How Much Does a Tradesman Website Cost? (The Honest Breakdown)

Tradesman website costs vary enormously -- from £0 if you DIY it on a free platform, to £5,000+ if you hire an agency. Most tradesmen sit somewhere in the middle, confused about what they're actually getting for their money.

This guide breaks down the real costs, what you get at each price point, and how to think about value rather than just price.

The Honest Breakdown of Tradesman Website Costs

DIY Website Builder (Wix, Squarespace, etc.) — £10–30/month

You build it yourself using templates. Monthly fee covers hosting. Looks decent. The cost is your time -- probably 20-40 hours to get something presentable.

The SEO problem: these platforms are not built for the 200-page local SEO strategy that actually gets tradesmen ranking. You'll end up with a 5-10 page site that looks fine and ranks for nothing.

Freelance Web Designer — £500–£2,000 one-off

A freelancer builds you a website, typically 5-15 pages. You pay upfront. The quality varies enormously. Some freelancers are excellent. Many don't understand local SEO and will give you a brochure with your logo on it.

There's usually a separate monthly hosting fee (£20-50/month). Updates cost extra. If the freelancer disappears, you're left managing something you don't understand.

Web Design Agency — £1,500–£5,000+ one-off

More pages, usually better quality, often better project management. SEO may or may not be included -- check specifically. Most agencies charge extra for SEO as an ongoing monthly service.

The same limitation applies: most agencies don't build 200-page local SEO sites for tradesmen. They build brochure sites. A £3,000 brochure site is still a brochure.

Tradesman-Specific SEO Website — £59/month (no setup fee)

This is the model we use. Monthly subscription, no upfront payment, no contract. The website is built specifically for local SEO -- 200+ pages, every service and location combination.

At £59/month, that's £708/year. One new customer from Google typically covers more than a year of fees.

The Real Cost Question: Cost Per Enquiry

The price of a website is less important than the cost per enquiry it generates. A £3,000 website that brings in zero enquiries costs infinitely more per lead than a £59/month website that brings in 10 new customers a year.

The metric that matters is: how much does each new customer from Google cost you? For a tradesman on our system:

• £59/month = £708/year
• If Google brings you 10 new customers per year: £70.80 per customer
• If Google brings you 20 new customers: £35.40 per customer
• If Google brings you 50 customers: £14.16 per customer

Compare that to Checkatrade at £60-80 per shared lead (which you then have to win against 3-4 other tradesmen).

Hidden Costs to Watch Out For

• Hosting fees: Often not included in a one-off build price. Ask explicitly.
• Domain name: Usually £10-15/year. Sometimes included, sometimes not.
• SSL certificate: Should be free (Let's Encrypt). If someone quotes you for this, walk away.
• Updates: Some agencies charge per-update after launch. Clarify this before signing.
• SEO as a separate service: If SEO isn't included in the build, it'll be quoted separately -- often £200-500/month.
• Content writing: If the agency doesn't write the page content, you'll need to, or pay for a copywriter.

What £59/Month Actually Gets You

Our tradesman website service at £59/month includes:

• 200+ pages targeting every service and location you cover
• All content written for you
• SEO title, meta description, and heading structure on every page
• Mobile-first, fast-loading design
• Hosting, SSL, and domain management
• Ongoing updates included
• Live in 5 days from your intake form
• No setup fee. No contract. Cancel anytime.

Is a Cheaper Website Always Worse?

No. Price and quality are not directly correlated in web design. A £5,000 agency website built with 10 pages and no local SEO strategy is genuinely worse for a tradesman than a £59/month site built with 200 location and service pages.

The question isn't 'how much did it cost?' It's 'does it rank on Google and bring in enquiries?' That's the only metric that matters.