Cheap vs expensive website: what £1,000 and £10,000 buy

Key takeaways

A £1,000 website usually buys a template with your copy and a contact form; a £10,000 website usually buys planning, custom design, written copy, tracking, testing and support. The cheap site proves you exist; the expensive one is built to win enquiries. Neither is right by default: match the spend to how much new business the site must produce.

• £1,000: template, your copy, basic launch.
• £10,000: planning, custom design, copy, testing.
• £1,000: little tracking or support.
• £10,000: tracking, accessibility, fix period.

What does a £1,000 website include?

A £1,000 website usually includes an adapted template, three to six pages using your copy and photos, a contact form, basic mobile checks and launch. It rarely includes written copy, SEO set-up, enquiry tracking, accessibility testing or support after launch. It is a solid way to look legitimate.

• Cheap small business websites: what £500 really buys
• How much does a business website cost in the UK?

What does a £10,000 website include?

A £10,000 website usually includes discovery, custom or heavily adapted design, written copy, photography direction, SEO set-up, tracking of enquiries as key events, accessibility testing to WCAG 2.2 AA, speed work, training and a fix period. The extra money goes on planning and the details that affect results.

• What a web design agency charges a small business

How do the two compare side by side?

Side by side, the difference is mostly in planning, content and measurement rather than looks. Both can appear smart at first glance.

• Planning: none vs discovery and page plan.
• Copy: yours vs professionally written.
• Tracking: rarely vs set up and tested.
• Testing: basic vs devices, accessibility, speed.
• Support: none vs fix period and training.

• Why website quotes range from £500 to £15,000

Which level does your business need?

Choose the cheap level if most work comes from referrals and the site just confirms you exist. Choose the higher level if the website is expected to bring regular new enquiries from search or ads. Many businesses sit between, at £3,000 to £6,000.

• How much of turnover should a website cost?

When is an expensive website a waste?

An expensive website is a waste when nobody will keep it updated, when traffic is tiny, or when the money goes on visual effects rather than copy, proof and tracking. Spending more does not fix an unclear offer.

What does this look like in practice?

At Global Bridge Labs (GBL), a UK commercial electrician moved from a £1,000 site to a £7,500 one. The design change was modest; the difference was written service pages, case studies and call tracking. They could now see that most new contracts came from two service pages and invested there.

• See client work
• Website Design & Development for UK businesses

Spend level checklist

• Decide what the site must produce.
• Estimate how much new work comes online.
• Price planning, copy and tracking separately.
• Avoid paying for effects over substance.
• Consider a middle option.
• Plan care either way.

• Does a faster website build cost more?
• When does a new website pay for itself?

Next step

Estimate how many new customers a year you want from your website and what each is worth. That figure tells you which level makes sense.