Affordable web design
Where the money in a website goes, and what we never cut to keep prices low.
Cheap website design, UK
A cheap website that doesn't look cheap
A low price is fine, but not when it comes with a 24-month contract, a domain you don't control and a site nobody trusts. Here's how to tell the difference.
- From £49 a month, no contract
- No setup fee, domain included
- Live 1 working day after your answers
80+ websites built by Charlie through Transform Sites
Track record
- 80+websites built
- 100+happy clients
- 1working day to go live, once I have your answers
- £0upfront
Track record from Transform Sites, MonthlySite's parent company.
The short answer
Is a cheap website a good idea?
A cheap website can be a good buy if the price includes hosting, SSL, a phone-friendly design and changes, with no long contract and the domain in your name. The ones that end up expensive hide setup fees, minimum terms or per-change charges. Ours cost from £49 a month with no contract and no setup fee, and you can see a free preview first.
At a glance
- Price
- £49 to £99 a month
- Contract
- None
- Upfront
- £0
- Live within
- 1 working day of your answers
- Cancel
- Any month
- One-off
- From £549
80+ websites built by Charlie through Transform Sites.
On this page
Cheap is fine. Cheap-looking costs you work.
People judge a business by its website, often before they've read a word. A site that looks thrown together sends them back to Google to ring the next name on the list. That's the real cost of a bad cheap website: not the price, but the enquiries you never hear about.
A cheap website only needs to do a few things well. Show what you do and where. Make it easy to call or message you. Load quickly on a phone. Look like a real business that's still trading. None of that needs a big budget. It needs someone who's done it before and cares about the details.
As a minimum, even the cheapest website should come with the padlock (SSL), a layout that works on phones, a contact form that actually reaches you, your own domain name and a way to get things updated. A deal that's missing any of those will cost you more later, in fixes or in lost enquiries.
The cheap options, honestly compared
Typical costs for a basic small business website in its first year.
| DIY builder | Budget freelancer | MonthlySite | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Upfront | £0 | Typically £200 to £600 | £0 |
| Monthly | Typically £10 to £35 | Hosting extra | From £49, no contract |
| Who builds it | You | Them, once | Us, then kept updated |
| Changes | You do them | Usually charged | Included |
| Domain | In your name | Check who holds it | Included, in your name |
| If you leave | Site stays on the platform | You keep the files | Keep domain, text, photos |
What makes a website look cheap
None of these cost money to avoid. They cost attention.
-
Stock photos everyone's seen
The handshake and the smiling headset. Your own photos, or clean artwork until you have some, look more honest.
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Out-of-date details
An old copyright year, last year's prices or a closed branch tell people nobody is minding the shop.
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Broken on a phone
Tiny text, buttons you can't tap and a menu that won't open.
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A hidden phone number
If people have to hunt for how to contact you, many won't bother.
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Slow pages
Huge images and too many add-ons. On patchy mobile signal, people give up before the page appears.
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Placeholder text
Dummy Latin or 'Your text here' left in after launch. It happens more often than you'd think.
When a cheap website is the right call
If you're just starting out, testing an idea, or mostly busy through word of mouth, you don't need an expensive website. You need a clear, correct one that people can find and ring from. A 3-page site with the right details on it will do more for a new business than a 20-page site nobody has time to keep up to date.
Why ours are cheap without being cheap-looking
We keep the price down by cutting overheads, not corners: no sales team, no account managers, and a layout for each trade that's been built properly once, so time goes on your details rather than starting from scratch. There's more on that in affordable web design.
We're also clear about what you don't get. Starter is up to 3 pages with 1 change a month, and online shops aren't something we build. If you need more, Growth and Pro add pages, Google Business Profile setup and local SEO, still with no contract. The full price list has every number.
It's also cheap to leave, which matters more than people expect. There's no exit fee. If it isn't working for you, cancel any month and you keep your domain name, your text and your photos.
From £49 a month, and this is what it looks like
A live cleaning company template. Your free preview starts here with your own business name on it.
What to notice
- Services laid out plainly, with no hunting
- The areas covered, so people know you'll come to them
- An enquiry form and phone number on every page
Cheap, and clear about it
Three prices, no contract and no setup fee.
£1.61a day for Starter, billed as £49 a month. No contract.
-
Starter
£49a month
- Up to 3 pages
- Hosting and SSL included
- 1 change a month
-
Growth Charlie's pick
£79a month
- Up to 6 pages
- Google Business Profile setup
- Unlimited small edits
-
Pro
£99a month
- Up to 10 pages
- A page for each area
- Priority 48-hour edits
No contract. Cancel any month. No upfront fee.
Compare plans in detail
Build my free preview
Free. No card. About 60 seconds.
Rather own it outright? One-off builds from £549.
MonthlySite is new. I'm not.
80 websites and counting, built for small businesses through Transform Sites, MonthlySite's parent company.
- 80+websites built
- 100+happy clients
I only publish genuine reviews, and MonthlySite's first ones are on their way. Until then, here's my promise: you'll deal with me, and I'll reply within one working day.
Charlie, founder
Questions people ask
Message CharlieI reply within one working dayAsk me on WhatsApp (opens WhatsApp in a new tab)
Are cheap websites worth it?
They can be. A cheap website is worth it if it's quick on a phone, clearly says what you do and where, makes you easy to contact and comes without a long contract or hidden fees. It's a false economy if it looks neglected or ties you in for two years.
How much is a cheap website?
Typically anything from nothing on a builder's basic plan, to a few hundred pounds from a budget freelancer, to around £30 to £50 a month from a pay monthly provider. Ours start at £49 a month with no contract, including hosting, SSL and changes.
Is a cheap website bad for SEO?
The price isn't the problem; the build quality is. A cheap site can do well if it's fast, works on phones and has proper page titles and a clear structure. Every site we build has those basics. Nobody can honestly promise a ranking, and we won't.
What's your cheapest plan?
Starter is £49 a month with no contract. It includes a website of up to 3 pages, hosting, SSL, security updates, a contact form and 1 content change a month. There's no setup fee, and paying yearly makes it £490 for 12 months.
Are cheap websites secure?
They can be. The risk with cheap websites is usually neglect: no SSL, or software and plugins left out of date for years. Every one of our plans includes SSL, security updates and backups, handled for you every month, so a low price doesn't mean leaving the door open.
Can I get a free website instead?
Free builder plans exist, but they usually show the builder's adverts and use the builder's web address rather than your own domain. They're fine for testing an idea. For a business that needs people to trust it, a paid option is usually worth it.
See your website before you spend a penny.
Pick your trade, add your business name and see it on a laptop and a phone. If you like it, plans start at £49 a month with no contract.