If you run a business in Cheshire and you are asking how much a website costs, you have probably noticed that quotes vary a lot. Two designers can both promise "a website" and mean very different amounts of work. This guide explains what actually decides the cost, walks through three typical projects in words, and shows how to compare quotes properly.
We do not publish set prices, and we have not included figures from other agencies. Any single number for the whole of Cheshire would be a guess. What we can do is explain the factors, so you know what you are paying for whoever you choose.
What decides the cost of a website
| Cost factor | Needs less work | Needs more work |
|---|---|---|
| Number of pages | A handful of pages covering one or two services | Dozens of pages for services, practice areas, offices or towns |
| Who writes the copy | You supply finished text | We write or rework every page |
| Design depth | A clean layout built on proven patterns | A fully custom design, with a new look for each page type |
| Features and integrations | A contact form and a map | Online booking, a CRM connection, a property feed or a shop |
| Photography | Your own photos, or a small number of stock images | A commissioned shoot of your team, premises or work |
| SEO set-up | Sound titles, headings and a sitemap | A page for each service and area, structured data and keyword research |
| Ongoing care and support | A care plan only | A care plan plus regular changes, new pages or campaigns |
Number of pages
More pages mean more planning, writing, design and testing. A sole trader in Nantwich might need five pages; a law firm with several offices and a dozen practice areas might need fifty. Page count is usually the biggest single factor.
Who writes the copy
Copywriting is often left out of lower quotes, which assume you will supply every word. If your designer writes or edits the content, that is real work and will show in the quote. Clear, specific pages also do far more for search rankings than a polished design with thin text.
Design depth
A layout built on proven patterns is quicker to produce. A custom design, built around your brand and your customers, takes longer but gives you a site that fits your business and does not look like a competitor's.
Features and integrations
Online booking, an online shop, a property listings feed, a members' area or a connection to your CRM all add development time. Some are quick to add; others are projects in their own right, with testing against a third-party system.
Photography
Good photos of your premises, your team or your finished work make a site more convincing than stock images. A commissioned shoot is a separate piece of work, often worth doing alongside the build so everything matches.
SEO set-up
A site built for search, with a page for each service and area you cover, proper titles and structured data, takes more planning and writing than a basic brochure site. It usually earns its keep if search is how your customers find you.
Ongoing care and support
Once the site is live, it needs looking after. After launch, a care plan looks after hosting, security updates, backups and uptime monitoring, with the cost set for your particular site in the quote. Changes and new work beyond that, such as new pages or a seasonal campaign, count as support, which we quote per request or as a block of hours.
Three worked examples
These are typical shapes of project, described in words rather than figures. Your own quote will depend on the details.
A sole trader's five-page site
A gardener working around Northwich needs a home page, a page for each of two or three services, an about page and a contact page with a form. They write their own notes and we turn them into page copy, and they supply photos of finished jobs from their phone. There is no booking system and no shop. This is the smallest kind of project: few pages, no integrations and a simple care plan afterwards. Most of the work is in getting the words and the local search basics right.
A growing firm with several services
An accountancy practice in Macclesfield wants a page for each service, short profiles of its partners, a few guides that answer common client questions and an enquiry form that sends each request to the right person. We write all the copy, and the firm books a half-day photo shoot at its office. More pages, full copywriting, photography and a more involved SEO set-up all add to the work, so this sits well above the sole trader's site.
A firm with several offices and a booking system
A practice with offices in Chester and Wilmslow needs a page for each office and each area of work, a team section, online appointment booking linked to its existing diary software and a CRM connection so enquiries go straight into its case system. It also wants ongoing support for regular news and new service pages. The integrations need building and testing, the page count is high and the support carries on after launch, so this is the largest of the three.
Running costs after launch
The build is not the only cost. Plan for:
- Domain name. Renewed every year or every few years.
- Care plan. Hosting, security updates, backups and uptime checks.
- Email. Business email at your own domain is usually a separate cost per user, paid to the email provider.
- Support. Changes and new work beyond the care plan.
- SEO and marketing. Optional, but often what turns a website into a steady source of enquiries. With us, monthly SEO and PPC run for a three-month minimum, then on 30 days' notice, and any ad spend is paid by you directly to Google or Meta.
Questions to ask before you choose
When you compare web designers in Cheshire, ask each of them:
- What exactly is included, and what would cost extra?
- Who writes the content?
- Will I own the domain, the website and the hosting account?
- What are the running costs each year?
- Will I be able to update the site myself?
- What happens if I want to move the site to someone else later?
A good web designer will answer all of these in writing.
How we quote
Every project is quoted on its scope after a short conversation. Our quotes cost nothing, come in writing and break the work down line by line, with no VAT added because we are not VAT registered. Website builds are paid as a 50% deposit to start and 50% at launch.
If you would like a quote, read about our web design service for Cheshire businesses or get a free quote.