion rate – 180% revenue growth – 78% faster page load times – ROI achieved in 3 months
Tech Startup (£28,000 investment): – Secured £250,000 in funding (investors loved the professional presence) – 40% increase in sales pipeline – 35% higher conversion rate
Every business is different, which is why we don’t do one-size-fits-all pricing. Here’s how to get an accurate quote:
Option 1: Get a Custom Quote (High-Intent) Book a free 30-minute consultation. We’ll discuss your goals, budget, and timeline, then provide a detailed proposal within 48 hours.
Option 2: Download Our Pricing Guide (Mid-Intent) Get our complete pricing breakdown, feature comparison chart, and decision-making framework delivered to your inbox.
Option 3: Explore Case Studies (Low-Intent) See exactly what we’ve built for businesses like yours, including costs, timelines, and results.
How long does it take to build a website? Simple sites: 4-6 weeks. E-commerce: 8-12 weeks. Complex custom builds: 12-24 weeks. [Read our complete timeline guide →]
Do I own my website after paying for it? Yes, 100%. You own all code, design, content, domain, and hosting. No lock-in contracts, no exit fees. [Learn more about website ownership →]
What’s included in ongoing maintenance? Security monitoring, updates, backups, performance optimization, and technical support. [See our complete maintenance guide →]
Can I update the website myself? Absolutely. We build on user-friendly platforms (WordPress, Shopify, WooCommerce) and provide training and documentation.
What if I’m not happy with the design? We include 3 rounds of revisions in all projects. We don’t stop until you’re thrilled with the result.
Ready to discuss your project? Contact us at contact@webxcell.com or call +44 800 195 7512. Let’s build something that actually grows your business.
Webxcell Digital | Nottingham | Birmingham | London 30 years of building websites that work.
