The honest answer is anywhere from nothing to tens of thousands, which is not much help. So here is a more useful version. Most small business websites in the UK land somewhere between £800 and £5,000 to build, plus a modest ongoing cost to keep them running. Where you sit in that range depends on how many pages you need, whether the words are written for you, and whether you are selling online.

What you are actually paying for

• Design: how it looks and how it is laid out

• Build: turning the design into a working site

• Copywriting: the words, either yours or written for you

• Functionality: contact forms, booking, an online shop, member areas

• Project management: someone running the job, gathering content, keeping it moving

The cheapest quotes usually strip out copywriting and project management, which means more work lands back on you.

Rough costs by type of site

These are common ranges for a freelancer or a small agency. A large agency will be higher. A template with your details dropped in will be lower, and will look it.

One-off fee or monthly, and the "free website" catch

Most small business sites are a one off build fee, often split half upfront and half on completion, with an optional monthly plan for hosting and support afterwards.

Be wary of "free" or very cheap websites tied to a long monthly contract. You often end up paying more over three years than a normal build would have cost, and you own nothing at the end. Always ask what happens if you leave and whether the site is yours.

The ongoing costs people forget

• Domain name: roughly £10 to £20 a year, and it should be registered to you

• Hosting: often £5 to £30 a month, sometimes bundled into a support plan

• Maintenance: see our guide to website maintenance cost

• Business email: a few pounds per mailbox per month if you want name@yourbusiness

• SSL certificate: usually included as standard now

What drives the price up

• More pages

• Copywriting done for you

• Custom design rather than a proven layout

• Booking systems, member areas, calculators, integrations

• Selling online, especially with lots of products

• Ongoing support built in

How to avoid overpaying or underpaying

• Get two or three quotes and compare what is actually included, not just the number

• Be clear about page count and features so quotes are comparable

• Treat a price far below the rest as a warning, not a bargain

• Check ownership: domain, hosting access, content, all yours

What Koprio charges

• Starter: £899 one off, a single page site, live in one to two weeks

• Growth: £2,499 one off, up to six pages with copywriting, blog and analytics setup, live in three to four weeks

• Ecommerce: from £2,999 one off, quoted after we know the size of the shop

All split half upfront, half on completion. You own the site. Optional monthly hosting from £35. Details on the website design page.

The takeaway

Budget £800 to £5,000 for most small business websites, more for an online shop, plus around £10 to £20 a year for a domain and a small monthly cost for hosting. Compare quotes on what is included, avoid long contracts that leave you owning nothing, and make sure everything is registered to you.

For a fixed quote, get in touch. If you are weighing up whether you need a new site at all, read signs you need a new website.