Agencies charge £2,000–15,000 upfront — then £100–500/month forever. Most small businesses are paying ten times more than they need to. Here's the honest breakdown.
Agency pricing reality
UK web agencies have real costs: senior developers, designers, project managers, and account managers all billing by the hour at £60–150/hr.
5–8 pages, basic design, minimal functionality. A freelancer-level build. Usually 2–4 weeks. Don't expect much customisation at this end of the market.
Custom design, CMS integration, contact forms, SEO setup, maybe a blog. This is what most SMEs end up being quoted — and many are surprised by this number.
E-commerce, custom web apps, complex integrations, membership sites. This tier requires a full development team. Months of work, not weeks.
Even after launch, most agencies charge for hosting, maintenance, security updates, and CMS upgrades. Text changes or new pages are billed on top at their hourly rate.
Need a new section? Update the team page? Change your pricing? Most agencies bill hourly for anything beyond basic content. Small changes can cost £150+ each.
Agencies often sell SEO packages on top of the site build. These range from basic technical SEO to full monthly campaigns — all billed separately.
The maths most agencies don't show you
The headline build price is just the start. Here's what a typical small business actually pays in year one.
* Based on UK agency averages. Year two onwards: £2,800–10,200/yr with no build cost, but still paying for hosting, retainer, and changes.
The alternative
Builder pricing ranges from free (with restrictions) to £200+/year for premium plans. Here's where the main players sit.
Side by side
Every major factor, compared honestly — including the things agencies don't advertise.
| Web Agency | Wix / Squarespace | ChilledSites | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Year 1 cost | £8,000–26,000 | £120–600 | £29 |
| Ongoing annual cost | £2,800–10,200 | £120–600 | £29 |
| Time to go live | 4–12 weeks | Days to weeks | 60 seconds |
| AI generation | Partial | ||
| Custom domain | Extra cost | Included | |
| Hosting included | Billed separately | ||
| Built-in analytics | Basic only | ||
| Contact forms | Extra or basic | Basic (paid tiers) | Included |
| Make changes yourself | Pay agency per change | Drag-and-drop | Just type it |
| No design skills needed | Partial |
The honest take
Every option has real tradeoffs. Here's what nobody tells you before you sign the contract.
The bottom line
If you run a small business, freelance operation, restaurant, gym, salon, trades company, or any service business — you do not need a web agency. You need a professional website that looks great, loads fast, and converts visitors into enquiries.
ChilledSites does exactly that, in 60 seconds, for £29/year. The AI generates a complete multi-page site with copy written for your specific business. You can edit anything by typing plain English. No design skills, no dev knowledge, no monthly retainer.
Agencies make sense if you need custom software, complex integrations (CRM, ERP, booking systems), e-commerce at scale, or a genuinely unique brand experience that requires bespoke design. For most small businesses, that's simply not necessary.
Stop paying agency retainers for a website that could have been built by AI in a minute. ChilledSites gives you everything — custom domain, hosting, analytics, forms — for less than the cost of a single hour with an agency.
Build my site now — from £29/yearCommon questions
You don't need a web agency. You need a professional website — and ChilledSites builds one in 60 seconds for £29/year, everything included.