UK website costs break down into three broad tiers. A basic brochure site with 5–10 pages from a freelancer or small agency runs £1,000–£3,000. You get a template-based WordPress or similar CMS, mobile responsiveness, contact forms, and basic SEO setup. Hosting and domain add £100–£300 annually. This works for tradespeople, local services, or simple portfolios. Custom-designed sites with original layouts, content management training, integrations like CRM or booking systems, and proper on-page SEO cost £3,000–£10,000. Expect 15–30 pages, optimized images, schema markup, and a few rounds of revisions. Most established UK agencies and experienced freelancers operate in this range. Ongoing maintenance contracts add £50–£200/month depending on update frequency and support level. E-commerce platforms (WooCommerce, Shopify Plus, Magento) or complex web applications start at £10,000 and easily reach £50,000+ for inventory management, payment gateways, user accounts, and regulatory compliance like GDPR. Large-scale projects with custom development or multi-language support can exceed £100,000. DIY platforms like Wix, Squarespace, or basic Shopify cost £10–£40/month but lock you into their ecosystem. You save upfront but sacrifice speed, SEO control, and scalability. Fine for testing an idea or very small operations, not viable once you need custom functionality or serious organic traffic. Hidden costs matter. Quality copywriting runs £500–£2,000. Stock photography or custom shoots add £200–£1,500. SSL certificates are often included now, but premium security plugins or CDN services cost extra. Budget 10–15% of the build cost annually for updates, backups, and security patches. At Ottawa SEO, we see UK and Canadian pricing align closely when you account for GBP-CAD exchange rates. The same variables drive cost: scope, customization level, and whether you need ongoing content or just a static presence. Cheaper isn't better if the site loads slowly, breaks on mobile, or gets penalized by Google for thin content. Invest in fundamentals first, then scale features as revenue justifies it.