Are you thinking about a new website, but have no idea what you should actually be spending?

You are not alone. Most people I speak to either massively underestimate it, or have no benchmark at all.
So instead of throwing random numbers at you, I’ve put together a simple way to work it out based on your business.

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A quick way to calculate your website budget

Rather than asking “how much does a website cost?”, a better question is:

👉 what should your business invest in one?

Here are two simple ways to figure it out.‍1.

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Revenue-based approach

A good rule of thumb:

👉 1–5% of your annual revenue

So for example:

• £100k business → £1k–£5k website
• £500k business → £5k–£25k website
• £1m+ business → £10k–£50k+ website

This keeps your investment proportional to your business size.‍

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ROI-based approach (this is the important one)

Ask yourself:
👉 What is one new client worth to you?
Then:
👉 How many clients would your website need to generate to pay for itself?

For example:

• If a client is worth £1,000
• And your website costs £5,000

You need 5 clients to break even. That’s it.‍

Why budgets vary so much

This is where people get confused.

You’ll see one business spend £2k and another spend £50k+

It’s not random.

It comes down to:‍

1. Your pricing

If you charge £50 per service, your website has to work a lot harder to pay itself off.

If you charge £5,000 per project, it doesn’t.

2. How your business gets clients

• Word of mouth → lower website dependency
• Online leads → higher website dependency

The more your website drives your business, the more it’s worth investing in.

3. Your growth stage

• Just starting → keep it lean
• Growing → invest in conversion
• Scaling → invest in systems and performance

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So… what should you spend?

Here’s a simple way to sanity check it:

• If your website is just there to “exist” → keep it lean
• If your website needs to bring in leads → invest properly
• If your website is a core sales tool → treat it like one

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A quick reality check

A website isn’t just a design cost.
It’s:

• your first impression
• your sales tool
• your credibility
• your conversion funnel

So the question isn’t really:
👉 “what’s the cheapest I can get this for?”
It’s:
👉 “what level of investment actually makes sense for my business?”‍

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If you’re not sure where you sit

If you’re planning a new website but stuck on what budget is realistic, I’m always happy to talk it through.

No pressure, no hard sell. Just helping you get clear before you invest.