A website is an asset for any business in today’s age. You can have a 24/7 web presence on the internet with your website. Businesses that have a website look more professional and trustworthy than those that don’t have one. Most, if not all, of the businesses plan to build their websites online soon after their launch.
Finding The Right Approach For Your Website
Consider your budget
You’re likely a small business if you are looking for the cheapest way to build your website. In any case, cheap is a relative term, and it can differ from one small business to another. What’s the cheapest price for your business might be expensive for others, and vice versa. So, you need to sit down and think about how much money you can afford to put aside for your website. To get an overview of website-related costs, check our in-depth guide on How much Does a Website Cost in the UK?
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Revise the goals of your website
You need to consider your goals with your website. This will help you decide what type of website you want. The costs vary with different types of websites like:
- Business website
- E-commerce website
- Personal blog
Consider what you aim to achieve with your website. You might be looking simply to have an online presence or aiming to attract potential customers and generate leads. Perhaps you’re interested in establishing a strong presence on the internet or transforming your site into an online store. For some, building a website might be a casual project, while for others, it’s a key strategy for driving business leads.
Is there really a way to build a website for free?
The short answer is yes and no. A lot of website builders provide you with a free version of their website builder. But that will just help you with making your website online, and that’s about it. Forget about ranking your website, optimising it, and all the other good things that’ll generate leads for your business.
In any case, you will have to spend some money to buy a domain name, hosting, and basic cybersecurity packages.
Using Website Builders For Your Site
We will discuss 3 website builders here, WordPress, Shopify, and Wix. Since we want to look at the cheapest available options, we have mentioned the most basic plans that these website builders offer.
1. WordPress
WordPress is very popular among UK merchants looking to build a site for their businesses. More than 180 million sites worldwide use WordPress and it represents around 43% of all websites. It is an easy-to-use website builder as well as a content management system that anybody can use. It features thousands of themes, designs, & plugins to give you what you want.
Free Plan
Price: starting from £0
£0 plan offers:
- One gigabyte of storage
- Access to dozens of free themes
- Integration with Google Analytics
Best for: personal use or a personal blog
WordPress has a free plan that you can access without paying any money. You can use this plan for writing your blog or if you just want to get familiar with website building. Keep in mind that you can upgrade to a paid plan at any time.
Personal Plan
Price: £3.6 per month, billed yearly
Best for: a startup that is just starting, small-scale websites, or personal websites
The personal plan offers:
- 6GB of storage
- Custom domain for a year
- SSL certificate
- Many free themes
- Unlimited email support
- Zero adds
- Ability to accept payments
Although the free plan is great, you cannot use it for your business if you want your website to function efficiently. You need to pay to get the best use of the services of WordPress. WordPress’ starter plan is good for small businesses. The plan is billed annually at £3.6 a month.
2. Shopify
Shopify has a well-earned reputation and users show trust in their website builder.
Shopify Starter – Shopify starter plans start from £5 per month. It’s great for beginners or people who just wanna get familiar with how a website works. It’s also suitable for non-tech-savvy people who are not familiar with the basics of coding or designing.
Basic Shopify – this plan costs £19 per month and it is billed annually. We recommend that small businesses go for this plan. Aside from small businesses, local SMEs with low sales per month can benefit from this plan too, as it offers all the basic and necessary features.
3. Wix
Wix is also among the popular website builders in the UK market. You don’t need to know the basics of coding or designing to use this website.
Wix Light Plan
Price: £7.50 per month
The Wix light plan offers:
- Free domain for 1 year
- 2 gigabytes of storage
- 30 minutes worth of media uploads.
The Wix Light plan is the most basic among Wix’s paid plans.
This plan is most suitable for personal use, for businesses with a limited budget that are just starting, or for people who just want to get familiar with how a Wix website builder works.
Key Takeaways
If you want to build a website with zero starting investment – you can use the free plans of web builders mentioned in the blog. But in any case, you will have to invest in domain name, hosting, and site security.
If you want to build a website for the cheapest investments – take a look at the starter plans of website builders. They can range anywhere from £4 – £20. We have provided details for website builders like Wix, WordPress, and Shopify.
Let ComparedBusiness worry about your problems – choose ComparedBusiness and we will provide you with quotes from the best website providers that meet your budget. You can save yourself the hassle and just jump into building a website for your business.
How ComparedBusiness can help you build a cheap website
ComparedBusiness can help you select the best affordable web design providers in the UK. Just submit your requirements in less than 2-mins and we will get back to you with quotes from top web design service providers in the UK. You can pick and choose the best option.
FAQs
Yes, you can build a website for free using DIY builders like WordPress, Shopify, or Wix. But please keep in mind that the free plans have limited features. For example, you’ll need to pay for basics like a domain name, hosting, and site security if you want a website that actually functions.
The cheapest website builder depends on your needs. If you just want an online presence, WordPress offers a Personal Plan starting at £3.6 per month. Similarly, Shopify’s Starter Plan is also a good choice at £5 per month if you’re planning to sell products online. Other than that, Wix has a Light Plan starting at £7.50 per month, which is perfect for small businesses.
No, most DIY website builders like Wix, Shopify, and WordPress are designed for beginners. They offer easy-to-use features, pre-made themes, and templates, so you don’t need coding skills to create a professional-looking site.
For a small business in the UK, you should budget for the domain name, hosting, and a basic website builder plan. In total, the cost can range between £4 to £20 per month depending on the plan you choose. Adding security features and extra storage can also increase the cost slightly.
