Guide
How to start a website in the UK, step by step
To start a website in the UK you need a clear purpose, a domain name, web hosting, and pages that tell visitors what you do and how to contact you. Register a .co.uk or .uk domain, pick a hosting plan, install WordPress or upload your own pages, add your content, test it on a phone and go live. A simple business site can cost under £35 in its first year.
The route
From idea to live website in six stages
- PlanPurpose, audience, pages
- NameChoose and register a domain
- HostPick a plan and set it up
- BuildInstall WordPress or upload pages
- CheckTest, fix, then publish
- GrowGet found and keep it updated
Before you buy anything
Start with the purpose, not the software
Most websites that disappoint their owners were started the wrong way round. The owner picked a design or a tool first and worked out what the site was for afterwards. Reverse that. Write one sentence that finishes "This website exists so that visitors can...". For a plumber it might be "ring or request a quote". For a shop it is "buy a product". For a charity it might be "donate or volunteer". That sentence decides what goes on every page.
Next, think about who is visiting and what they already know. A visitor searching for an emergency electrician in Leeds wants a phone number in about three seconds. A visitor researching accountants wants to see qualifications, prices and how you work. Jot down the five questions your customers ask most often. Those questions become your page headings and, later, your FAQ.
Finally, choose a small number of pages to begin with. A site with four good pages beats a site with twenty thin ones. You can always add more once the first version is live and you can see what visitors actually look at.
What you need
The four things every website needs
| Ingredient | What it is | Typical UK cost |
|---|---|---|
| Domain name | Your address on the internet, such as yourbusiness.co.uk | £9.99 a year for .co.uk or .uk with us |
| Web hosting | The computer that stores your site and serves it to visitors | From £10.03 a year with us |
| Website software | WordPress or another tool used to build and edit pages | WordPress itself is free |
| Content | Your words, photos, prices and contact details | Your time, or a writer and photographer |
Your own costs will depend on the plan, any paid themes or plugins, and whether you hire help. Prices shown are our yearly plan prices.
Step 1
Choose and register a domain name
Your domain name is the address people type, and it appears in every email you send from it. Keep it short, easy to say aloud and easy to spell. Avoid hyphens and numbers, which are hard to explain over the phone. If you trade in the UK, a .co.uk or .uk domain tells customers you are local, and both cost £9.99 a year with us, including at renewal.
Search for the name before you fall in love with it. Check that no similar business already uses it, and that the social media handles you want are free. Our guide on choosing a domain name goes through the rules in detail, and you can run a search on our domain search.
Register the domain in the name of your business or yourself, using an email address you will keep for years. The domain is an asset. If it is registered in a developer's name and they disappear, getting it back can be slow and stressful.
Check your domain name is free
Search .co.uk and .uk names at £9.99 a year, with the same price at renewal.
Step 2
Choose web hosting that fits a first site
Hosting is the rented space where your website files and database live. For a first business site, shared hosting is the sensible choice: it is inexpensive, it is managed for you, and it handles far more traffic than a new site will see. You do not need a server of your own. If you want the background, read what is web hosting and what is shared hosting.
Our smallest plan, Very Small, is £10.03 a year with 1 GB of storage and 50 GB of bandwidth, which is plenty for a brochure site of a few pages. Small at £21.18 a year gives 5 GB and room for a second domain. Every plan includes free SSL, LiteSpeed, unlimited email accounts, subdomains and MySQL databases, and one-click WordPress. You can compare the options on the web hosting page.
Look for UK servers if your visitors are in the UK, because pages arrive faster from London than from across the Atlantic. Check what backups are included and how you reach help. Ours are weekly remote backups kept for about a month, with live chat open 24/7 and tickets. Our guide to choosing a web host has a fuller checklist.
Tool choice
WordPress or a hand-built site?
WordPress suits you when
- You want to edit text and images yourself
- You expect to add pages or a blog over time
- You want themes and plugins for forms, SEO and shops
- You prefer a visual editor to code
- You may hand the site to someone else later
Plain HTML or a custom build suits when
- The site is a few fixed pages that rarely change
- You or a developer are comfortable writing code
- You want the lightest possible pages
- You have a specific design that a theme cannot match
- You are happy to upload files by SFTP
Step 3
Getting the site online
Order hosting and your domain
Choose a plan in our client area and add your domain. If you register the domain with us, it can be pointed to your hosting for you.
Point the domain to the hosting
If your domain is registered elsewhere, change its nameservers or DNS records. Our guide on pointing a domain to hosting shows how.
Install WordPress
Use the one-click WordPress installer in your hosting control panel and choose a strong administrator password.
Switch on SSL
Free SSL is included, so your site can load over HTTPS from the start.
Choose a theme and set the basics
Pick a clean, fast theme, then set the site title, the homepage and a simple menu.
Add your pages
Write the Home, About, Services and Contact pages first. Our guide on writing the pages every small business needs helps.
Step 4
Write content people can use
Content is where most new sites stall. The fix is to write for one real customer, in plain words. Say what you do, who it is for, where you work, what it costs or how pricing works, and what to do next. Put your phone number and a contact route where people can find them without hunting.
Use real photographs of your work, premises or team where you can. Stock images are fine in small doses, but visitors can spot them, and they add no trust. Compress every image before upload so pages load quickly, especially on mobile.
Remember the legal basics. A UK business website should show who is behind it, and companies must show their registered name, number and registered office. If you collect personal data through a form, you need a privacy notice. This is general guidance, not legal advice, so check the ICO and gov.uk websites for current requirements.
Beyond the pages
Setting up the extras properly
Email on your domain
Use addresses like hello@yourbusiness.co.uk. Unlimited email accounts are included on every plan. See setting up email.
Security basics
Strong passwords, two-factor login, and prompt updates. Our server-side firewall and malware scanning add another layer.
Backups
Weekly remote backups are included. Take your own copy before big changes too.
Speed
Compress images, keep plugins few, and use the caching tools built into LiteSpeed.
Search visibility
Give every page a clear title and description, and create a Google Business Profile if you serve a local area.
A way to reach you
A contact form plus a phone number and email address. See adding a contact form.
Ready when you are
Pick a plan from 84p a month (£10.03 billed yearly), with a 15-day money-back guarantee on your first hosting order.
Mistakes
Common mistakes when starting a website
- Choosing a clever name nobody can spell
- Starting with the design before the purpose
- Hiding the phone number or contact form
- Using huge uncompressed photos
- Forgetting to test on a phone
- Leaving the default admin username in place
- Registering the domain in someone else's name
- Never updating the site after launch
Launch
Test, publish and keep going
Before you announce the site, walk through it as a stranger. Click every link, submit the contact form, and view each page on a phone. Ask a friend who has never seen it to find your opening hours or price. Anything they struggle with is a fix for your list. The website launch checklist covers every check in order.
After launch, the real work is steady and modest. Update software, back up before changes, add useful pages when customers ask new questions and read your enquiries to learn what they want. A website is a small shop window that you keep tidy, not a project that finishes.
FAQ
Common questions
How much does it cost to start a website in the UK?
A simple site can cost under £35 in the first year: a .co.uk domain at £9.99 and hosting from 84p a month (£10.03 billed yearly), plus a free WordPress theme. Paid themes, plugins and professional help add to that.
Do I need to know how to code?
No. WordPress lets you edit pages visually, and one-click installation is included on every plan. Coding is only needed for custom designs.
How long does it take to build a small website?
A simple site of four or five pages can be live in a weekend if you have your text and photos ready. Writing the content takes longer than the technical setup.
Should I buy the domain and hosting together?
It is convenient, because the domain can be pointed to your hosting for you. You can also register elsewhere and point it to us later.
Can I change hosting later?
Yes. Websites can be moved between hosts. Free migration is included on Small and higher plans billed yearly. See our migration page.
Keep reading
Related pages
Start your website on UK hosting
Free SSL, one-click WordPress and 24/7 live chat on every plan, from 84p a month (£10.03 billed yearly).