You've got quotes for a construction website ranging from £500 to £25,000. What's the difference? Here's what you actually get at each price point, and what matters for winning work.
We build websites that capture tender opportunities and convert procurement searches into enquiries. For our full process, see Web Design for Construction.
The 3 tiers of construction website pricing
Tier 1: Basic (£1,500 – £3,000)
What you get:
- Template-based design (WordPress, Squarespace, Wix)
- 5-10 pages (Home, About, Services, Projects, Contact)
- Basic mobile responsiveness
- Stock photography
- Contact form
- Self-managed hosting (£10-20/month)
What you don't get:
- SEO strategy or implementation
- Custom case study structure
- Google Business Profile setup
- Lead tracking or analytics configuration
- Ongoing support or updates
Who this works for:
- Sole traders or micro businesses (1-3 people)
- Firms with no online presence who need something basic fast
- Businesses with no plans to invest in digital marketing
What to watch out for:
- DIY platforms often lack proper SEO structure (URL slugs, heading hierarchy, schema markup)
- Template limitations mean you can't add custom features later (e.g., project filtering, location pages)
- No migration path to a more sophisticated system as you grow
Tier 2: Mid-range (£5,000 – £10,000)
What you get:
- Custom design (not a template, but built on a CMS like WordPress or Webflow)
- 10-20 pages including service pages, location pages, detailed case studies
- Professional photography (or direction on what images to provide)
- On-page SEO (title tags, meta descriptions, heading structure, internal linking)
- Google Analytics and Search Console setup
- Lead tracking (form submissions, phone call tracking if needed)
- Basic schema markup (Organisation, LocalBusiness, Service)
- 3-6 months of minor updates included
What you don't get:
- Comprehensive SEO content strategy (you're still responsible for writing copy)
- Ongoing SEO monitoring and optimisation
- Custom integrations (CRM, project management tools, bespoke calculators)
- Advanced schema markup (news articles, breadcrumbs, FAQs)
Who this works for:
- Established contractors (£1M-£10M turnover) who rely on tenders and word-of-mouth
- Firms ready to invest in digital lead generation
- Businesses that understand SEO but don't have in-house expertise
What to watch out for:
- Many agencies at this tier deliver nice-looking sites with poor SEO foundations
- Check if "SEO" means just title tags, or if they're doing keyword research and competitive analysis
- Ask whether they're setting up proper tracking (not just installing Google Analytics, but configuring goals and conversions)
Tier 3: Advanced (£15,000+)
What you get:
- Fully custom build (often headless CMS or custom code)
- 20-50+ pages with deep technical content targeting long-tail search terms
- Full SEO strategy including keyword research, competitor analysis, content roadmap
- Advanced schema markup (FAQs, breadcrumbs, HowTo, NewsArticle)
- Custom features (e.g., project portfolio filtering, interactive cost calculators, case study libraries)
- Integration with CRM, Google Ads, analytics dashboards
- 12 months of support, updates, and performance reporting
- Conversion rate optimisation (A/B testing on landing pages, CTAs, forms)
What you don't get at standard pricing:
- Multilingual or international versions would add significant cost
- Full rebrand (logo, brand guidelines, collateral) — usually a separate engagement
- Comprehensive content writing for 30+ service and location pages — typically an add-on
Who this works for:
- Contractors and consultants turning over £10M+ who see their website as a strategic asset
- Firms investing in SEO, Google Ads, and inbound marketing as primary lead generation channels
- Businesses that need detailed tracking and attribution (which enquiries came from which source/campaign)
What to watch out for:
- At this tier, expect a 3-6 month build timeline. If an agency promises delivery in 4 weeks, they're not doing proper strategy work
- Ask for a content strategy, not just site architecture. Many agencies build beautiful sites with thin content that doesn't rank
- Ensure there's a performance baseline and measurable goals (organic traffic targets, conversion rates, enquiry volume)
What affects the price?
Number of pages
- 10 pages: Basic site for a single service or location
- 20-30 pages: Multi-service firm with case studies and location pages
- 50+ pages: National firm covering multiple trades, locations, and detailed service sub-pages
Photography
- Stock images: Free or £50-200 one-off
- Professional project photography: £500-1,500 per day (typically need 2-3 days for a full portfolio)
- Drone footage: £500-1,000 per project
Content writing
- DIY: £0 (but time cost + quality risk)
- Junior copywriter: £150-300 per page
- Specialist construction copywriter: £300-600 per page
SEO strategy
- Basic on-page SEO (title tags, headers): Included in most mid-tier builds
- Keyword research and competitive analysis: £1,000-2,500
- Ongoing monthly SEO (content, link building, technical fixes): £800-2,500/month
Integrations
- Google Analytics + Search Console: Typically included
- CRM integration (Salesforce, HubSpot): £1,000-3,000
- Custom tools (ROI calculators, project cost estimators): £2,000-10,000
Hidden costs to budget for
Hosting and maintenance
- Shared hosting: £10-30/month (fine for low-traffic sites)
- Managed WordPress hosting: £50-150/month (better performance, security, backups)
- Dedicated or cloud hosting: £200-500/month (for high-traffic sites or custom builds)
SSL certificates
- Free (Let's Encrypt): Included with most modern hosting
- Paid SSL: £50-200/year (only needed for specific compliance requirements)
Domain name
- .co.uk or .com: £10-15/year
- Premium domains: £500-50,000+ (if you want a short, keyword-rich domain)
Updates and support
- DIY: £0 (but you're responsible for security patches, plugin updates, backups)
- Maintenance plan: £50-300/month depending on scope (updates, backups, minor changes)
Marketing and ongoing optimisation
- Google Ads management: £500-2,000/month (plus ad spend)
- SEO: £800-2,500/month
- Content creation: £500-2,000/month (blog posts, case studies, service page updates)
What we charge (and why)
At Market Maestro, our construction website builds start at £6,500 and include:
- Custom design (not a template)
- 15-20 pages optimised for procurement search terms
- On-page SEO (keyword research, title tags, schema markup)
- Google Analytics, Search Console, and goal tracking setup
- Mobile-optimised, fast loading (Core Web Vitals compliant)
- 3 months of minor updates included
We don't offer the £2,000 tier because template sites don't support the SEO and conversion architecture needed to win tenders online. We also don't typically pitch at the £25,000+ tier unless it's a complex build with custom integrations, extensive content strategy, or national multi-location coverage.
For most established UK contractors (groundworks, M&E, civil engineering, cladding, fit-out), the £6,500-10,000 range delivers the best ROI. You get a site that ranks, converts, and can scale as your business grows.
Compare our full process: Web Design for Construction.
Key takeaways
- £1,500-3,000: Template site, basic pages, no SEO strategy. Works for sole traders who just need a presence.
- £5,000-10,000: Custom design, proper SEO, analytics, tracking. Best fit for most established contractors.
- £15,000+: Full SEO strategy, custom features, integrations, ongoing optimisation. For firms investing heavily in digital as primary lead source.
- Budget for hosting (£50-150/month), maintenance (£50-300/month), and ongoing marketing (SEO/ads: £1,000-4,000/month) to get real ROI.
What to do next
If you're comparing quotes:
- Ask what's included in "SEO" (just title tags, or full keyword research and strategy?)
- Check if analytics and goal tracking are configured (most agencies just install GA but don't set up conversions)
- Confirm who's responsible for content writing (many quotes assume you're providing all copy)
- Ask about the update/support process (are minor changes included, or charged per hour?)
Want a fixed-price quote with no surprises? Get in touch and we'll walk you through exactly what you'd get for your investment.
About the author
Jude Squirrell
Co-Founder & Marketing Strategist at Market Maestro. Construction-first growth focused on tenders, specification search, and measurable pipeline impact.
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