Web design services for small businesses: what you should get, and what it should cost

If you run a small business and you’re shopping for a website, you’ll find prices anywhere from free to five figures, and very little explanation of why. This guide is the explanation I give people when they ring me: what you should actually get, what it should cost, and what to watch out for.

I’m George, and SR7 Web Design is me: one designer in Seaham, building websites for trades and small businesses across the North East. So this is written from the point of view of someone who quotes for these jobs every week, with my own prices shown openly so you have something real to compare against.

What a small business website should include

Whoever builds it, a small business site should do a few simple jobs well. As a minimum you should expect:

• Works properly on a phone. Most people will find you on a mobile, often while the problem is fresh. Text should be readable without zooming, and the phone number should ring when tapped.
• Says clearly what you do and where. A visitor should know within a few seconds what you offer and which areas you cover.
• An easy way to get in touch. A contact form that actually arrives in your inbox, your phone number on every page, and a map if customers come to you.
• A page for each main service. One page that lists everything in bullet points can’t rank for much. Separate pages give Google, and your customers, something specific to find.
• Basic local search set-up. Proper page titles and descriptions, a sitemap, Search Console, and your Google Business Profile linked to the site.
• Fast loading. Compressed images and lean code. A slow site loses visitors before they’ve read a word.
• Legal basics. A privacy policy, and a cookie banner if the site uses analytics or anything else that sets non-essential cookies.
• You own it. The domain, the content and the site itself should be in your name, with every login handed over.

What it should cost

Prices vary because the work varies. A five-page site for a sole trader and an online shop with hundreds of products are different jobs. What matters is that the price is fixed, written down before work starts, and says exactly what’s included.

For reference, here’s what I charge. These are the prices on my services page, not an introductory offer:

• Starter, £295. Up to five pages, works on phones, tablets and desktops, contact form and map, basic local search set-up, and two rounds of changes before launch. For a sole trader or small local business that needs a professional site up quickly.
• Growth, £595. Up to ten pages, a design made for your business rather than a template, a blog ready to use, local search set-up for the areas you cover, your Google Business Profile tidied up, and three rounds of changes. Most local businesses choose this one.
• Bespoke, from £995. Booking systems, member areas, online shops, larger sites or anything needing custom functionality, quoted after a conversation about what you need.

Payment is a 50% deposit to start and the balance before the site goes live. If you’re quoted a lot more than this for a straightforward brochure site, ask what the extra is paying for. Sometimes it’s genuinely more work, such as copywriting, photography or a larger team. Sometimes it isn’t.

There’s a longer breakdown for our area in how much a small business website should cost in the North East.

The ongoing costs after launch

The build isn’t the only cost, and a good quote tells you the running costs up front. Expect to pay for:

• The domain name, renewed every year or two.
• Hosting, the server your site lives on.
• Maintenance. A WordPress site needs its software kept up to date and backed up, or it becomes a security risk.

My care plans cover the last two. Website Care is £25 a month for sites on your own hosting: updates, backup checks, basic security checks and up to 30 minutes of small changes each month. Managed Website Care is £50 a month and includes the hosting too. Both are optional and can be cancelled with 30 days’ notice. Without a plan, ad-hoc help is £50 an hour, billed in 30-minute blocks.

Build it yourself, or pay someone?

Website builders like Wix and Squarespace are a reasonable start if you have more time than money and very simple needs. The costs to watch are the monthly subscription, which never ends, the paid add-ons for things like bookings, and your own evenings. The bigger limitation is usually search: a template site with one services page rarely shows up for the searches that bring in work.

Paying someone makes sense once the website needs to bring in enquiries rather than just exist. The test is simple: if one extra job a month from the website would cover its cost, it’s worth doing properly.

Red flags when choosing a web designer

• No written quote. If the price and what’s included aren’t in writing before you pay a deposit, walk away.
• They keep the domain or the site. Some providers register the domain in their own name or build on a system you can’t take elsewhere. Ask directly who owns what.
• Guaranteed Google rankings. Nobody can promise first place. Anyone who does is guessing or cutting corners.
• No real examples. Ask to see live sites they’ve built, and check them on your phone.
• Vague aftercare. Ask who you call when something breaks next month, and what it costs.
• A rebuild that ignores your old site. If you already rank for anything, the old addresses need redirecting. Here’s how to redesign without losing your rankings.

Questions to ask before you pay a deposit

1. What exactly is included, and how many pages?
2. How many rounds of changes do I get before launch?
3. Who owns the domain, the site and the content afterwards?
4. What will it cost each year once it’s live?
5. How long will it take, and what do you need from me?
6. Can I see live sites you’ve built for businesses like mine?

You can see mine on the Our Work page, including real client sites such as Treemasters Arboricultural & Forestry in Seaham and KPM First Aid Training in Newcastle.

In short

A small business website should work on a phone, say clearly what you do and where, make it easy to get in touch, give each service its own page, and belong to you. The price should be fixed and written down, with the running costs spelled out. If you already have a site and aren’t sure whether it needs replacing, I’ll look at it for free: ask for a website review. If you’re starting from scratch, tell me what you need and I’ll come back with a fixed price.