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Plain answers about small business websites.
What websites cost, how to pick one and how to move one, with real prices and the date we checked them.
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Do I need a website for my small business?
When a website pays for itself, when Facebook is enough, and what a proper one costs.
How to get a website for your business
The three ways to get one, what each costs, how long it takes and who does the work.
What do I need to create a website for my business?
The short list: a web address, hosting, words, photos and a way to be contacted.
Does having a website actually help your business?
What a website does for a small business, what it does not, and the one thing it will never do.
Do I need a domain name for my business?
What one is, why you should own yours, what it costs and the mistake that loses it.
Do I need a domain name for a business email address?
Why your own name beats a Gmail, what it costs, and the cheap forwarding route.
Is having a website worth it for a sole trader?
The sums for a one person business, and the cases where it genuinely is not worth it.
Do small business websites need to be accessible?
What UK law says, what it means in practice, and the five things that cover most of it.
Is it better to build your own website or use a website builder?
Coding it, using a builder, or having it done: cost, time, control, and two years from now.
Can AI build a website for my business?
What AI can and cannot do for a small business site in 2026, and what still needs a person.
How long does a website take to build?
Realistic timescales for each route, where the time goes, and what makes it late.
How long does a website take to go live after it is finished?
Domain pointing, DNS, the padlock, email: what each step takes and why some take a day.
How many pages should a small business website have?
One is enough for most. When a second page earns its place, when five do, and which are a waste.
Do I need a web designer or a web developer?
The difference, which one a small business needs, and why for most it is neither in the old sense.
Do people still need web designers?
What builders and AI changed, what they did not, and what you are really paying for now.
Does my website need an SSL certificate?
What the padlock is, why browsers warn without it, what it costs now, and how to check yours.
What things cost
How much does a small business website cost in the UK?
Website builders, freelancers, studios and monthly plans, with real prices and when we checked them.
Can I get a free website for my business?
What free gets you, what it costs you in other ways, and the cheapest option that is actually yours.
How much does a website cost per year in the UK?
Domain, hosting, builder or care plan, and the build, with yearly figures for each route.
How much does website hosting cost in the UK?
Shared, managed WordPress, VPS and what is bundled elsewhere. What a small site actually needs.
How much does a domain name cost in the UK?
.co.uk, .uk, .com and .scot prices, why first year offers mislead, and where to buy.
How do web designers charge?
Hourly, fixed, monthly or template: what each means for you and the typical UK figures.
Builders and platforms
Alternatives to Wix and Squarespace for a small business website
The real alternatives for a small business website, what they cost and who does the work.
Is Shopify worth it for a small shop?
The real monthly cost once plan, card fees and apps are added up, and who it suits.
Should I use the GoDaddy website builder?
What it does well, where it falls short, the price after year one, and what to ask first.
What is better than Wix for a small business?
It depends what bothered you: price, speed, design or doing it yourself. An option for each.
Shopify vs Wix for a UK small business
Prices, card fees, what each is actually for, and when neither is right.
Squarespace vs Wix: which should a small business pick?
Price, design, ease, speed and leaving, side by side. And the question that matters more.
Wix vs GoDaddy website builder
Price in year one and two, design control, speed, and what happens if you leave.
How good is Wix for SEO?
Yes, a Wix site can rank. What it does well and badly, and what matters more than the builder.
Does a website builder include hosting?
Yes, it is bundled. What is and is not included, and the one thing to check.
Moving your website
Can I move my website from Wix to another host?
What moves, what does not, the steps, and how not to lose your email or ranking.
Can I move my website from Squarespace?
What exports, what does not, the domain transfer, and keeping Google pointed at the right pages.
Can I move my website from GoDaddy?
What you can take, moving the domain out, the renewal trap, and the order so nothing goes dark.
Can I switch web hosting companies without losing my website?
Copy, test, point the domain, keep email working. No downtime if done in that order.
Can I move my shop off Shopify?
Exporting products and customers, what you lose, moving the domain, and when a smaller shop makes sense.
When something has gone wrong
My web designer has disappeared. How do I get my website back?
What you can recover, in what order, how to get the domain back, and what to do if the site is gone.
My domain name has expired. What do I do?
The grace periods for .uk and .com, what renewal costs at each stage, and stopping it next time.
My website says Not Secure. How do I fix it?
The three causes, how to tell which you have, and the fix for each.
Someone else owns my domain name. Can I get it back?
A designer registered it, a squatter grabbed it, or someone had it first. What works in each case.
My website has been hacked. What do I do?
The signs, the first hour, who to tell, the clean up options, and why it is usually old WordPress.
How do I find out who owns my domain name?
Checking the registrant, the registrar, the host and the expiry date, and what to do if it is not you.
Getting found on Google
Do I need a website to run Google Ads?
Ads need somewhere to send the click. What that page has to be and a cheaper first step.
How long does a new website take to show up on Google?
Indexed in days, your own name in a week or two, your trade and town in months. How to speed each up.
Is a Google Business Profile free, and is it worth it?
Free, and the most useful listing a local business has. What it does and the mistakes to avoid.
How to get your website to appear on Google
Five reasons a site does not show, checked in order, from not indexed to indexed but buried.
How many backlinks does a small business website need?
A handful of real links beats hundreds of bought ones. Where good ones come from and which to avoid.
How to get more Google reviews, and what you are not allowed to do
The link, the QR code, the timing, the ask. And the things that get your profile suspended.
How to reply to a bad Google review
What to write, what never to write, when it can be removed, and who the reply is really for.
Should I pay for SEO for my small business?
Usually no. What agencies actually do for a small site, what you can do in an hour, and when paying makes sense.
Why is my website slow?
The five usual causes, how to check for free, and which fixes are quick. Usually it is photos.
How often should I update my website?
When something changes, not on a schedule. What needs updating, what Google notices, and the yearly check.
Taking payments
How do I take card payments on my website?
The three ways, what each costs per sale, how fast you get paid, and what you need to start.
Stripe or PayPal for a small UK business?
Fees, payout speed, how customers see them, chargebacks, and the case for both.
What card fees will I pay selling online?
What the fees add up to over a month, which cards cost more, the ones people forget, and keeping them down.
Selling online
Your own online shop, Shopify or Etsy: what a small seller actually pays
The fees a small seller pays on each, worked through on a real sale.
Do I need a website to sell on Instagram?
DMs work for a while. When they stop working, what a shop page fixes, and what it costs.
Do I need a web developer for Shopify?
Not for the basics. Where people get stuck, what a developer changes, and when to skip the question.
Do I need insurance to sell online in the UK?
What the law requires, what insurance is sensible, and the rules that do apply: returns and VAT.
Can I sell gift cards online as a small business?
The simple way, what goes on the voucher, tracking, VAT, and why to do it before December.
The rules
Do I need a privacy policy on my website?
If there is a contact form, yes. What it needs to say in plain words, and the ICO fee question.
Do I need a cookie banner on my website in the UK?
Most small sites do not need one. The rule, which cookies need consent, and how to check yours.
What details must a UK business put on its website?
The legal minimum for a limited company, a sole trader, and anyone selling online, and where to put it.
Do I need to register my business before I get a website?
No. What you do have to register and when, and what goes on the site meanwhile.
Jersey
Websites for Jersey businesses: .je or .co.uk?
Which address to use, what a .je costs, how Google treats each, and the island differences.
Taking online payments in Jersey
Who takes Jersey businesses and who does not, the fees, getting paid into a Jersey bank, and GST.
Do Jersey businesses have to follow UK GDPR?
Jersey's own law and regulator, what it asks of a small business, the registration, and what the website needs.
By trade
Do I need a website for my dog grooming business?
When a groomer's website earns its keep, what goes on it, and what it costs.
Do barbers need a website when they have Instagram?
Instagram shows the cuts. A website gets the person who has never heard of you.
How to get more nail clients with a simple website
Nail techs live on Instagram, but new clients search Google.
How driving instructors get pupils without paying for leads
Lead sites charge per pupil. Your own page gets the same searches for a fixed monthly cost.
What should a dog walker's website say?
Owners are handing you their dog and their key. What the site has to say before they ring.
Mobile mechanic websites: how to get more jobs from Google
A car that will not start is searched for on a phone, in a hurry. What the site needs to win that job.
Do tutors need a website?
Parents find tutors by asking around, then check you out online. What the site should say.
How tattoo studios get bookings from their website
The work is on Instagram. The website is where someone decides to book a consultation.
How to make a website for a cafe
Menu, hours, photos, map, in that order. What to leave off, and what it costs.
How to make a website for a hair or beauty salon
Price list, team, booking link, photos. Handling booking apps, and what it costs.
A website for a tradesman: what it needs and what it costs
Number at the top, services, area, proof. What to skip, and the price of a site that gets calls.
Does a cleaning company need a website?
Cleaning is bought on trust and price. What the site has to say, whether to print prices, and the cost.
Do personal trainers need a website?
Instagram shows the work; the website is where someone decides to pay. What it needs.
What should a photographer's website have?
The portfolio plus three answers. How many photos, how big, and what loses enquiries.
Does a gardener or landscaper need a website?
Seasonal and local. When a site pays, what to put on it, and the quiet months.