What Does It Cost to Run a Website Each Year in the UK?

What does it cost to run a website each year in the UK?

The yearly running costs are the domain name, hosting, an SSL certificate, security and software updates, backups, and someone to make changes and fix problems. The SSL certificate is what secures the link between your site and a visitor's browser, and it can be free. The domain is the small part. On 18 October 2026, one UK registrar we checked listed a .co.uk at £7.99 a year, the same at renewal. Another listed one at £1 for the first year, reduced from £10. Both prices were before VAT. Hosting and looking after the site is where the money goes.

At Brambla, running a site we've built on WebsiteCare costs £780, £1,500 or £2,940 a year. That's Essential at £65, Growth at £125 or Premium at £245 a month. On our LIVE plans the build is free and running the site is included. They're billed monthly, at £30 to £90 a month, which is £360 to £1,080 a year. SEO, the work to help you get found on Google, is a separate, optional cost.

All Brambla prices in this guide include VAT. Other companies' prices are shown as they listed them, and we say when they're before VAT.

Key takeaways

• Domains are cheap, but check the renewal price. One registrar we checked listed the first year of a .co.uk at £1, reduced from £10, before VAT.
• An SSL certificate can be free. Let's Encrypt gives them away. What matters is that one is installed and kept renewed.
• Cheap hosting offers can go up afterwards. One UK host listed a plan at £3 a month for six months, then £6 a month, before VAT.
• WebsiteCare is hosting, security and maintenance: £65, £125 or £245 a month. It isn't SEO.
• LIVE plans include running the site: £30 to £90 a month, with the build free.
• Bigger changes are priced as jobs: a new page is £150 to £250, a new section £75 to £150 and a page redesign £150 to £300.

What are the running costs of a website?

Six things keep a website online, safe and up to date: a domain, hosting, an SSL certificate, security and software updates, backups, and support. Business email and SEO are optional extras on top.

How much does a domain name cost?

A .co.uk domain is usually a small yearly cost. On 18 October 2026, one UK registrar we checked listed a .co.uk at £7.99 a year, and another at £1 for the first year, reduced from £10. Both were before VAT.

What we found, straight from their price pages:

• IONOS listed a .co.uk at £1 for the first year (reduced from £10), before VAT.
• Krystal listed .co.uk and .uk at £7.99 a year before VAT, and said its prices stay the same at renewal.

So the thing to check is the renewal price, not the first-year offer. Register the domain in your own name, and switch on auto-renew so it can't lapse.

On our LIVE plans, we can register a domain for you if you don't have one and don't want to buy it yourself. We invoice it at cost, with no markup. That's usually around £10 for the first year, and renewals are set by the registrar and can cost more. The domain stays in your name.

How much does website hosting cost?

Hosting on its own can look very cheap, but introductory prices can rise. On 18 October 2026 one UK host listed web hosting at £3 a month for six months, then £6 a month. Another of its packages was £1 a month for twelve months, then £9 a month. All were before VAT.

That's the IONOS price page on the day we looked, and prices change. And hosting on its own is just the server. It doesn't usually include someone keeping the software up to date or fixing the site when something breaks. Our article Shared Hosting vs Managed Hosting: The Real Cost for UK Small Businesses goes into the trade-offs.

With us, hosting is part of the plan. Managed hosting is included in every WebsiteCare plan and every LIVE plan, and a 7 Day Website always runs on a WebsiteCare plan.

Do I need to pay for an SSL certificate?

Not necessarily. Let's Encrypt, a nonprofit, provides free certificates. What matters is that one is installed and renewed on time.

An SSL certificate gives your site the secure https connection. When a site doesn't use a private connection, Google Chrome can show it as "Not secure", which is not what you want customers to see on your enquiry form. Every WebsiteCare plan includes SSL certificate management, and every LIVE plan includes an SSL certificate, so you never have to think about it.

What does website maintenance cost?

At Brambla, WebsiteCare costs £65, £125 or £245 a month, VAT-inclusive, for the sites we build. That's £780, £1,500 or £2,940 a year.

All three plans include managed hosting, security monitoring, software updates, SSL certificate management, backups and uptime monitoring. Growth adds Cloudflare DNS and edge security, and a monthly analytics summary. DNS is the system that points your web address at your site. Premium adds a Cloudflare web application firewall, a filter that blocks harmful traffic, and 60-second uptime monitoring. Unused content minutes don't roll over.

Which plan fits? Essential suits brochure sites, 7 Day Websites and small Custom Websites. A Custom Website of 50 or more pages that needs constant attention or special hosting usually starts at Growth. Premium is for online shops, busy sites and sites a business can't do without.

WebsiteCare prices are for sites we've built. If your site runs on WordPress or Umbraco, we look at the site and its hosting first, then quote. For the wider picture of what maintenance involves, read What Is Website Maintenance? Why Every Business Website Needs Ongoing Care.

What do updates and content changes cost?

Small changes are included on some plans, and bigger jobs are priced separately. WebsiteCare Growth includes 30 minutes a month and Premium 90 minutes; Essential has none. Every LIVE plan includes up to 3 minor content edits a month. A new page is £150 to £250, a new section £75 to £150 and a page redesign £150 to £300.

On WebsiteCare, content updates are the small, quick changes that keep a site current: updating text, swapping images, adding a testimonial, changing opening hours or adding a service. They're the kind of changes that take 5 to 30 minutes.

If something is bigger than your monthly time, we'll tell you first. It can wait for next month's time, or be done straight away as a paid job.

What does a year cost in total?

For a site we build, a year is twelve times the monthly price, plus your domain and any email. Here's how that works out on each route, VAT included.

Online shops, Shopify included, are built from £3,500. For what drives these build prices, see How Much Does a Website Cost in the UK?

LIVE plans are billed monthly with no contract. LIVE30 costs £330 for your first 12 months, because the first month is free. We build as many pages as your content can fill well, up to five. If there isn't enough to say yet, we start with fewer: thin pages don't help you in Google. Add your domain renewal each year, and business email if you want mailboxes. You can see every plan side by side on our Pricing page, and the LIVE plans on our Pay Monthly Website page.

Is SEO part of the running cost?

No. SEO is optional, and it's a different service from keeping the site running.

WebsiteCare keeps your site online, secure and up to date. SEO Care is our separate monthly SEO service for getting found on Google, at £95, £175 or £295 a month. You can have one without the other. If a provider bundles hosting and SEO into one monthly fee, ask what each part covers.

What happens if I stop paying?

It depends on the route, so ask before you sign.

• LIVE plans are managed. If you cancel, the site comes down at the end of the paid month.
• A 7 Day Website is managed too. If WebsiteCare is cancelled, the site comes offline.
• A Custom Website must also run on a WebsiteCare plan, so ask us what stopping would mean for yours.
• Your domain should always be registered in your own name, so it stays yours whatever you decide.

How can I keep the yearly cost down?

1. Check renewal prices, not just the first-year offer.
2. Choose a plan for the changes you really make. If your site rarely changes, you may not need monthly content time.
3. Don't pay twice. If hosting is included in your plan, close any old hosting account.
4. Before you sign, ask exactly what's included: hosting, SSL, backups, updates, support and how fast they reply.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does it cost to run a basic website in the UK?

At Brambla, a LIVE30 site of up to five pages is £30 a month, or £360 a year, with the build free. Hosting, SSL, backups and up to 3 minor edits a month are included. A 7 Day Website on WebsiteCare Essential is £65 a month, or £780 a year. Your domain is extra.

How much does website hosting cost in the UK?

Hosting on its own can start from about £1 a month before VAT on an introductory offer, then rise. On 18 October 2026, one UK host listed plans at £3 a month for six months, then £6, before VAT. At Brambla, managed hosting is included in WebsiteCare, from £65 a month, and in every LIVE plan, from £30 a month.

How much does a website domain cost?

A .co.uk domain is usually a small yearly cost. On 18 October 2026, one UK registrar listed a .co.uk at £7.99 a year, the same at renewal. Another listed the first year at £1, reduced from £10. Both prices were before VAT. Check the renewal price, and keep the domain in your own name.

How much does it cost per year to keep a website running?

Running a site we've built costs £780, £1,500 or £2,940 a year on WebsiteCare, or £360 to £1,080 a year on a LIVE plan, plus your domain. That pays for keeping the site online, secure and up to date, not for building it.

Does WebsiteCare include SEO?

No. WebsiteCare is hosting, security and maintenance. SEO Care is our separate monthly SEO service, from £95 a month. You can have either one, or both.

Do I have to have a maintenance plan?

For a site we build, yes. Every 7 Day Website and Custom Website runs on a WebsiteCare plan, so someone is always keeping it secure and up to date. On the LIVE plans, running the site is already part of the monthly price.

The bottom line

Running a website isn't expensive because of the domain or the certificate. It's the hosting, the updates and having someone to call that make up the bill. Know what you're paying for, check renewal prices, and keep hosting and SEO as separate lines so you can judge each one. If you'd like a straight figure for your site, Start a Project and we'll reply within one business day.

Related reading

• What Is Website Maintenance? Why Every Business Website Needs Ongoing Care
• Shared Hosting vs Managed Hosting: The Real Cost for UK Small Businesses
• How Much Does a Website Cost in the UK?
• The True Cost of a DIY Website: Wix, Squarespace & WordPress.com vs Professional Design
• Complete Guide: Website Hosting & Maintenance: What Every Business Needs to Know