Every business, whether that be a startup or a well-established corporation, needs a website to maintain its online presence and reach a wider client base. The number of pages on a website depends on the business’s industry, scale and goals, which means there is a wide variety of options to choose from.
This blog focuses on the cost of building a 5-page website, which is often considered the standard size for many UK businesses. You can expect to pay anywhere from £0 to £3,500 to build your website, which covers both one-time and ongoing costs. This wide price range reflects the many factors that influence the pricing. These include the type of website, the complexity of the pages, the features used, the method of building, and other elements such as security, SEO, and customisation.
We’ll break down each of these areas so you can explore the different ways a 5-page website can be built, and understand how each choice affects the final prices.
What does the 5-page website include?
Before we discuss the cost, it’s important to understand what a 5-page website contains. Let’s start by looking at the typical pages found in this layout:
1. Homepage
This is the first page users see and the one that forms their first impression of your business. A website’s homepage introduces the brand and navigates visitors to the other pages of the website.
2. About page
This page usually mentions what the business does, who it serves, its mission, and its story. It helps build trust by explaining the business’s values, origin, and goals to the viewers. Some businesses also use this page to express their vision or share their team members.
3. Services/products page
This is arguably one of the most important parts of any website and outlines what the business offers. Just like a restaurant menu, the services or products page informs visitors about exactly what they can expect from the business.
4. Contact page
A contact page is often considered a “conversion” page as it helps turn website visitors into customers. What qualifies as a conversion depends on the business’s goal. For example, if a business offers consultation services, each form submission could count as a conversion. Other businesses, like salons, may only measure their conversions according to their confirmed bookings.
5. Blog or gallery page
This fifth page can change depending on the type of business. A service-based business might include its clients’ testimonials or past works in its gallery. On the other hand, a product-based business may prefer a blog section to share tutorials or informational content that supports customer decisions. In both cases, this page strengthens the credibility of the website.
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Core components of a 5-page website cost
To understand what goes into the total price of a website, it helps to break down the individual components. Some of the following expenses are one-time, while others occur more than once.
Website Building
It is the basic cost for the labour involved in making the website. The exact charges depend on whether the business has employed a DIY method, hired a freelance website developer or a web design agency for building the website.
Website Domain
The domain name of a website is its address. For a UK-based website, it can look like business.co.uk or business.com. It is charged once a year and ranges from £0.01 to £20.
Website Content
During the initial building stages of a website, content and images are added as placeholders to create the design. But for a responsive web design, the business must provide accurate and relevant information to replace that dummy content. It does that by either providing the content itself for a minimum price or hiring a content writer for £200 to £1,000 or more. This is usually a one-time expense unless the content needs to be refreshed, which does not happen until a lot later.
Website Security
Every website needs features like a basic firewall and SSL certificates to make sure it is secure. These features are typically charged for annually and range from £0 to £120 or more, depending on the complexity of the website.
Website SEO
It is important to make sure that a website is SEO optimised; only then will it rank high on search engine results pages. These are not included in a typical web designer’s cost package and are charged separately. Otherwise, a business can hire an SEO specialist to render the website components SEO friendly. For that, it can expect to pay anywhere from £150 to £500+, depending on the website.
Website Hosting
A website hosting can either be shared or dedicated, depending on its type and size. With hosting, a business is basically renting a “place over the cloud” to store and display its website-related data. The prices range widely from a minimum of £3 to £100 per month or more. For a 5-page website, shared hosting might be a smart option, which usually falls towards the lower end of the cost range.
Website Maintenance
This includes charges for ongoing updates, fixing any bugs, monthly plugin checks, and maintaining monthly or bi-annual backups of a website. Maintenance costs of a website largely vary from £10 to £100 a month or more, varying with the services availed each time.
| Component | Frequency | Cost range |
|---|---|---|
|
Building |
One time |
£0 - £2,500 |
|
Domain |
Annual |
£0.01 and £20 |
|
Content |
One time |
£200 to £1,000 + |
|
Security |
Annual |
£0-£120 + |
|
SEO |
One time or bundled |
£150 - £500+ |
|
Hosting |
Monthly |
£3 to £100 |
|
Maintenance |
Monthly or annual |
£10-£100+ |
The table offers a general idea of the 5-page website costs, and actual charges vary with the provider and platform chosen by the business. In the next section, we’ll look at the key factors that affect these costs.
What factors affect the cost of a 5-page website?
A long list of factors influences the total cost of a website. We have divided these factors into two categories. Some of these relate to how the website is built, while others depend on who builds it. Let’s break it down in detail:
1. Internal Website Factors
These are the elements that shape how your site is designed, and the functions it offers.
- Size of the website: The size of the website is generally measured by its number of pages and subpages. This blog focuses on a 5-page site, which means the cost mentions are consistent throughout. Generally, the cost increases with a larger number of pages.
- Customisation level: A basic site built on ready-to-use templates is cheaper than a fully customised design.
- Design complexity: Two 5-page websites may be priced very differently based on how complex the design is. A website that requires advanced visuals or animation often requires more development hours than a simpler website.
- Integrations or plugins: Contact forms, live chat, or payment gateways can raise the end costs even for a compact 5-page site.
- Additional features: Add-ons like an integrated newsletter and advertisement pop-ups demand advanced technical support, which impacts the long-term cost of a website.
2. External Factors
These relate to the nature of the business, different types of websites, how they’re built and who’s building them.
- Type of website: There are multiple types of websites, including ecommerce, portfolio, blog, forum or business sites. A 5-page portfolio website might cost less than a 5-page e-commerce website due to the variation in time required, on-page features, tools, and technical differences. That is why the size of the website alone is not a true indicator of its total cost.
- Security requirements: An informational website may only need a basic SSL certificate, while an e-commerce site will need advanced encryption, firewalls, payment gateways and PCI compliance, which changes the overall cost.
- Location of service provider: UK-based developers and agencies might charge more than freelance remote providers, but may offer better local support and SEO alignment.
- Platform choice: The cost of a 5-page website can differ drastically based on whether it’s built using a website builder like Wix, WordPress or a custom website coded from scratch.
Freelancers vs DIY website builders
| Option | Cost Range | What You Get for the Cost |
|---|---|---|
|
DIY Website Builders (e.g. Wix, Shopify)* |
£17 – £259/month |
|
|
WordPress (DIY)* |
£0 – £36/month |
|
|
WordPress (Freelancer) |
£300 – £1,000+ (one-time) |
|
|
Freelance Web designer |
£300 – £1,000+ (one-time) |
|
*All pricing for WordPress, Wix, and Shopify is accurate as of August 2025.
There are two main ways to build a 5-page website: using a DIY website builder or hiring a freelance web designer.
- Website builders like Wix (£17-£159/month) or Shopify (£19-£259/month) offer the lowest upfront cost, and most 5-page sites fall between £20 and £200 per month. These platforms are perfect for businesses that want to lower the upfront building costs using templates. They offer intuitive solutions and require little technical skill.
- WordPress (£0 – £36/month) is worth mentioning as a middle ground between the two above-mentioned options. You can either build a WordPress site yourself using free or premium themes, or hire a freelancer to build it for you. This option is not as expensive as full agency services, which makes it a strong choice for many UK businesses.
- Freelancer web designers can charge anywhere between £300 and £1,000+ for a 5-page website. This option is suitable for small businesses that need a professional website with special features like booking systems, contact forms or email signups. Freelancers can offer more support and creative input, but timelines and prices can vary based on their rates and workload.
Cheapest Way to Build a 5-Page Website
The cheapest way to make a 5-page website is to use the free or the cheapest version of the above-mentioned website builders. That will help you make your website online within a budget, but that’s about it. Forget about ranking your website, optimising it, and all the other things that’ll generate leads for your business.
- If you want to build a website with zero starting investment, you can use the free plan of WordPress, mentioned earlier in the blog.
- If you want to build a website for the cheapest investments, take a look at the starter plans of website builders like Wix and Shopify.
Our verdict is that in any case, you will have to reserve some funds to buy a domain name, hosting, and basic cybersecurity packages, even with the most affordable options.
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FAQs
A standard 5-page website usually includes:
- Homepage
- About page
- Services or Products page
- Contact page
- Blog or Gallery page
Yes, especially for small businesses looking to keep upfront costs low. Website builders offer:
- Pre-designed templates
- Hosting is included in the package
- Beginner-friendly interfaces
However, they may be limited in customisation and performance unless upgraded to more expensive plans.
Yes. Businesses can start with a basic site using free or low-cost builders or WordPress and then add features like SEO, better hosting, and custom content as the business grows.
