If you've ever tried to get a straight answer on what a website costs, you'll know the usual response is some version of "it depends." That's not helpful. So here's a genuine breakdown of what tradespeople actually pay across the main options — and what you get for your money.
DIY Website Builders (£15–30/month)
Platforms like Wix, Squarespace, and GoDaddy Website Builder are the cheapest route in. For £15–30 a month you can have something live within a day.
The upside: low cost, no technical knowledge required, you control it yourself.
The downside: these platforms are built for everyone, which means they're optimised for no one in particular. The templates look fine at a glance but they tend to look generic — and customers notice. More importantly, the SEO is poor. These builders don't give you good control over page titles, meta descriptions, structured data, or page speed. That matters a lot if you want people to find you on Google.
That said — if you're a very part-time trader, picking up work mostly through word of mouth and just want something to point people to, a DIY builder is perfectly reasonable. You don't need a sophisticated website to support a three-day-a-week operation. Don't let anyone talk you into spending more than you need.
Freelancers (£500–3,000 upfront)
Hiring a freelance web designer gets you something custom. Most tradespeople who've gone down this route have paid somewhere between £500 and £3,000, depending on the designer and the scope.
What you typically get: a designed-to-spec website, built around your business, usually on WordPress.
The catch: quality varies enormously. A good freelancer who knows local SEO and understands what converts visitors into enquiries can build you something genuinely useful. A cheaper freelancer who knocks out WordPress sites on a template might deliver something that looks decent but doesn't perform. You often can't tell which you're getting until it's built.
The other issue is ongoing support. Most freelancer arrangements are project-based — you pay, they deliver, and then you're on your own. Hosting, updates, security patches, changes to content — that's all extra, or it's on you to figure out.
Agencies (£3,000–10,000+)
At the top end you've got web agencies. Full branding exercises, multi-page sites, SEO campaigns, ongoing retainers.
For a sole trader or small trades business, this is almost always overkill. You don't need a £6,000 website to get leads as a local plumber or electrician. The budget is better spent on other things.
There are exceptions — if you're running a sizable operation with multiple vans, employed staff, and you're actively tendering for commercial contracts, then a more substantial online presence might be worth it. But for the majority of tradespeople reading this, agency pricing isn't the right fit.
Pay-Monthly Models (from £45/month all-in)
The fourth option, which is what DCS offers, is a pay-monthly model where everything is bundled: design, build, hosting, ongoing updates, and support.
You're not paying a large upfront sum — you're paying a predictable monthly fee that covers the whole thing. No surprise bills when something needs updating. No separate hosting invoice. No annual domain renewal that catches you off guard.
From £45/month you get a professionally built site with local SEO built in — not bolted on as an expensive extra.
Honest Comparison
| Option | Cost | SEO | Support | Ownership |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DIY builder | £15–30/month | Poor | Self-service | You own it |
| Freelancer | £500–3,000 upfront | Variable | Usually none | You own it |
| Agency | £3,000–10,000+ | Usually good | Retainer cost | You own it |
| Pay monthly (DCS) | From £45/month | Built in | Included | Platform-dependent |
So What Should You Actually Pay?
It comes down to what you're trying to achieve and where you are in your business.
Just starting out, mostly doing word-of-mouth work, not sure if you'll stick with it? A DIY builder is fine. Spend £20/month for a year and see how things go before committing more.
Established, want proper Google visibility, don't want to deal with the tech yourself? A pay-monthly model or a decent freelancer makes more sense. The key with a freelancer is to ask specifically about local SEO — if they can't explain what they do for it, move on.
Larger operation with employed staff and commercial ambitions? Talk to an agency. You'll likely need what they offer.
The worst outcome is spending £2,000 on a freelancer who builds you a beautiful site that nobody can find. Don't let the website look impressive at the expense of it actually working.