How to Price a Web Design Project for a Small Business
Pricing is the thing most new web designers get wrong first. Charge too little and you attract bad clients. Charge too much without the right framing and you lose good ones. Here is a straightforward framework.
Why pricing feels so hard
Most web designers price projects based on what feels "fair" or what they think clients will accept. Both approaches lead to the same outcome: undercharging, overdelivering, and feeling resentful when the project drags on.
The root problem is that pricing based on your time conflates the cost of doing the work with the value the work creates for the client. A five-page site that brings in three new roofing jobs a month is worth thousands of pounds to that roofer, regardless of how many hours it took you to build.
The 3 most common pricing mistakes
1. Hourly pricing with no cap. Quoting an hourly rate to a client who has never bought web design before just creates anxiety. They picture the meter running while you take a tea break. Project-based pricing removes that friction entirely.
2. Pricing against your peers. Looking at what other freelancers charge on Upwork or Reddit and copying their rates anchors you to a race-to-the-bottom market. Your price should reflect what the client gains, not what someone in a different country charges.
3. Charging a flat rate for everything. A 1-page landing page for a local cleaner and a 6-page site with booking integration for a dental practice are not the same product. Scope defines price.
A simple pricing framework
Think of your projects in three tiers:
| Project type | What is included | Typical range (UK) |
|---|---|---|
| Starter brochure site | 3 to 5 pages, contact form, mobile responsive | £800 to £1,500 |
| Lead generation site | 5 to 8 pages, quote form, local SEO setup, Google My Business integration | £1,500 to £3,000 |
| Full business site with booking | 8+ pages, online booking, payment integration, ongoing maintenance | £3,000 to £6,000+ |
These are starting points, not ceilings. If a client has a high average job value (a builder charging £15,000 per renovation, for example), your pricing should reflect that their website will capture significantly more revenue than a cleaner charging £80 a visit.
How to present your price
Never send a quote via email with just a number. Always tie the price to an outcome. Instead of:
"5-page website: £1,200"
Say:
"A 5-page local search site with a quote request form. Based on your average job value of £400, you only need 3 new enquiries from the site per year to cover the cost. Most of our clients see that in the first month."
Handling the "my mate does it for £200" objection
This comes up often. When it does, do not panic and drop your price. Ask a question instead:
"Did it bring in any new work for them?"
Usually the answer is no, or they do not know. That is your opening. A £200 website that sits there doing nothing is not cheaper than your £1,200 site that generates leads. It is just a different product.
If the client is genuinely price-sensitive, offer a stripped-back option, not a discount on the full package. This protects your perceived value and gives them a real choice.
Retainers: the pricing upgrade
One-off project fees are unpredictable. The fastest way to stabilise your income is to attach a monthly retainer to every build: hosting, maintenance, content updates, and a monthly performance report.
Even £75 to £150 per month per client adds up fast. At 10 clients, that is £750 to £1,500 in recurring income before you have done a single new project.
Find clients worth pitching.
Once your pricing is sorted, you need a steady flow of the right prospects. Fernly finds local businesses without websites so you can skip the cold list-building entirely.