How much does it actually cost to build a website?
This is one of the first questions people ask when they start thinking about building a website – and it’s one of the hardest to get a straight answer to.
Search for it, and you’ll find articles quoting anywhere from “completely free” to “thousands of pounds.” Both of those are technically true, which is exactly why the answer is so unhelpful.
The real answer depends on what kind of website you’re building, which platform you choose, and how much of the work you do yourself. This guide answers how much it actually costs to build a website – clearly and honestly, in both the US and UK – so you know exactly what you’re signing up for before you spend a penny.
How much does it cost to build a website? The short answer
For most people, building a website themselves for the first time:
- A basic website on a free plan: $0/£0 – but with significant limitations
- A simple professional website: $65–$190 (USA) or £50–£150 (UK) per year
- A content or blog site on WordPress: $100–$250 (USA) or £80–£200 (UK) per year
- A small online shop: $250–$750 (USA) or £200–£600 (UK) per year
- A more established site with premium tools: $375–$1,000+ (USA) or £300–£800+ (UK) per year
These are realistic ongoing costs, not one-off builds. Building a website isn’t a single purchase – it’s an ongoing subscription to various services. Understanding that from the start saves a lot of surprise later.
Now let’s break down where those costs actually come from.
The main costs to know about
1. Your domain name
Your domain name is your website’s address – the bit that comes after www. Something like yoursitename.com.
Typical cost: $12–$15/year (USA) or £10–£15/year (UK)
Domain names are registered annually through a domain registrar like Namecheap or GoDaddy, or directly through your hosting provider. The first year is sometimes free when you sign up for hosting (Bluehost, for example, includes a free domain for year one).
A few things to be aware of:
The price varies by extension. A .com domain typically costs around $12–$15/year (USA) or £10–£12/year (UK). A .co.uk is often slightly cheaper. Premium domains – short, dictionary-word domains that someone else already owns – can cost hundreds or thousands, but you almost certainly don’t need one of those.
Domain prices can change at renewal. Some registrars offer very low first-year prices and charge significantly more when you renew. Always check the renewal price, not just the headline offer.
Domain privacy protection – which stops your personal details appearing in public registration records – is sometimes sold as an add-on for an extra $6–$12/year (USA) or £5–£10/year (UK). SiteGround includes it free on some plans. Worth having, but not worth paying a lot for.
2. Web hosting
Web hosting is the service that keeps your website live on the internet – the computer your website lives on, connected 24/7. You only need this if you’re using a self-hosted platform like WordPress.org. If you’re using Squarespace, Wix, or Shopify, hosting is included in your plan price.
Typical cost: $3–$35+/month (USA) or £2.50–£30+/month (UK), depending on the host and plan
For most beginners, shared hosting – where your website shares a server with other websites – is the right starting point. It’s affordable and more than adequate for a new site.
Realistic costs for beginner-friendly hosts:
| Host | Introductory | Renewal | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| USA | UK | USA | UK | |
| Hostinger | From ~$2.99/mo | From ~£1.50/mo | From ~$7–$10/mo | From ~£5–£7/mo |
| Bluehost | From ~$2.95/mo | From ~£2.50/mo | From ~$8.99–$9.99/mo | From ~£8–£9/mo |
| SiteGround | From ~$4.99/mo | From ~£3.50/mo | From ~$14–$16/mo | From ~£11–£12/mo |
| Kinsta | From ~$35/mo | From ~£30/mo | ~$35/mo | ~£30/mo |
The introductory pricing catch is the most important thing to understand about hosting costs. Most hosts advertise very competitive prices that apply to your first term only. When you renew, the price often doubles or triples.
This isn’t dishonest – it’s standard industry practice – but it catches a lot of people off guard. Always calculate the renewal cost into your budget, not just the introductory rate.
Not sure which host to choose? Take our two-minute hosting quiz →
3. The website platform
Your website platform – also called a CMS or content management system – is the software that powers your site. The cost varies enormously depending on which you choose.
WordPress.org (self-hosted): Free. You pay for hosting separately, but the WordPress software itself costs nothing. This is the most used website platform in the world.
Squarespace: $16–$99/month (USA) or £11–£35/month (UK) depending on plan. All-in-one – hosting included.
Wix: Free plan available; paid plans from ~$17/month (USA) or ~£9/month (UK). All-in-one.
Shopify: From ~$29/month (USA) or ~£19/month (UK). All-in-one ecommerce platform.
WordPress.com (hosted): Free plan available; paid plans from ~$4/month (USA) or ~£4/month (UK).
The hosted platforms (Squarespace, Wix, Shopify, WordPress.com) bundle hosting and the platform together, which simplifies the cost structure. Self-hosted WordPress separates the two – you pay for hosting, the software is free.
4. A theme
A theme controls how your website looks. For WordPress, there are thousands of free themes in the official directory – many of them genuinely excellent.
Free themes: $0/£0 – and perfectly adequate for most sites. Kadence, GeneratePress, and Astra are all free, well-supported, and used by millions of websites.
Premium themes: $50–$125 (USA) or £40–£100 (UK) one-off, or sometimes annual subscriptions. Worth considering if you need specific design features or have a very particular aesthetic in mind.
For Squarespace and Wix, themes are included in the platform price. You choose from the library without paying extra.
Realistic cost for most people: $0–$75 (USA) or £0–£60 (UK)
5. Plugins and apps
Plugins (for WordPress) and apps (for Shopify, Wix, and Squarespace) add functionality beyond what comes built into the platform.
For WordPress, many of the most important plugins are completely free:
- Rank Math (SEO) – free
- UpdraftPlus (backups) – free
- WPCode (code management) – free
- Contact Form 7 (contact forms) – free
- WooCommerce (ecommerce) – free to install, some paid extensions
Paid plugins vary widely in cost. Most charge annual subscription fees ranging from $40–$190/year (USA) or £30–£150/year (UK). Common paid plugins for growing sites include:
- Advanced SEO tools: $65–$125/year (USA) or £50–£100/year (UK)
- Email marketing integrations: $65–$190/year (USA) or £50–£150/year (UK)
- Page builders with advanced features: $65–$125/year (USA) or £50–£100/year (UK)
- Membership plugins (like MemberPress): $190–$380/year (USA) or £150–£300/year (UK)
Realistic cost for a basic site: $0/£0 Realistic cost for a more feature-rich site: $125–$380/year (USA) or £100–£300/year (UK)
6. Email marketing
Not strictly a website cost, but closely related – and something most guides forget to mention.
If you’re building a list of email subscribers (which you should be, even from day one), you’ll need an email marketing tool.
The good news is that most tools have generous free tiers:
- MailerLite: Free up to 1,000 subscribers
- Kit (ConvertKit): Free up to 10,000 subscribers
- Brevo: Free up to 300 emails/day
Realistic cost for a new site: $0/£0 Cost as your list grows: $13–$65/month (USA) or £10–£50/month (UK)
7. Stock photography and images
Original photography is always better than stock – but if you’re not a photographer, stock images fill the gap.
Free options:
- Unsplash – high-quality free photos, no attribution required
- Pexels – similar to Unsplash, excellent free library
- Canva free tier – create graphics, social media images, and simple designs
Paid options:
- Canva Pro – ~$12.99/month (USA) or ~£10/month (UK), includes an enormous library of templates and images
- Adobe Stock, Shutterstock – professional stock photography, $25–$65/month (USA) or £20–£50/month (UK)
Realistic cost for most sites: $0–$155/year (USA) or £0–£120/year (UK)
8. SSL certificate
An SSL certificate is what gives your website the padlock icon in the browser bar and the https:// prefix. It’s essential for any modern website – without it, browsers flag your site as insecure, which puts visitors off and hurts your Google rankings.
The good news: almost every reputable hosting provider now includes a free SSL certificate with all plans. Bluehost, SiteGround, Hostinger, and all the major hosting platforms include it as standard.
Cost: $0/£0 (if you’re with a reputable host)
Real-world cost examples
Let’s put all of this together with some realistic scenarios, USA and UK side by side.
Scenario 1 – A simple blog or content site on WordPress
| Item | Annual cost (USA) | Annual cost (UK) |
|---|---|---|
| Domain name | $15 | £12 |
| Hosting (Bluehost Basic) | $35 (introductory year) | £30 (introductory year) |
| Theme (Kadence free) | $0 | £0 |
| Plugins (all free) | $0 | £0 |
| Email marketing (MailerLite free) | $0 | £0 |
| Images (Unsplash) | $0 | £0 |
| Total year one | ~$50 | ~£42 |
| Total from year two | ~$123 (domain + renewal hosting) | ~£110 (domain + renewal hosting) |
This is a fully functional, professional WordPress blog. The year-two cost reflects Bluehost’s renewal rate.
Scenario 2 – A portfolio or business site on Squarespace
| Item | Annual cost (USA) | Annual cost (UK) |
|---|---|---|
| Squarespace Personal plan | $192 | £132 |
| Domain name (included year one) | $0 (year one) / $15 (year two) | £0 (year one) / £15 (year two) |
| Total year one | ~$192 | ~£132 |
| Total from year two | ~$207 | ~£147 |
Clean, professional, no technical setup required. Higher ongoing cost than WordPress but all-inclusive.
Scenario 3 – A small online shop on Shopify
| Item | Annual cost (USA) | Annual cost (UK) |
|---|---|---|
| Shopify Basic (annual) | $348 | £228 |
| Domain name | $15 | £12 |
| Theme (free Shopify theme) | $0 | £0 |
| Total year one | ~$363 | ~£240 |
| Total from year two | ~$363 | ~£240 |
Predictable costs with no nasty renewal surprises. Add paid apps if you need additional functionality.
Scenario 4 – A content site on WordPress, growing towards monetisation
| Item | Annual cost (USA) | Annual cost (UK) |
|---|---|---|
| Domain name | $15 | £12 |
| SiteGround StartUp (introductory) | $60 | £42 |
| Kadence theme (free) | $0 | £0 |
| Rank Math SEO (free) | $0 | £0 |
| UpdraftPlus (free) | $0 | £0 |
| Canva Pro | $156 | £120 |
| Email marketing (MailerLite free) | $0 | £0 |
| Total year one | ~$231 | ~£174 |
| Total from year two | ~$351 (domain + SiteGround renewal + Canva) | ~£260 (domain + SiteGround renewal + Canva) |
This is the setup for someone serious about building a monetised content site: SiteGround for better performance, Canva Pro for graphics, and everything else free.
The costs people forget about
A few things that often catch website owners off guard:
Renewal pricing jumps. We’ve mentioned this, but it bears repeating. The price you pay in year one is almost never the price you pay in year two. Budget for renewals from the start.
Premium plugin renewals. Paid plugins typically charge annual renewal fees. These can add up if you install several.
Your own time. This isn’t a financial cost, but it’s a real one. Building and maintaining a website takes time – especially in the early stages. Factor this in, particularly if time is scarce.
Professional help. If you ever need a developer to fix something or a designer to improve something, rates typically start at $65–$130/hour (USA) or £50–£100/hour (UK) for quality work. Budget for occasional help if your site grows to the point where things get more complex.
How to keep costs low without compromising quality
Start with free plans where they’re genuinely useful. MailerLite’s free plan covers 1,000 subscribers – plenty for a new site. Kit’s free plan covers 10,000. There’s no need to pay for email marketing until you’re well established.
Use free themes. Kadence, GeneratePress, and Astra are all free, fast, well-supported, and used by millions of professional sites. There’s no need to buy a premium theme to start.
Use Canva for free. The free tier of Canva is surprisingly capable. Upgrade to Pro when you’re regularly needing features it doesn’t cover.
Choose the right platform for your goals. The biggest cost mistake people make is choosing a platform that’s the wrong fit for their use case, then either paying extra to work around its limitations or rebuilding later. Taking an extra 10 minutes to choose the right platform from the start is worth more than any hosting deal.
Not sure which platform is right for you? Take our two-minute quiz →
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to build a website? For most people building their own site, realistic ongoing costs range from $0 for a very basic free-plan site to $65–$190/year (USA) or £50–£150/year (UK) for a simple professional site, up to $375–$1,000+/year (USA) or £300–£800+/year (UK) for an established site with premium tools. It’s an ongoing subscription cost, not a one-off purchase – see the “short answer” breakdown above for the full range by site type.
Can I build a website for free? Yes – both WordPress.com and Wix offer genuine free plans. The limitations are a branded subdomain (yoursitename.wixsite.com), platform branding on your pages, and no custom domain until you upgrade. For a personal project or test, free plans work. For a professional site, a paid plan is worth it.
What’s the cheapest way to build a proper website? A self-hosted WordPress site with Hostinger hosting (~$3–$4/month introductory in the USA, or ~£1.50–£2/month in the UK), a free domain (if included), a free theme like Kadence, and free plugins. Total year-one cost: under $40 (USA) or under £30 (UK). It’s genuinely the most cost-effective route to a professional, flexible website.
Do I need to pay a developer? Not to get started. With modern website builders and WordPress block editing, building a professional site yourself is entirely achievable without any coding knowledge. You might choose to hire a developer for specific customisations as you grow – but it’s not necessary at the start.
Why do some websites cost tens of thousands of pounds to build? Custom-built websites – designed and coded from scratch by an agency or developer – cost far more than self-built sites. If you’re building yourself on an existing platform, those costs don’t apply to you.
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