A cost guide for website design, social media, SEO & software

free consultation

. . .and a fixed-price quotation!

The first step is just to call for an informal chat.   Talk to me about your business, your market and your competitors.   Tell me why you need a website. . .  and discover how many other ways your planned site can benefit your bottom line.

However simple or complex your project might be, you will always be provided with a written proposal and fixed price quotation before you commit to any expenditure at all.   If I miscalculate and your project development takes 15 hours longer than predicted, then I'll carry the loss, not you!

cost guide

•  static website design:

Billed at just £15 an hour, a thoughtfully designed static web site including all graphics, copywriting and SEO is likely to take between 20 and 30 hours, depending upon its scope and complexity.

As a guide, this site has taken a little over 38 hours* to complete and would have been invoiced commercially at £570.   *It should have taken less time than this, but I'm my own worst customer. . .  and kept changing my mind!

•  cms site development:

Developing a dynamic website with its own bespoke CMS is, of course, very specific to client needs.   However;  as a 'rule of thumb' you should expect the total cost to be around double that for a static site of comparable size.

•  search engine optimisation:

SEO (Search Engine Optimisation ) is fundamental to the commercial success of any development, so every site I build is fully optimised from the ground up, as a matter of course, at no additional charge.

•  ai search engine training:

Google launched its AI (Artificial Intelligence ) search mode at the end of July 2025. . .  and where Google goes, all other search engines will surely follow.   With all new site builds, this function is automatically 'built in'.

•  site & seo maintenance:

Periodic 'tweaks' are almost certainly going to be necessary from time to time in order to guarantee that your site stays current, accessible, and at the forefront of search results.

Full maintenance is provided completely free of charge for the first 12 months.   Beyond this first year, a maintenance contract is available at £25 per month,  which includes 'reasonable' content updates  (so long as no major changes are required to the structure of the site ) and a quarterly analytics report.

•  social media business profiles:

To set up a 'Business Page' in Facebook including images and initial 'pinned' post;   £90
To create and upload a post (including image, graphics & copy ) to a Facebook Page;   £20
or £50 per month,  (including four weekly posts )
or £500 per annum,  (including 50 weekly posts )

To design and create a Business Profile in Google, plus inclusion in Google Maps;   £100

•  full stack software projects:

Costs are impossible to estimate here, which is why I offer an in-depth consultation and fixed price quotation, free of charge and without obligation.

•  domain names & hosting:

Expect to pay between £8 +VAT and £12 +VAT annually for a domain name. . .  depending on the extension.

For reliable business hosting you should budget from £7 +VAT a month, with high traffic options available, should they become necessary.

Whilst I recommend KRYSTAL for both domain names and hosting, I'm NOT an affiliate and don't receive a commission.   I've used Krystal for the last 14 years and find them to provide the best, most cost effective, all-round service.

I'm happy to liaise with your choice of Registrar and Hosting company on your behalf, but your contracts and billing would be directly with them, avoiding any future contention over ownership or access.

terms of business

For static websites, payment terms are always 50% with your order, the balance becoming due on completion and 'sign off'.

CMS websites and bespoke software developments are usually payable in three traunches, based on well defined deliverables, details of which will be laid out clearly your free quotation  (see the SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT page for more information ).

To avoid any surprises, please also take a little time to review my full Trading Terms & Conditions.