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How Much Does Web Design Cost in the UK?

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Anybody who’s starting a business has wondered what website design in the UK costs. When you’re starting a small business, you might not have all the money in the world to throw at it and so you’re looking for the best service that you can get for the lowest price.

While it’s understandable that you’d like to save money, with web design you should remember that the price usually equals its quality.

Spending less on web development means that the developers will spend less time working on it for you. You might not even have ongoing support once you receive your final product.

Read on to find out why web development is an important tool and why it should be up there in your list of priorities. And if you need the help of a website design agency in Liverpool, then get in touch with us here at Blaze Media and secure the help of our experienced web design team!

Why do I need a web designer?

With services like Wix and Squarespace designed to make the web design process quick, easy, and cheap, you might be considering just skipping getting a web developer altogether.

This is definitely one option, so if that sounds like it would be for you then go get ‘em tiger! What have you got to lose?

Actually, it turns out quite a lot. After all (depending on your business), your website will be one of the main ways you’ll interact with your target audience.

A quick, responsive, and functional website can be the difference between a conversion and a bounce (people who visit your website then leave).

As we’re a web development agency then, you might think that we’re against these website creation tools designed for laymen to use. Far from it! We are massive proponents of WordPress and are experts at WordPress website design.

You can tell the difference from a free stock design on WordPress and a custom site. If you spend more money on a WordPress website then you should expect additional functionality through plug ins and a bespoke design.

Of course, web design rates in the UK will play an important role in your choice of web developer, so it’s best that you work out your budget in advance so you know what type of design agencies to look for and get your expectations set for your end product.

Web design code

Average web design cost in the UK

So, how much does it cost to build a website UK? Web design cost will vary depending on the quality and scope of the website that you want. Here’s some of the tiers you can expect to find for your price range if you go for a web development agency:

  • Basic tier = £0-£1000
  • Mid-tier = £1000-£5000
  • High tier = £5000 -£50,000+

Basic tier websites will cost you between £0 and £1000. The reason we’re including £0 is because you can use Wix or WordPress’ free software to create a very basic website by yourself. You should be able to make a landing page and link to a few supplementary pages with text on with very little experience.

You’ll still have to pay for domains and hosting which can rack up your price by quite a bit if you’re trying your best to save money, but this is still cheaper than securing the skills of a web design agency.

Mid-tier websites will cost you around a few grand. With a website like this, you’ll definitely see a difference over ones that you could have done yourself. You’ll also start to see an increase in functionality. Websites of this tier can be Google My Business optimised and linked to analytics software so you can track how well your website performs and where it can be improved.

Another type of mid-tier website could be the e-commerce site. If you plan for your business to sell goods online then an e-commerce website will let you take payments from customers securely through your website.

High-tier websites will cost a minimum of £5000-£10,000 and can go all the way up to beyond £50,000. Wowza! This might sound like a lot (because it is), but if you want to spare no expense with your website then it really is the way forward.

Within the high-tier category you’ll be able to make your dream website come true regardless of what type of website you want. For example, if you want a lot of optimised content on individual pages, then around £8000 will get you up to 12 custom pages with content provided. Anything beyond this will be dependent on your business and your website goals, but you can expect custom-built functions and personalised plug ins to make your site stand out from the rest of your industry.

Like you’d expect, this website will be pristine. Everything on it will be made bespoke, including all of your typography and font. If you’re unaware of the role of typography in design then we really can’t overstate its importance! Big companies pay ludicrous amounts of money for their own custom typographies because they become part of the brand’s identity.

For this amount of money, you should expect your website to have a really good back-end system that’s intelligent enough to make automatic changes based on customer information and interactions. All this is way way way beyond what you could do by yourself and it will require a steep initial investment but that’s exactly what it is: an investment in yourself and your business.

Freelance website build cost in the UK

Between the basic and mid-tiers, you’ll be able to find freelance web developers. Their prices can vary depending on skills, experience, and location.

With a freelancer, you’ll be taking a risk depending on how many clients they have. There’s the potential that you could be one of their only clients, in which case you should receive a lot of their time and attention and have a really good back and forth with them. Conversely, you could be one of their many clients, and your questions for them might get lost in the email swamp.

Another thing to consider about freelancers is that they’ll usually be great at just one skill. They’ll probably be able to make you a great website, but they won’t provide any Search Engine Optimised copy that will make it visible on Google.

Freelancers do have their benefits though. Their main competitive trait is that they’re often much cheaper than agencies. You just have to consider whether the drop in price is worth that much for you.

Freelance web designer working

How much to charge for website design and maintenance?

There’s more to web design pricing than just the upfront cost. If you want your site to be maintained and in tip top shape then you’ll enter into a retainer contract with your web design agency.

With a retainer, you pay for the initial website design and development cost as it’s a one-off project. Then you make a monthly payment to keep your agency on the books so they can maintain your website, upload new content regularly, and keep up to date with all relevant tracking information.

You might be thinking that this whole process is just becoming too expensive now to possibly be profitable but honestly this is the best way to move forward and build your business. Work out your budget and what you can afford and then trust the process. You don’t need to spend a fortune on a website with every possible bell and whistle if you just need a simple brochure-type website.

How much are website rebuilds?

If you started off by making your own website and now want to upgrade your site then you can hire an agency to rebuild your website. The website rebuild cost will usually be less than building a website from scratch, but it could end up becoming more expensive if there are problems with your design, code, or the transfer of your content.

What to charge for website design in UK doesn’t just stop at the actual build of the website, there’s more to it than that. One of the best services a web developing agency will offer you is branding. When you have solid branding for your business that includes colours, fonts, and logos, you can then make an on-brand website that’s really clean and responsive. If you want more information on the importance of brand consistency, then check out our piece on that.

At the end of the day, website cost in the UK can vary depending on whether you go DIY or use a freelancer or an agency, as well as what type of website you want. Get a plan together and get in touch with our web development team and we’ll tell you what we can offer and how we can make your dreams become reality!

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