Two quotes land in your inbox: one for £3,000, the other for £23,000. Same brief. What gives? In five minutes you’ll know exactly why prices swing so wildly—and how to keep your spend laser-focused on ROI.
Overview
We’ll break down the eight biggest cost drivers, share real 2025 price ranges, show how timeline pressure inflates budgets, and finish with six quick wins to trim fat (not value).
1. Project Scope & Complexity
A five-page brochure site is worlds apart from a custom booking platform. Expert Market pegs professional basic sites at £960–£1,500, while full-blown, database-driven builds start at £3,500+. More features = more design, code, testing.
1.1 Feature Creep Warning
Every “Could we just add…” button adds hours. Freeze scope early to protect budget. Read more on cheap websites can cost you more.
2. Design Approach
Templates save money but limit flexibility; bespoke design powers unique user journeys.
3. Content Requirements
Copywriting, photography, and video can dwarf dev costs. Budget £50–£150 per hour for pro copy. Provide assets early or watch revisions balloon.
4. E-commerce & Integrations
Adding an online shop pushes budgets hard. Agencies quote from £25,000 for robust B2B e-commerce in 2025. CRM hooks, live chat, or API bridges each add dev hours.
5. Compliance & Security
GDPR, WCAG 2.2, SSL, and penetration tests aren’t optional. Skip them and pay later in fines or rebuilds.
6. Supplier Type
- Freelancer: from £2,000 for a standard site
- Boutique agency (like Socialectric): £5k–£20k with strategy baked in
- Large agency: £10k–£100k+ for multi-disciplinary teams
You’re paying for depth of expertise and project management bandwidth. Here's a list of website cost breakdown.
7. Timeline Pressure
Need launch in three weeks? Expect a 20–30 % rush premium—teams must work overtime and pause other projects.
8. Post-Launch Care Plan
Annual maintenance averages 15–20 % of build cost for UK SMEs. Factor it in from day one.
Quick-Win Tips to Control Cost
- Prioritise MVP: ship core pages first, phase extras.
- Provide content on time—late copy is the #1 timeline killer.
- Reuse brand assets (logos, icons) to cut design hours.
- Opt for native CMS features before custom plugins.
- Schedule weekly check-ins to spot scope creep early.
- Ask for a fixed-price warranty (Socialectric offers 30 days free).
Key Takeaways / TL;DR
- Scope, design depth, e-commerce, compliance and supplier type drive cost.
- Basic pro sites: £960–£1.5k; e-commerce from £25k.
- Rush projects add 20–30 %.
- Maintenance runs 15–20 % of build per year.
- Use the six quick wins to stay on budget without sacrificing results.
