How Much Should a Trade Website Cost in the UK?

Every tradesman who's ever asked "how much should my website cost?" has got back the same useless answer: "it depends".

Which, sure — it does depend. But not that much. In 2026, UK trade websites fall into four clear price bands. Each one comes with a different set of trade-offs, and knowing which band you're in stops you from getting ripped off or under-serving your business.

Here's an honest breakdown, from someone who's built (and audited) a lot of them.

Band 1: The £0–£500 "DIY" Website

Think Wix, Squarespace, GoDaddy, or your cousin who "does computers" builds you one on WordPress for £200.

What you get: A functioning website. Three or four pages. Your name, your phone number, a photo, a services list. Basic. It exists.

What it costs to run: £15–£25/month in hosting fees (Wix, Squarespace, etc.). Plus your time to build and update it.

The honest truth: A £0–£500 site is fine if you're just starting out and you have zero budget. It gives you an internet presence. But it will almost never generate leads because it's not built for SEO, it doesn't have missed-call text-back, it doesn't chase reviews, and it looks like every other Wix template a homeowner has seen 200 times.

Who this is for: Brand-new tradesmen with no budget. Or as a temporary placeholder while you save for something better. Don't expect it to bring in jobs. Some trades in this position skip a site altogether and just rely on Checkatrade or MyBuilder instead — if that's the fork you're at, how Checkatrade compares to owning a site is worth reading before you decide.

Band 2: The £1,500–£3,500 One-Off Agency Build

The "traditional" trade website. You pay a local web designer or small agency a one-off fee. They build you a 5–8 page site over 4–8 weeks. You get a nicer design, a bit of SEO baked in, and a proper contact form.

What you get: A better-looking website than the DIY option. Usually WordPress-based. Some basic on-page SEO. Sometimes a Google Business Profile setup thrown in.

What it costs to run: Hosting £5–£15/month. Plus whatever the agency charges for updates — typically £75–£150 per hour. Miss a payment or need a plugin update and it's another £200 invoice.

The honest truth: This is the traditional path most trades take. It's fine. The problem is what happens after month one. The website goes live, the agency vanishes, and 18 months later you're still on the same site with 4 reviews, no missed-call system, no follow-up, and no SEO updates. You spent £2,500 for a static asset that quietly ages.

Who this is for: Established trades who want a professional site and are comfortable paying separately for marketing, reviews, and updates. If you're going this route, budget £3,000–£6,000/year for ongoing marketing on top of the initial build.

Band 3: The £5,000–£15,000 "Custom" Agency Website

The premium option. Full custom design, 10–25 pages, professional copywriter, custom photography, SEO strategy, sometimes a booking system or client portal.

What you get: A genuinely great-looking website that's built for your specific business. Fast, well-optimised, and legitimately unique.

What it costs to run: Usually a retainer of £500–£2,500/month for ongoing management, updates, and marketing.

The honest truth: This tier can work brilliantly for larger trade businesses turning over £500k+ where the numbers add up. For a solo plumber turning over £80k, it's massive overkill. Most one-man-band trades who take this option regret spending the money within a year.

Who this is for: Multi-van trade businesses, franchise operations, or trades doing high-value jobs (extensions, kitchens, commercial contracting) where a premium look justifies the spend.

Band 4: The £100–£300/month Subscription Model

Newer to the UK market, and gaining traction fast. Instead of paying a lump sum upfront, you pay a monthly fee that covers the website, hosting, updates, marketing automation, and often SEO and review generation.

What you get: A full multi-page website, missed-call text-back, automated review requests, follow-up system, local SEO, and ongoing support — all bundled together and running from day one. No lump sum.

What it costs to run: Just the monthly fee. Everything included.

The honest truth: This is what we (Kopa) do — so obviously we're biased. But mathematically it's the best option for most solo and small trade businesses. £197/month × 12 months = £2,364/year, and you get the ENTIRE marketing system running, not just a static website. Compared to a £2,500 one-off build with no ongoing anything, it's not close.

The catch: If you cancel, you don't automatically own the website — you're licensing it while subscribed. If you want to keep the site standalone after cancelling, most subscription providers charge a buyout fee (we charge £1,000 for the Kopa website design and code — the system itself stays with us). If you're planning to churn through providers or want full ownership from day one, this model isn't for you.

Who this is for: Solo and small trade businesses (1–5 vans) who want the whole marketing engine running without a big upfront spend and without hiring a marketing manager. Also anyone who's been burned by "build it and forget it" agencies before.

The Honest Comparison Table

What's Actually Under The Hood (That Cheap Sites Skip)

Here's a bit that never gets mentioned when you're comparing quotes: every proper trade website needs a stack of technical setup that most builds skip entirely. It's not glamorous work, and cheap providers won't touch it. But without it, your website is essentially invisible to Google.

What should be included in a proper 2026 trade website build:

• Google Search Console — set up and verified. Lets Google actually see your pages and tells you if anything's broken.
• Google Analytics 4 — installed and firing correctly. So you know what pages are getting traffic and where visitors drop off.
• Google Business Profile — claimed, verified, fully optimised, and linked to your website. This is the single biggest driver of local map pack rankings.
• Meta Pixel — installed so you can retarget visitors on Facebook and Instagram (even if you're not running ads yet).
• Sitemap.xml — properly generated, submitted to Google.
• Robots.txt — configured to guide crawlers correctly.
• Structured data (schema.org markup) — LocalBusiness, Service, Review, FAQ — the invisible markup that lets Google understand what your business is.
• SSL certificate + HTTPS — non-negotiable, but skipped by more cheap builds than you'd think.
• Mobile-first responsive design — because 70%+ of trade searches happen on a phone.
• Image optimisation — WebP format, lazy loading, correct sizing so pages load in under 2 seconds.
• Fast, secure hosting — not the £2/month shared box, proper CDN-backed edge hosting.
• AI search visibility — llms.txt, AI-crawler permissions, and structured content so ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude and Google AI Overviews can find and cite your business. This is 2026 — AI answers are the new map pack.

Every one of those items is included in Kopa as standard. It's the work that separates a website that ranks from one that just sits there.

Ask any provider you're currently talking to:

• Did you set up my Google Search Console?
• Did you install my Google Analytics 4 properly?
• Did you claim and optimise my Google Business Profile?
• Did you set up my Meta Pixel?
• Did you add schema markup (LocalBusiness, Service, Review)?
• Did you configure the sitemap.xml and robots.txt properly?
• Is my website visible to AI search (ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude)?

If the answer to most of those is "that costs extra", "you'll have to do that yourself", or a blank stare — walk away. Because every single one of those things affects whether your website actually generates leads or just sits there looking pretty.

What to Actually Ask Before You Buy

Whichever route you take, these are the questions that expose whether you're getting value:

1. How many pages are included? Sub-5 pages is a red flag. Google needs content to rank you.
2. Is missed-call text-back included? If not, you're leaving 30% of your leads on the table.
3. Is a review-request system included? If not, your review count will stagnate.
4. What's the cancellation policy? Long contracts are the #1 sign the provider is worried you'll leave.
5. Who owns the website if I leave? Ownership terms matter — ask for them in writing before signing.
6. What's included in ongoing updates? "Website updates" ranges from "we change a phone number for free" to "£120 per change". Get it clear.
7. How long until it's live? Anything over 4 weeks is slow. Modern builds should be 7–14 days.

The Bottom Line

Don't spend less than £200/month on any kind of website-plus-marketing setup that's expected to generate leads. Don't spend more than £300/month unless you have a very specific reason (larger operation, high-value jobs, custom needs).

For most UK tradesmen — plumbers, electricians, joiners, roofers, kitchen fitters — the sweet spot is a monthly subscription in the £150–£250 range that includes the entire marketing system, with no long contract. That's exactly why we priced the Kopa Growth Engine at £197/month with no lock-in and a 30-day money-back guarantee.

If you want to see if it's a fit for your business, get in touch and we'll walk you through it honestly. If it's not the right fit, we'll tell you.

Osian Gwynedd

Founder, Kopa Marketing

8 years in digital marketing. 150+ UK trade businesses helped. Welsh-founded. Based in Cardiff.