The 2026 pricing tiers
Website redesign costs in the UK range from £1,500 to well over £20,000. The price depends on what you are actually buying. Here is what each tier includes:
Template-based (£1,500 to £4,000). A pre-built theme customised with your brand colours, logo, and content. Turnaround is typically 2 to 4 weeks. You get a functional website quickly, but the design is shared with thousands of other sites, the code includes unused features that slow it down, and the structure limits how well search engines and AI engines can read it.
Semi-custom (£4,000 to £8,000). Custom design built on a standard framework like WordPress or Squarespace. Better visual identity than a template, more layout flexibility, and typically faster load times. However, the underlying platform still carries overhead, and deep SEO optimisation may require workarounds.
Fully custom (£6,500 to £15,000). Designed and coded from scratch. Every page, component, and interaction is purpose-built for your business. Clean code means fast load times. Custom structure means full control over search visibility and AI citability. This is the tier where Qyliq builds.
Enterprise (£20,000+). Complex sites with member portals, integrations with CRM or booking systems, multi-language support, or regulatory compliance requirements. The price reflects complexity, not just page count.
What drives the price
Page count is the obvious variable, but it is rarely the most significant:
Custom design vs template. A custom design requires research, wireframing, visual exploration, and iteration. A template requires selecting from a catalogue. The design phase alone can account for 30% of the total cost.
Copywriting. Agencies that write the copy charge more, but the result is significantly better. Copy written by someone who understands search intent and buyer psychology converts better than copy written by the business owner in a weekend. Expect £200 to £500 per page for professional copywriting.
SEO foundations. A website built with keyword research, structured data, internal linking, and AI visibility built in from day one does not cost more at build time but generates significantly more value over 12 months. A site built without these will need expensive retrofitting.
Photography. Professional photography costs £500 to £2,000 depending on scope. Stock photography is cheaper but generic. The best sites use real images of real people and real work.
Integrations. Connecting the site to a CRM, booking system, email platform, or payment processor adds complexity and cost. Each integration typically adds £500 to £2,000.
The hidden costs people forget
The build cost is not the total cost. Budget for these from the start:
Hosting (£100 to £600 per year). Modern hosting platforms offer excellent performance at reasonable prices. Do not let the agency host your site on their own server without understanding the terms.
Domain renewal (£10 to £50 per year). Ensure you own the domain, not the agency. Transfer it to your own registrar account.
SSL certificate (free to £200 per year). Most modern hosts include SSL. If yours charges extra, switch hosts.
Ongoing maintenance (£50 to £300 per month). Security updates, CMS patches, plugin updates, and content changes. Some agencies include this in a retainer. Others charge ad hoc.
Content updates. Your website is not finished at launch. Products change, prices change, team members change. Budget time or money for regular content updates.
When a redesign is not what you need
Sometimes the problem is not the design. If your site looks professional, loads quickly, and is technically sound, but is not generating enquiries, the issue is likely:
Content. The copy does not speak to your audience’s real concerns, or the pages target the wrong search terms.
Conversion architecture. The visitor journey has too much friction. Too many clicks to contact. No clear call to action. No trust signals.
Visibility. The site exists but nobody finds it. SEO and AI visibility work may deliver better ROI than a redesign.
A Visibility Briefing can help diagnose whether a redesign is the right next step or whether targeted improvements to the existing site would produce better results for less investment.
How to brief an agency
Before asking for quotes, prepare:
- What the business does and who the target customer is. Not your internal language; the language your customers use when searching.
- What you want the website to achieve. More enquiries? More bookings? Credibility for a specific audience? Be specific.
- Your competitors. Which 3 to 5 websites do you consider best-in-class in your sector?
- Your content readiness. Do you have copy, images, and testimonials ready, or do you need the agency to produce them?
- Your budget range. Agencies need this to scope appropriately. Withholding your budget wastes everyone’s time.
- Your timeline. Is there a launch deadline? An event? A rebrand date?
A clear brief produces better quotes, faster. An unclear brief produces quotes that are either too high (to cover risk) or too low (because the agency assumed less work than you expect).
According to ONS data, over 80% of UK businesses now have a web presence. The question is no longer whether you need a website but whether the one you have is working as hard as it should.