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.
See the templatesThe short answer: no. Nobody checks whether a business is registered before it gets a website, and plenty of people put the site up before the first job. What you do have to do is register with HMRC once you are actually trading and earning, and that has nothing to do with the website.
What you register, and when
- Sole trader. Tell HMRC you are self employed once you earn more than £1,000 a year from it. The deadline is 5 October after the end of the tax year in which you started. Free
- Limited company. Register at Companies House when you decide to be one. About £50 online. Then the company details go on the website
- VAT. Only once your turnover passes the threshold, or earlier by choice
- Licences. Food, alcohol, tattooing, childcare and some trades need local authority registration regardless of the website
Domain name
Register the domain name as soon as you have the business name, even before trading. It costs under a tenner and stops someone else taking it. Registering the domain is not registering a business and gives you no rights to the name beyond the domain.
Business name
Check Companies House and a trademark search before you print anything. A domain being free does not mean the name is.
What to put on the site before you register anything
Your name, what you do, where, and how to contact you. That is enough. Add the company number once you have one.
This is general information, not legal advice. For your own case, ask a solicitor.
Want to see yours? Pick a website template and fill it in for free. You only pay when you want it live. Already have a site? Bring it in and we fill a template from it.