Small business website design
The pages, words and details a small business website needs to bring in enquiries.
For new businesses and sole traders
Website design for startups, without spending your launch budget
In your first year every pound has a job to do. Get a proper website for your new business for £0 upfront and a monthly fee you can stop whenever you like.
- £0 upfront, first payment starts it
- Launch small, add pages as you grow
- No contract while you find your feet
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
What kind of website does a startup need?
A startup needs a small, credible website before it needs a big one: a clear home page, your services, a little about you and an easy way to get in touch, on your own domain. Three pages is often enough to launch. We build it for £0 upfront, from £49 a month with no contract, and you add pages as the business grows.
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
Why a startup website should start small
Good website design for startups is mostly about restraint. In the first few months you're still finding out which services sell, which customers you want and what they ask before they buy. A 12-page website written before your first customer usually ends up describing a business you don't run.
A better plan is to launch something small and correct, then add to it as you learn. Three clear pages on your own domain make you look established, give Google something to find and give your first customers somewhere to check you out after you've quoted.
Paying monthly helps too. The cash you'd spend on a website upfront can go on insurance, tools or stock, the things that actually earn money in year one.
What to sort out before your website goes live
The order matters, because each step depends on the one before. Most of it takes an evening.
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Step 1: Check the name is free
Search Companies House (opens in a new tab) if you're forming a limited company, then check the domain name and social media handles before you fall in love with it.
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Step 2: Register your domain
A .co.uk tells customers you're UK-based. Bought on its own it typically costs £10 to £20 a year, and on our plans one standard domain is included. Either way, make sure it's registered in your name, not a supplier's.
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Step 3: Set up an email address on it
hello@yourbusiness.co.uk looks more established than a free webmail address on a quote, and it's cheap to set up.
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Step 4: Create your Google Business Profile
If you serve customers locally, this is how you appear on Google Maps. It needs verifying, which can take a few days, so start early.
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Step 5: Launch the website
Home, services and contact at minimum. Link it to your Google Business Profile and your social media so they all point to the same place.
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Step 6: Ask your first customers for reviews
A new business has no track record, so early reviews do a lot of work. Ask every happy customer while the job is fresh in their mind.
What a new business website needs on day one
Everything here fits on a 3-page Starter site.
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What you do, in plain words
One sentence a stranger understands on a phone. Save the mission statement for later.
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Where you work
The towns you cover, or your address if customers come to you.
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How to get in touch
A number that dials when tapped, an email address and a short form. Say when you usually reply.
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Who you are
A new business has no track record yet, so you are the reassurance. A photo and a few lines on your experience go a long way.
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Proof, even without reviews
Qualifications, insurance, memberships and photos of work from previous jobs or training. Only claim what you can back up.
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The legal basics
A privacy notice if you collect enquiries. Limited companies must also show their registered name, number and office address.
Your first website doesn't need to be your forever website. It needs to be live, correct and easy to find. Then it can grow with you.
Three ways to launch a startup website
What each route asks of you in cash and time in the first year.
| Build it yourself | Freelancer, one-off | MonthlySite | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cash at launch | £0 | Typically £500 to £2,000 | £0 |
| Monthly cost | Typically £10 to £35 | Hosting and changes extra | £49 to £99, all in |
| Your time | Several evenings | Meetings and emails | About half an hour |
| If the business changes | You rewrite it | Pay for changes | Email me, included |
| If it doesn't work out | Cancel the plan | Money already spent | Cancel any month |
DIY and freelancer figures are typical UK ranges for a small site, not quotes.
What a new business website can look like
This is a live template for a personal trainer, the kind of business that often starts with one person and a phone. Press “Try this with my details” to see it with your business name.
What to notice
- It works with no reviews yet: the about section and services do the persuading
- Check the phone frame first, since most first customers will find you on a phone
- Your colours and logo replace the demo ones, and no logo yet is fine
How the website grows with the business
Starter suits most new businesses: 3 pages, hosting and 1 change a month. When you want more calls from Google, Growth goes up to 6 pages and adds Google Business Profile setup and local SEO. Pro suits businesses covering several towns or services, with a page for each area and a quote or booking form. You can move up or down in any month.
Some startups aren't a fit, and it's better to say so now. If you're building an app, a software product or an online shop with a checkout, you need a developer or a shop platform rather than a small business website. Email me and I'll point you in a sensible direction.
What it costs to launch
No setup fee: your first monthly payment starts the build. Pay for a year upfront and you get 2 months free, which some startups prefer once they've seen the website working.
£1.61a day for Starter, billed as £49 a month. No contract.
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Starter
£49a month
- Up to 3 pages
- Hosting and SSL included
- 1 change a month
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Growth Charlie's pick
£79a month
- Up to 6 pages
- Google Business Profile setup
- Unlimited small edits
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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)
Should a startup pay monthly or buy a website outright?
If cash is tight or the business might change direction, paying monthly makes sense: nothing upfront, changes included and no contract. If you're confident in the offer and want to own the site, a one-off build can work out cheaper over several years. We offer both, from £49 a month or from £549 once.
How much does a website cost for a new business in the UK?
Typically £0 upfront plus £10 to £35 a month to build it yourself, or £500 to £2,000 for a small site from a freelancer, plus hosting. Ours is £0 upfront and from £49 a month, with design, hosting, changes and one standard domain included.
I don't have a logo yet. Can I still launch?
Yes. Your site can launch with your business name set in a clean typeface in your chosen colours, which looks tidy on its own. When you have a logo, send it over and I'll add it. Plenty of businesses trade happily for years before they get round to one.
Can I get a website before I have any customers or reviews?
Yes, and it's worth doing. Lead with who you are, your experience, qualifications and insurance, and photos of work from training or previous jobs. Add reviews as soon as your first customers leave them. Never invent testimonials: it's unlawful in the UK and customers can usually tell.
What if my business changes direction?
It happens a lot in the first year. Send me the changes and I'll update the services and wording, within your plan's changes. If you need more pages, move up a plan. If the business stops altogether, cancel and you won't be charged again, with no contract to buy your way out of.
Do I need a limited company to have a business website?
No. Sole traders and partnerships can have a website just the same. If you are a limited company, the law requires your site to show your registered company name, company number, registered office address and where the company is registered.
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.