There is no fixed price, and that is the honest answer
Most agencies won't tell you this upfront. A WordPress website can cost anywhere from £1,500 to £50,000 depending on what you actually need. That range isn't vagueness. It reflects genuine variation in project scope, complexity, and quality of delivery.
What we can give you are realistic price bands based on real UK agency projects in 2026, along with an honest breakdown of what moves the price up or down.
What you can expect at each level
Basic brochure websites: £1,500 to £4,000
This covers small businesses that need a professional online presence without complex functionality. Typically five to eight pages, a contact form, mobile-responsive design, and basic on-page SEO. Usually built on a WordPress theme with customisation rather than a fully bespoke design.
What this gets you:
- A clean, professional site that works on all devices
- Standard pages: Home, About, Services, Contact
- Basic SEO setup and Google Analytics configuration
What it does not include:
- A custom design built around your brand
- Ecommerce or booking functionality
- Ongoing strategy or growth support
Mid-range custom websites: £4,000 to £12,000
This is where most growing SMEs and B2B businesses sit. Proper discovery, custom design, a stronger content architecture, and often some integration with third-party tools. The difference at this level is strategy. You are not just getting a website; you are getting a site built around a specific conversion goal.
Complex and enterprise builds: £15,000 and above
Multi-language support, custom dashboards, ecommerce with large catalogues, CRM integrations, membership platforms, and bespoke functionality sit here. These projects require detailed discovery, architecture planning, and longer build timelines.
What actually moves the price
The factors that have the biggest impact on cost are:
- Number of pages and how complex the content requirements are
- Whether the design is custom or adapted from a theme
- Integrations required, such as CRMs, booking systems, or payment gateways
- Whether copywriting and professional photography are included
- Ongoing support, maintenance, and SEO after launch
A project that looks straightforward on the surface can become significantly more complex once integrations and content requirements are properly mapped out. This is exactly why a discovery phase exists.
Why cheap websites often cost more in the long run
A £500 website might look presentable on day one. Six months later you are dealing with slow load speeds, broken plugins, a site that fails Core Web Vitals, and zero organic traffic. The cost of fixing a badly built site almost always exceeds the cost of doing it properly from the start.
Technical debt compounds. A cheap build that needs rebuilding in 18 months is not a bargain. It is the most expensive option available.
What to ask any agency before you sign
Before agreeing to any web design project, you should be able to get clear answers to these questions:
- Does the price include discovery, design, development, and testing?
- What platform will it be built on and will I own the codebase?
- What does the handover process look like?
- What ongoing support is available after launch?
If an agency cannot answer these clearly and confidently, that itself is useful information.
