How much to keep back for marketing after launch

Key takeaways

Keep back 20% to 50% of your website build budget for marketing in the first six months, because a new site gets few visitors on its own. For a £5,000 build, that means £1,000 to £2,500 for local search, content, email, social media or a small ad test. A site with no visitors cannot pay for itself, however good it is.

• Keep back: 20% to 50% of the build budget.
• £5,000 build: about £1,000 to £2,500.
• Spread across the first six months.
• Start with free channels, then test paid.

How much should you keep back for marketing after launch?

Keep back about 20% to 50% of the build budget for marketing in the first six months. The higher end suits competitive markets or businesses relying on the site for most new work. A new site starts with little search visibility, so early visitors usually need to be brought in deliberately.

• What a small business website costs in year one
• How much does a business website cost in the UK?

Where should launch marketing money go?

Start with low-cost channels that compound, then test paid ones. Free steps such as a Google Business Profile and telling existing customers often bring the first enquiries.

• Google Business Profile updated with the new site.
• Email to existing customers and contacts.
• Social media posts announcing the site.
• Content for key service pages.
• A small, tracked ad test.

• Small budget: website first or Google Ads first?

How should the budget be split over six months?

A simple split is a third in months one and two for launch activity and a first ad test, a third in months three and four for content and improvements based on data, and a third in months five and six for whatever is working. Track enquiries as key events to decide.

• Cost per enquiry: what your website leads really cost

Why is launch marketing often forgotten?

Launch marketing is often forgotten because the build takes all the budget and attention, and owners expect search engines to send visitors immediately. In practice, new pages take time to rank, and marketing bridges that gap.

When can you spend less on launch marketing?

Spend less when the site replaces an established one with good search visibility and redirects in place, or when most work comes from referrals who will visit anyway. The site then inherits existing traffic.

• SEO setup for a new website: what it should cost

What does this look like in practice?

At Global Bridge Labs (GBL), a UK pet groomer spent the whole budget on a new site and then saw few enquiries. A second groomer we worked with kept £1,200 back: they updated their Google profile, emailed past customers and ran a £300 local ad test. Their new site brought bookings from week one.

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

Launch budget checklist

• Keep 20% to 50% of build budget back.
• Update your Google Business Profile.
• Email existing customers.
• Plan content for key pages.
• Run a small, tracked ad test.
• Review results monthly.

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Next step

Before signing a build quote, set aside your launch marketing budget. If the build leaves nothing for marketing, reduce the build scope.